Transcript Decline_of_Feudalism_complete

Feudalism:
A political and economic system based on
loyalty and military service.
The Decline of Feudalism
Reason #1 Political Changes
England
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Political changes that would bring an end to
Feudalism started in England in the 12th and 13th
centuries (1100’s-1200’s)
It really starts with King Henry II (1154-1189)
King Henry II Changes the Court System
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No More
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Trial by Ordeal
Trial by Combat
Feudal Lords deciding guilt or
innocence and punishments
Instead
A Jury would accuse
people of crimes
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Cases would be tried before a
Royal Judge
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Guilt or Innocence would be
based more on the facts of the case
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Henry II Fights With The Church
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1164- Henry issued the Constitutions
of Clarendon
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Listed the Rights of the King
The BIG one was that if a member of
the clergy was accused of a crime they
would be tried in Royal Courts
Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas
Becket, Objected!!! The clergy should
be tried in Church Courts!!
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1170 Becket is killed by 4 knights
1173 Becket becomes a saint, and his
tomb becomes a destination for
pilgrimages
King John I Makes A Lot of Enemies
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John I becomes king when his father, Henry
II, dies in 1199
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Lost most of England’s land in France
Taxed the nobles
Ignored the rights of the nobles
Fought with the church
Heavily taxed church lands
King John I And The Magna Carta
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1215- The Magna Carta (Great
Charter) is signed by King John I
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Nobles forced John I to sign the
Magna Carta
King must ask the nobles
before he raises taxes
All free men must have a trial
Property cannot just be taken
Why would King John I sign a
document that took away some
of his power?
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If he did not agree…..He would
be overthrown!!
King Edward I
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1295 Edward I started the Model Parliament,
to help govern England
Included lots of different people
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Commoners
Lower Clergy
Nobles
High ranking Clergy
So How Did This Stuff Help End
Feudalism?
1.
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Strengthened the power of the King
Weakened the power of the Nobles
Gave more power to Common People
Magna Carta gave people rights that could
not be taken away
Improved Court System
Model Parliament gave regular people a say
in the government
The Decline of Feudalism
Reason #2- The Bubonic Plague AKA “The
Black Death”
What is the Bubonic Plague?
Most famous form of Plague
 Caused by a bacterial infection
 Spreads through flea bites
(Rarely through the air)
 Without treatment……
50%-100% Lethal
 Bubonic Plague probably
started in China or Mongolia
 Today Bubonic Plague is
curable with the use of proper
antibiotics (3,000)
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Symptoms of the Bubonic Plague
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1st Flu like symptoms
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2nd Swollen lymph glands
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Sneezing, Aches, and Fatigue
Armpits, Groin, and Neck
Swollen glands develop into Buboes, which eventually rupture
and bleed
3rd Coughing
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Once coughing starts the plague has become airborne
4th Pain, Bleeding, Decaying of Tissue and Death….
in 3-7 days
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The Bubonic Plague spreads to
Europe
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Fleas spread along trade routes
Spread along the Silk Road
Also spread to Europe on ships
First outbreaks of the Bubonic
Plague would occur in port
cities and towns
Spreading the Plague in Europe
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Starts in modern Turkey and Italy
Poor sanitation encouraged the
spread of the Plague
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Plague infected rats and fleas feed
on garbage, dead animals, and
human waste
Most people did not change their
clothing
Most people did not bath regularly
People did not know what caused
the Plague, or how it spread
Impact of the “Black Death”
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Approximately half of the people in China died
24 million Europeans died, about 1/3 of the population
Trade and The Economy were destroyed
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Power shifted from the Nobles to the Commoners
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Rebuilt with an emphasis on Common people
So many people had died that workers were in short supply
Workers could demand more money and more rights
More people moved away from feudal manors and into
towns and cities to look for better opportunities
Peasant rebellions began to break out
The Decline of Feudalism
Reason #3- The 100 Years War (1337-1453
Off and On for 116 years
Background
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King of France dies with no successor
King Edward III of England is a distant relative, so he claims
the French throne
The war was very back and forth
Eventually France would win and the English would be
driven out of France
New Weapons
(Battles of Crecy, Poitiers, and Agincourt)
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Battle of Crecy
English Army
Outnumbered 3-1
Not many armored knights,
mostly peasant soldiers
LONGBOWMEN
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Battle of Crecy
French Army
3 times more troops
Mounted armored knights
CROSSBOWMEN
Joan of Arc
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1429- A peasant teenage French girl
who hears voices telling her to drive
the English from France and crown
Charles V King of France, rallies
France to victory
May 7, 1429 Joan of Arc leads a
French army to victory at the Battle
of Orleans
July 17, 1429 Charles V is crowned
King of France
A year later, Joan of Arc is captured
by the British
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Tried in Church Courts for Heresy
and witchcraft
Burned at the stake
Impacts of 100 Years of Warfare
English and French Kings Gain Power
(Especially French)
 Nationalism grows in France and England
 Armored knights and Chivalry have been replaced
with Peasant armies and Longbowmen
 Nobles and Knights lose power and become less
important, while Peasants become more important
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??Questions?? about the Church
People start to resent the wealth and power of the
Pope and the Church
 Start to question the teachings of the Church
 Who is really the head of the Church?
