Waning of the Middle Ages

I. Crisis (1300-1400)
A. climate shifted again, shortening growing season
i. rain increased, leading to flooding
ii. agriculture became unstable
B. soil exhaustion
i. 3 field system helped soil, but overuse for generations drained soil of nutrients
ii. coupled with increased population, this leads to food shortage and famine
II. Famine and Black Death
A. while general hunger had been an issue for years, mass starvation began to strike
i. peasants were so hungry that they turned to eating their seed, which meant they couldn't
plant next season
ii. at the same time, animals were struck with epidemic disease, killing off much of
Europe's livestock
iii. tens of thousands starved to death, more were killed by disease because their immune
systems were compromised by malnutrition
iv. about 10% of Europe died between 1315-1316
a) despite this, population was still too high to lower food prices
B. 1347 a new plague hit- the Black Death
i. dominant theory is it started in Mongolia and spread with Mongol invasions of China,
India, and Russ, then spread through trade routes by fleas on rats
ii. could be caught by being bitten by flea or inhaled around an infected person
iii. Plague killed 40% of English population and 60% in Northeastern France
a) spread primarily in cities
• sanitation was terrible and cities were overcrowded- perfect conditions
• weakened trade and further undermined agriculture
• famine increased
• London and many other cities lost half their population
III. Hundred Years' War
A. fought between France and England off and on from 1337-1453
B. English kings claimed territory in France, French tried pushing them out
i. exacerbated by English supporting Flemish rebellion against France
ii. high point was when French king died without an heir, and both English and the new
French king claimed to be rightful successor
C. took place entirely in France, destroying both lives and farmland
IV.Uprisings in France and England
A. Peasants
i. strains of regular life coupled with threats of disease, starvation, and war in addition to
raising taxes to pay for 100 Years' War led the peasants to rise up against aristocracy
a) in France, this was in 1358
 • English had captured French king and demanded huge ransom, so the royalty
passed on the cost as huge taxes
• the uprising was a bloodbath, with peasants finding anyone in the aristocracy and
wiping out entire families
• aristocracy joined with the government and put the rebellion down hard
b) in England, rebellion began in 1381
• labor shortages from population decline should have resulted in higher wages,
but Parliament froze wages and demanded more work from serfs
• royalty tried to raise taxes to pay for War, and peasants rebelled
• focused on aristocracy and tax collectors
• king promised to revoke wage laws and abolish serfdom, so the rebels
dispersed
• he then arrested and executed the leaders of the rebellion
• he lifted the wage and tax laws, but kept serfdom for another 30 years
B. Urban Rebellions
i. artisans and urban poor also rose in protest against hunger and upper class
a) first happened in Paris at the same time as peasants, and were put down just as hard
b) happened again between 1378-1383, joined by many other cities in France as well as
cities in Germany, Flanders, and Florence
V. Popular Religious Response to Crisis
A. most concluded hardships during 1300s was God punishing mankind
i. tens of thousands concluded this was the Church's fault
ii. response varied by region
a) some engaged in pilgrimages to holy sites, though sometimes this was difficult due
to Crusades
b) others followed early Christian hermits, who believed punishing the flesh was a
means of feeding the spirit
• these were the flagellants, who joined self-mutilating and self-beating sects
c) mysticism began in areas based on the idea that faithful could commune with God
by turning against worldly ideas and meditating on spiritual mysteries
• this implied man did not need the Church, and was decried as heresy
d) most complex was Lollardism, started by John Wyclif in the mid 1300s
• believed God predestined some souls for salvation and the rest for damnation
• all Christians could do, he said, was live simply and obey Jesus' teachings
• went a step further and condemned bishops and priests for their worldly
possessions
• Church and English royalty declared this heresy punishable by death, and it
faded until later merging with the Puritan movement
VI. Crisis in the Church
A. 1303, Pope Boniface VII was captured by French army and died in custody
i. French King Philip IV forced Pope Clement V to uphold his arrest of Boniface and to
 live in Avignon, a "papal city" in southern France
a) in Church History, this is called the Babylonian Captivity, referencing the Hebrews
