Transcript Decline of Feudalism and End of the Middle Ages

Reasons for the
Decline of Feudalism
during the
High Middle Ages
Decline of Feudalism--Crusades
 Feudalism
weakened after the
Crusades:
–Lords sold off some of their
lands to raise money for
Crusades
–Pope lost respect because the
Crusades were unsuccessful
Decline of Feudalism—Trade
 Merchants
saw new, exotic
products as a result of the
Crusades & began to trade them
in Europe
 Increased trade led to cities &
weakened feudal relationships:
–New opportunities for serfs
–Kings gained power because
they could tax the merchants
Decline of Feudalism—Black Death
 In
1347, a trade ship arrived in
Italy bringing cargo from China—
on ship was disease called the
Plague (Black Death)
 Swept rapidly
throughout Europe
along
trade
routes
Steps for Spread of Bacteria:
 The
rat is infected with the bacteria
 The flea gets on the rat and bites the
rat, and through the rat’s blood the
bacteria is contracted
 Bacteria multiplies in the flea
 Flea's gut gets clogged with bacteria
 The flea bites a human, regurgitates
blood into open wound
 HUMAN is INFECTED!!
Flea full of Plague-Causing
Bacteria
Modern-Day
Images of the
Plague!!
This is why your
mother makes
you clean your
room!!
Here are some of the CRAZY ways
they had to cure the Plague:
 Bathing
in human  Chop a snake up
everyday
urine
 Wearing of human  Try to fall asleep on
the left side of the
excrement
bed
 Placing dead
 Don't sleep during
animals in the
the day
home
 Do not exercise
 Use of leaches
 Do not eat any
 Pomanders
desserts
Decline of Feudalism—Black Death
 Plague
killed 25 million people in 5
years (1/3 of Europe’s population)
 Plague would disappear, then
reappear in the 1600s
 Effects: wiped out 1/3 population, but
those who survived could demand
higher wages for labor because there
were fewer people to do work—lower
& middle classes gained more rights
100 Year’s War
Decline of Feudalism—100 Years War
 Beginning
in 1337, England
invaded France to take over lands
that belonged to William the
Conqueror (a Frenchman who
ruled England in 1066)
 Began 116 years of turmoil
 But there were major effects of
100 Years War:
New Weapons
 Longbow—6-foot
bows that could
fire length of 3 football fields
(replaced feudal fighting
technique of using exclusively
knights on horseback)
 Cannons—used Chinese
technology of gunpowder to shoot
20-inch stone balls (replaced
feudal practice of relying on
castles for protection)
Nationalism
 People
looked at the King as a
national leader fighting for the glory of
the nation-state
 English people were proud when
England defeated France in battle;
French people were proud when
France
defeated
England
in battle
France
England
Joan of Arc
 England
& France traded victories for
92 years, but in 1429 a young girl
named Joan of Arc had a vision that
she could lead France to victory
 Under her leadership, France
defeated England
 BUT, Joan was captured &
condemned to die by fire; Joan of Arc
is considered a French hero &
religious saint
The Hundred Years War
England
VS.
France
“Staircase” from Early to High Middle Ages
 On
the graphic organizer
provided, describe the
characteristics of the Early Middle
Ages & the High Middle Ages
 Think of as many reasons as
possible for the shift from the
Early to the High Middle Ages &
create a separate staircase for
each reason
 The person/group with the most
accurate “staircases” wins!!