 How should the clergy live?
 Do common people even really need the clergy?
 By the way, often times the people who asked these questions
were put on trial for heresy and burned at the stake
 All of this questions showed that the power and influence of the
Church was declining
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Impact on the End of Feudalism
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Kings now had more power than the Pope
Church is having problems with transferring
power, and actually running itself
Common people begin to question the Church
Common people begin to resent the wealth
and power of the Church
Church splits: Roman Catholic and Eastern
Orthodox
The Decline of Feudalism
Reason #4- The Crusades
The Crusades
History’s Most
Successful
FAILURE
Background
During the Middle Ages the
Catholic Church had risen in
power
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After the fall of Rome, the
Eastern portion of the Empire
became known as the
Byzantine Empire
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Background- Causes
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Jerusalem was a holy land for
the Christians and each year
many come to visit (pilgrimages)
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The Seljuk Turks (Muslims)
controlled that land and the
amount of visitors grew too
much that they began not
allowing visitors
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It was also believed that the
increase in Muslim power would
threaten the Byzantine Capital of
Constantinople
Jerusalem
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Pope Urban II and his call
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1093- Byzantine Emperor
Alexius wanted help to save
Constantinople from Turks
 asks Church
1095- Pope Urban II issues a
call for a “holy” war or
Crusade to capture the Holy
land (Palestine) back from
Muslims
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Pope assured that those that
die in Crusade will have a
place in Heaven
GOAL:
Crusades  recapture the holy
land from Muslims
Map of Crusades
1st Crusade- 1096
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Crusaders capture Jerusalem
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1187- Jerusalem falls back to Muslim rule
Crusade # 2
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Fails to recapture city
Third Crusade
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Led by Richard the Lionhearted- King of England
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Despite war, eventually they came to a truce with
Saladin, leader of Muslims
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Christians (unarmed) would be allowed in city
The Crusades = 7-8 total
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The next 4 were unsuccessful in recapturing
city.
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But there were other crusades….
Children’s Crusade 1212
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20,000 – 30,000
children went
out
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Most died of
disease,
starvation and
others were sold
to slavery
Spanish Crusade- The Inquisition 1400
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kick Muslims/ non Christians out
of Spain
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Reconquisita- Re –conquering of
Spain
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Inquisition – court used to suppress
heresy (anyone different from
teachings of Church)
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Like a witch hunt against those not
Christians
Why did the Crusades fail?
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After the 1st attempt, each attempt was weaker
with less emphasis on winning
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People soon became about making money and
getting goods
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Stealing from Byzantine and Islamic
Effects of Crusades
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Showed power of Church
Increased trading between East and West
Merchants increased
will lead to massive Cultural Diffusion
Kings become more powerful
Constantinople (Istanbul) eventually falls to Turks
Increased trading helped business flourish
Muslim bitterness and hatred toward Christians
The Decline of Feudalism
Reason #4- The Great Schism
(Conflict in the Church)
Western vs. Eastern Christianity
Roman
Catholicism
Eastern Orthodoxy
Leadership
Pope
Patriarch
Power Source
Pope over rulers;
appointed bishops
Patriarch led church with
emperor influence
Language
Latin
Greek
Priests & Divorce
Could not marry;
divorce not
permitted
Could marry;
divorce with
stipulations
Major Holiday
Christmas
Easter
Kings and Popes Compete
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Big Incident (1300-1303)
King Philip IV (France) says that
the clergy in France have to
answer to the King
Pope Boniface VIII says that
kings must always obey popes.
Philip the IV has the Pope held
prisoner, he is later rescued, but
dies shortly thereafter
The power of the Pope over
Kings was now completely gone
More then 1 Pope ?!?!
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Pope Urban VI
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Chosen by Italian Cardinals
because he was Italian
Lived in Rome
Excommunicated Clement VII
Clement VII
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Chosen by French Cardinals
because he was French
Lived in France
Excommunicated Urban VI
There is actually a 3rd Pope at the same time!
Who the heck is in charge of the Church?
The Great Schism
(Split in the Church)
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So who is Pope?
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1414 The Council of Constance tries to
figure this mess out
Was able to force all 3 Popes to quit
3 years later they choose a new Pope,
only 1 this time, Martin V
Recap
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There are 4 main reasons why Feudalism fell…
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Political Changes
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Bubonic Plague
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Church loses power, people begin to question and resent the Church
Crusades
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Growth of Nationalism, End of Chivalry, Common people continue to gain
power and importance
Great Schism
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More power for the common people because their labor was even more important
now
100 years War
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Changed the court system, More rights for the people, more power for the King
Church loses power, people begin to question and resent the Church
2 Final Thoughts
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Kings and Common people were gaining more and more power, while the
Nobles and Church were losing it
People were sick of all this turmoil and really wanted things to change