Transcript Ch 11 PowerPoint-Later Middle Ages

Chapter 11: The Later
Middle Ages: 1300-1450
AP EUROPEAN HISTORY
I. Prelude to Disaster
A. Causes
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B. Impact
1. Economic and Social Impact
 Diseases killed many people and animals.
 Economies slowed; population growth halted (lower output, higher prices)
Poor harvests led
 Entire villages deserted, people forced to sell holdings and many became
to the Great
Famine in the
vagabonds.
years 1315-1322.
 Marriages declined decreased population.
Fewer calories
 This caused an international economic downturn, as trade everywhere
meant
declined
increased
2. Weak governments were unable to deal with these problems.
susceptibility to
 Starving people turned against rich people and Jews.
disease and less
energy for
 English kings tried to regulate the food supply and set price controls but
growing food.
failed.
 Tried to buy grain abroad but was stolen by looters.
“Little Ice Age”
around 1300.
Black Death
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A. Origins
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Genoese ships brought the bubonic plague to Europe in 1347.
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The bacillus lived in fleas that infested black rats.
B. Pathology and care
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It was transmitted through both flea bites and pneumonic transmission
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Unsanitary and overcrowded cities were ideal breeding grounds for the black rats.
Most people had no rational explanation for the disease, and out of ignorance and fear many
blamed it on Jews, causing thousands of Jews to be murdered.
The disease, which killed millions, recurred often and as late as 1700.
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a. It spread to central Europe and eastward--although its toll was less in Poland.
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b. In Hungary, type-D blood people may have been immune.
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c. Its last occurrence was in France in 1721.
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d. A vaccine was not developed until 1947.
Black Death
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C. The social and cultural consequences
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Priests, monks, and nuns cared for the sick, and as the clergy were killed off
even women performed the services of priests.
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In the towns the plague meant population decline, labor shortage, and high
inflation. Wages increased and labor productivity increased as did per capita
wealth.

The psychological consequences of the plague were enormous: pessimism,
gross sensuality, religious fervor, and flagellantism.
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a. Society became divided and full of fear.
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b. Artists and writers became obsessed with death.
Hundred Years’ War (1337-1453)
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A disastrous conflict bet. England and France over territory, money and power.
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Began largely over Philip VI’s seizure of Aquitaine.
Joan of Arc and France’s Victory
1. Joan of Arc-obscure French peasant girl who revived French military fortunes. She
began hearing voices telling her that the dauphin (the uncrowned King Charles VII) had
to be crowned and that the English had to be expelled. She led the French army to a
string of victories, and Charles VII was crowned king in 1429.
2. Capture and Trial—Charles refused to ransom Joan when she was captured by the
Burgundian allies of the English in 1430. She was turned over to the English, who put her
on trial for heresy. She was burned at the stake(a new trial in 1456 was held by the pope,
who cleared her of all charges and declared her a martyr).
3. Ultimate French Victory—The Burgundians switched sides, and the French
reconquered Normandy, finally pushing the English out of Aquitaine. Calais was the only
town still in English hands when the war ended in 1453.
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Hundred Years’ War
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Aftermath
1. Havoc in England and France—The rural economy of many parts of France had been
devastated, and French participation in international commerce was drastically
reduced. England spent and lost more than £5 million on the war, and personal fortunes
were squandered.
2. Technology and the Nation State—Cannons rendered stone castles vulnerable, but
only central governments could afford cannons so the military power of national states
was strengthened in respect to the nobility.
3. Representative Assemblies—deliberative meetings of lords and wealthy urban
residents that flourished in many European countries between 1250 and 1450.
Parliaments met more frequently and increased their power since the monarchs
depended on the parliaments of nobles to raise money. France had no national rep.
assembly because provincial assemblies were independent and opposed the idea.
4. Nationalism—Nationalistic sentiment was strengthened in both countries. Military
strength surged following a victory.
