THE LATE MIDDLE AGES Written By: Kevin Cardenas

FAMINE AND POPULATION

Shift in temperature creating shortened growing seasons and bad weather conditions including storms and constant rain

Shortages of food caused hunger and starvation

Europe reached its upper limits of population with an increase in poor

All productive land was being farmed including marginal lands

FAMINE AND POPULATION

Killed 10% of the population Population moved from rural to urban

areas Famine led to chronic malnutrition, led

to increased infant mortality, led to lower birthrates, led to higher susceptibility to disease, led to high mortality of the Black Death

BLACK DEATH

Wiped out ¼ to ½ of the European population

Originated in central Asia and spread through trade routes

Rodents on boats carrying fleas with bacteria helped spread the disease

BLACK DEATH

Three Forms of the Plague Bubonic - spread by rats - fever,

aching, swelling, dark blotches beneath the skins

Pneumonic - spread by cough - bacteria spread to the lungs causing lungs to bleed

Septicemic - spread by insects - infected died within a day

REACTION TO THE PLAGUE

Clergymen fled to escape the disease Decreased the

church’s influence on the people

People lived for the day indulging in sexual and alcoholic orgies

The wealthy left their estates for the country

Some believed the plague was God’s way cleansing sinner from the Earth

REACTION TO THE PLAUGE

Flagellants used whips and spike studded leather to cleanse themselves of sin - killed Jews and clergymen

Jews were accused of causing the plague by poisoning water supplies

Many saw life as cheap & displayed an increase in violence

ECONOMIC DISLOCATION AND SOCIAL UPHEAVAL

Noble Landlords and Peasants - Three Estates

Clergy - those who pray Nobility - those who fight Laborers - those who work Began to disintegrate due to series of

urban and rural revolts

ECONOMIC DISLOCATION AND SOCIAL UPHEAVAL

Labor shortages caused a rise in wages from 2 shillings a week to 7, then to 11

Population decline cause a depression in the demand for produce and caused prices to fall

These caused lesser lords to become impoverished

ECONOMIC DISLOCATION AND SOCIAL UPHEAVAL

Aristocrats sought to lower wages to pre-plague levels

Also tried to prevent the mobility of peasants

These proved to unenforceable and landlords

Continued to decline while peasants improved their positions

Labor moved from service based to rent causing manorialism to weaken and freeing peasants from obligations

PEASANT REVOLTS

Jacquerie - Economic dislocation and the upheaval of order from the Black Death, as well as the 100 Years’ War allowed a revolt to breakout in Northern France Burned castles and murdered nobles The privileged class came together,

massacred the rebels and ended the revolt

PEASANT REVOLTS

English Peasant Revolt of 1381 - Revolt against a poll tax (monarchial attempt to raise revenue) Peasants expelled tax collectors from

villages, burned down manors, murdered officials

King Richard II eliminated the poll tax

REVOLTS IN THE CITIES

The Ciompi - wool workers revolted when their wages declined Revolted gained them the right to form

guilds and be represented in government Revolts after the Black Death gave

workers and peasants improvements in wages and living conditions because they fought back against the privileged class during a time disorder

REVOLTS IN THE CITIES

Most revolts achieved no long-term goals as the ruling class joined forces to defeat social uprisings

WAR AND POLITICAL INSTABILITY

Causes of the Hundred Years’ War King Henry III of England was also the

duke of Gascony, France This territory caused a number of disputes between the kings of England and France as the French king continued to interfere in the affairs of the vassals (lords) of France

WAR AND POLITICAL INSTABILITY

Flanders was England’s chief market for raw wool Urban revolts pitted merchants against

artisans threatening England’s revenue from the wool exports

France intervened in Flanders on the side of the merchants, thereby threatening English interests

England therefore supported the Flemish artisans

WAR AND POLITICAL INSTABILITY

The Capetian (French) dynasty failed to produce a male heir after the death of Charles IV King Edward III of England was the son of the

daughter of King Philip IV of France and claimed the throne of France as a close male relative

French laws followed descent through males and a cousin, Philip, duke of Valois, became King Philip VI

When Edward III of England refused to pay homage to King Philip VI of France, Philip seized the duchy of Gascony, causing Edward to declare war

CONDUCT AND COURSE OF THE WAR

Knights viewed the battles as a way to demonstrate chivalry Peasant foot soldiers determined the

outcome, not knights The French relied on armed noble cavalry The English peasants used pikes and rapid

fire longbows

CONDUCT AND COURSE OF THE WAR 1346 - English defeated a larger French

army at Crecy The French had no battle plan, and were

devastated by archers Edward III then captured the port of Calais

CONDUCT AND THE COURSE OF THE WAR The Black Prince - Edward's son

He avoided direct battles, rather he destroyed land and burned crops, stealing anything valuable for profit

This caused hunger and death Defeated King John II (French) at the Battle

of Poitiers (1356) End of first phase of the war

CONDUCT AND THE COURSE OF THE WAR Peace of Bretigny (1359)

French paid a large ransom for King John Gascony was enlarged Edward renounced his claim to the throne

of France John gave up feudal control over English

land in France Treaty was never enforced and a new

phase began

CHARLES V

The Battle of Agincourt the French were defeated by fields turned to mud Henry regained Normandy, and formed

an alliance with the Duke of Burgundy: (England controlled N. France)

Charles the dauphin - governed S. France

CHARLES V

Joan of Arc - peasant girl experienced visions that commanded her to free France and have the dauphin crowned king of France Defeated the English at Orleans This is the turning point of the war The dauphin became King Charles VII Joan was captured by the Burgundians, given to

the English and sent to be tried in the Inquisition She was burned at the steak as a heretic at 19

CHARLES V

The war was another two decades but the English were defeated in Normadie and Aquitaine The only land left

in English hands was Calais

POLITICAL INSTABILITY

Most of the instability can be attributed to the breakdown of the feudal system Once again relationships changed to wages

instead of service (military of farming) Monarchs now hired professional soldiers

instead Dynasties were unable to produce direct

male heirs Nobles struggle to gain power to claim the

throne

POLITICAL INSTABILITY

Dynasties ran into financial problems The shift to hiring professional soldiers

caused kings to be perennially short of money

Property rent wasn’t enough Monarchs went to parliaments for tax money

YOU ARE ON YOUR OWN

Read The Growth of England’s Political Institutions on pg. 309

THE PROBLEMS OF FRENCH KINGS

The Estates-General, the French parliament, had representatives of all three estates, but only represented N. France The southern provinces had local

estates The Gabelle and the Taille

King Philip VI needed money to fight the 100 Years’ War

Gabelle - was a tax on salt Taille - was a tax on wheat

THE PROBLEMS OF FRENCH KINGS

Additional taxes were created for King John II’s ransom Estates-General agreed the people would

pay the ransom in exchange for not being taxed again without the its approval

In 1358 the Estates-General was crushed Charles V got the Estates-General to grant

him taxes with no fixed time limit

THE PROBLEMS OF FRECH KINGS

Charles VI was insane allowing French nobles to compete for power Nobles supported the Orleanists Paris and other towns favored the

Burgundians This caused civil war until the Burgundians

favored England when the 100 Year's War started again

Read The German Monarchy & The States of Italy

DECLINE OF THE CHURCH

Boniface VIII and the Conflict with the State King Philip IV of France He taxed the French clergy in order to gain

new revenues (subjects) Pope Boniface insisted that the clergy of

any state could not pay taxes (clergy) This created a conflict: universal

sovereignty of the papacy v. the royal sovereignty of the monarch

DECLINE OF THE CHURCH

Boniface issued the Unam Sanctam stating that spiritual authority is highest Before the Pope could excommunicate him,

King Philip sent French forces to capture Boniface and bring him back to France to stand trial for heresy

Italian nobles rescued Boniface after his capture, but he died of shock soon thereafter

Essentially Philip wins, the church loses

DECLINE OF THE CHURCH

Philip pressured the college of cardinals to elect Clement V, a Frenchman, as pope Due to the constant upheaval in Rome,