The Decline Of The Church's Prestige
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A. The Babylonian Captivity (1309-1376)
 1.
The pope had lived at Avignon since the reign of King Philip the Fair
of France and thus was subject to French control.
 a.
The Babylonian Captivity badly damaged papal prestige.
 b.
It left Rome and Papal states poverty stricken.
 2.
Pope Gregory XI brought the papacy back to Rome in 1377, but
then Urban VI alienated the church hierarchy in his zeal to reform the
church.
 3.
A new pope, Clement VII, was elected, and both popes claimed to
be legitimate.
The Decline Of The Church's Prestige
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B. The Great Schism (1378-1417)
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1. England and Germany recognized Pope Urban VI,
while France and others recognized the antipope,
Clement VII.
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2. The schism brought the church into disrepute and
weakened the religious faith of many.
The Decline Of The Church's Prestige
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C. The Conciliar Movement
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1. Conciliarists believed that church authority rested in councils representing the people-not the authority of the pope.
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2. John Wyclif attacked papal authority and called for radical reform of the church.
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a. He believed that Christians should read the Bible for themselves, prompting the first English
translation of the Bible.
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b. His followers, called Lollards, disseminated his ideas widely.
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3. Wyclif's ideas were spread to Bohemia by John Hus (burned at stake for heresy in 1415.
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4. An attempt in 1409 to depose both popes and select another led to a 3-fold schism.
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5. Finally, the Council at Constance (1414-1418) ended the schism with the election of
Pope Martin V.
Society in the 14th Century
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“Fur Collar” Crime- Nobles resort to crime to raise money after wars
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Peasant Revolts
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Erupt in Flanders in 1320s
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Lasted over 5 years
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Mostly over taxation
1358 Jacquerie in France
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Massive French peasant uprising
1381 Revolt in England
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Combination of taxes, plague and war weariness
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Revolts are crushed, underlying causes are not resolved
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The popularity of the Robin Hood legends symbolized the deep resentment of aristocratic
corruption and abuse.
V. Social Unrest in a Changing Society
E. Ethnic Tensions and Restrictions
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1. Ethnic Diversity -Townspeople were usually long-distance immigrants and ethnically different
from the surrounding population.
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2. Legal Dualism—In the early periods of conquest, native peoples remained subject to their
traditional laws, while newcomers were subject to the laws of the country from which they came.
The exception was Ireland as England considered the entire Irish population unfree and they
were denied many rights.
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3. Blood Descent—Legal homogeneity and an emphasis on blood descent replaced legal
dualism in the later Middle Ages.
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Marriage laws were made to maintain ethnic purity and prohibit intermarriage.
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The Statute of Kilkenny (1366) -set of laws that discriminated against the Irish, forbade marriage
between English and Irish, required the use of the English language, and denied the Irish access
to ecclesiastical offices.
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The notion of “blood” affected national consciousness, religious beliefs, and social differences.
Society in the 14th Century
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Marriage
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A vehicle for socio/economic
advancement
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Most marriages were arranged
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Girls were married as early as 12 years
old
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Men married in their 20s
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Prostitution is legalized is many regions
Craft Guilds
• Skilled workers in urban
areas band together
• Able to control access
to lucrative jobs with
high entrance fees
• Standardized training
yields superior products
• Enforced monopoly on
its product
Vernacular Literature
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A. The emergence of national consciousness is seen in the rise of
literature written in national languages--the vernacular.
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B. Many literary masterpieces manifest this new national pride.
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1. Dante's Divine Comedy, a symbolic pilgrimage through Hell, Purgatory,
and Paradise to God, embodied the psychological tensions of the age
and contains bitter criticism of some church authorities.
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2. Chaucer, in the Canterbury Tales, depicted the materialistic, worldly
interests of a variety of English people in the fourteenth century.
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3. Overall, the number of laypersons who could read and write increased
but society continued to be based on oral culture.