Clement V took up residence in Avignon Avignon is on the Rhone River, technically

part of the Holy Roman Empire, but a stone’s throw away from France

The pope and his successors stayed there for 72 years

THE PAPACY AT AVIGNON

Residency in Avignon led to a decline in papal prestige The pope was the bishop of Rome, should

be in Rome then 2. It was widely believed that the

pope was a captive of the French monarchy

3. 113 of the 134 newly appointed cardinals were French

THE PAPACY AT AVIGINON

The church adapted to the changes of the economic and political makeup of Europe Papal penitentiary – ecclesiastical

discipline and pardons Chancery – prepared legal documents Roman rota – court of appeals and judicial

affairs Papal treasury – handled the money

THE GREAT SCHISM

Pope Gregory XI returned to Rome in order to save the church’s prestige He died shortly after this and a new pope had to

be named The people of Rome demanded that the new

pope be Roman or Italian, otherwise the college of cardinals would not leave Rome alive They elected an Italian archbishop, Pope Urban VI 5 months later the college claimed that Urban

was not the true pope and elected a French pope, Clement VII

THE GREAT SCHISM

Two Popes – Urban VI of Rome and Clement VII of Avignon Both popes

declared each other the Antichrist

THE GREAT SCHISM

Europe was divided over who was the appropriate pope (Great Schism) Clement VII – France, Spain, Scotland and S.

Italy Urban VI – England, Germany, Scandinavia,

rest of Italy Division politically equivalent to the 100

Year’s War This lasted for 40 years and undermined the

foundation of the church

NEW THOUGHT ON CHURCH AND STATE AND THE RISE OF CONCILIARISM

Marsiglio of Padua believed that the church’s problems could only be solved if the church acted as a community of the faithful Conciliarism – a general council of the church

could end the schism and bring reform Cardinals from both lines of the pope

convened as the Council of Pisa They deposed both popes and elected a new one

– Alexander V The two popes refused to step down and the

church becomes more divided over three popes

NEW THOUGHT ON CHURCH AND STATE AND THE RISE OF CONCILIARISM

A new council is created by the Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund Council of Constance - successful in

deposing or getting the three popes to resign

Cardinal Oddone Colonna was elected Pope Martin V thus ending The Great Schism

THE CULTURAL WORLD OF THE 14TH CENTURY

The Development of Vernacular Literature Latin was the language of the church and all

official documents were written in this language

Vernacular literature starts to emerge in this period

Dante – wrote the Divine Comedy describing medieval religious thought in the form of the soul’s progression to heaven (I)

THE CULTURAL WORLD OF THE 14TH CENTURY

Petrach – wrote his sonnets and his humanist philosophy in the classical style of ancient Rome (I)

Boccaccio – wrote The Decameron which reflected the acceptance of basic church values during Black Death (I)

Chaucer – wrote the Canterbury Tales to portraying both the high and low society of England, as well as to criticize the corruption of the church (E)

de Pizan – poet that encouraged women to defend themselves against the needs of men to control them

ART AND THE BLACK DEATH

The plague killed many of the most well known artists Art was

morbid and focused on pain and death

SOCIETY IN AN AGE OF ADVERSITY

Changes in Urban Life Prostitution became regulated by organizing

brothels that could be supervised and taxed by authorities

Prostitutes wore special clothing to distinguish themselves

2. Family Life and Gender Roles in Late Medieval Cities Nuclear families – husband, wife and children Women – became limited in their job opportunities

due to the economic difficulty of the times

SOCIETY IN AN AGE OF ADVERSITY

Medieval Children Children were taught skills of a trade as

early as possible in order to become apprentices quicker so that they may be master craftsmen later in life

Some cities provided schools to educate children

Grammar school – boys and girls Secondary school – boys only

INVENTIONS AND NEW PATTERNS

Mechanical clocks were installed in church towers and buildings Allowed people to organize their day by

the striking of the clock’s bells Eyeglasses were introduced in order to

read small print as parchment was expensive

Cotton started to be used in cheaper paper

INVENTIONS AND NEW PATTERNS

Gunpowder – invented by the Chinese and used in early cannons Early cannons had a tendency to blow up

killing those firing it Both cannons and gunpowder changed

warfare forever by making castles, city walls and armor useless