living in Babylon under Assyrian rule
ii. Pope was subject to French King, but also kept separate from wars raging in Italy during
this period
a) France also paid for the right to appoint her own bishops, which made the Papacy
very wealthy
• people saw this like the Pope was a vassal under the French king, which overall
weakened the Church's power
B. in 1388, after the death of Pope Gregory XI, the Cardinals named an Italian bishop Pope
Urban VI
i. months later, they recanted and named a French bishop (Clement VII) as pope
a) both claimed papal authority, one from Rome, the other from Avignon- called
Western Schism
• bishops began declaring loyalty to one or the other
• one group even appointed a third rival pope
b) Council of Constance in 1417 had all popes give up power and they elected a new
pope, Martin V
• overall, this infighting further weakened the Church in the eyes of the masses
VII. Political Instability Across Europe
A. Italy
i. most areas had various times of uprising from aristocracy and serfs
ii. central Italy took advantage of the Babylonian Captivity to declare independence from
Papal authority
iii. oligarchies in Genoa, Venice, Florence, etc fought each other for power
B. Germany
i. weakened Imperial authority led to fighting among princes, and some lesser aristocrats
proclaiming themselves kings of their territories
C. France
i. unable to beat English, despite armies being bigger
ii. cost of war promoted uprisings
iii. some kings were weak (one is said to be insane) and were unable to enforce loyalty with
aristocracy
D. England
i. Edward I had to deal with uprisings from Scotland at the same time as fighting French
ii. his son was weak, and after he was removed from power he was murdered
iii. Edward III was strong, but later suffered from senility
iv. 1377 Richard II, only 10 years old, became king, but his uncle ran the kingdom and
ended up taxing the peasants into an uprising
a) when Richard finally took hold, he was removed and murdered
v. this infighting led to two houses rising to power (War of the Roses)
VIII. Recovery (1400-1450)
 A. the Black Death hit occasionally, but by now most had already dealt with it
B. population began to stabilize, agriculture recovered
i. grain prices fell, allowing peasants to buy "luxury" goods, like wine and meat
ii. farmers began to grow new crops, like hops and grapes, allowing for more complexity at
the markets
a) regions began to develop economic specialization
C. the disasters of the previous century led to a huge expansion of commerce
i. Italy dominated trade in imported spices and textiles from the east
ii. Hanseatic League (collection of German states) dominated trade in grain, fur, and luxury
goods from the North
D. trade cities developed banks to allow merchants to easily transfer funds and credits
i. most powerful was Medici family in Florence
ii. merchants also began coming together to fund expensive and risky trade voyages
a) these techniques would influence growth and business for 300 years
IX. The Hussites
A. in Bohemia (in Holy Roman Empire), John Wyclif's ideas were adopted by a preacher
named Jan Hus
i. he translated the bible into Czech and encouraged laypeople to study it for themselves
ii. echoed Wyclif's ideas about worldly corruption in Church
iii. believed all people should take both the bread and wine at communion (only priests took
communion wine at this time)
iv. aristocracy in the area began to support him, hoping to pull power away from Church
a) hoped to gain possession of Church held property and get tax revenue
v. Pope (one of them) invited Hus to speak at the Council of Constance, but instead of
listening he was charged with heresy and burned at the stake
a) after his death, his followers revolted against Church in Bohemia
b) Holy Roman Emperor sent an army to put them (Hussites) down
• his army was crushed by militant group of Hussites, the Taborites
• Taborites argued that the murder of Hus was the work of the Anti-Christ and
signaled the apocalypse- saw themselves as servants of God fighting the
Devil (Church and Emperor)
• new groups took power in the Hussites and worked out a peace with the
Church
• they would recognize Church authority, and laypeople could drink
communion wine
X. Papal Politics Stabilize
A. after Council of Constance, Pope Martin V was recognize by all Church authorities and
Europe's Kings
i. the Council also stated they were superior to the Pope in Church governance
a) the Papacy and and Council wrestled for dominance over the Church for over 30
years
• Papacy won by gaining support from European Kings after agreeing to allow
 them to appoint bishops within their territory again
XI. France in the early 1400s
A. Hundred Years' War still going on
i. aristocrats in Burgundy (central France) allied with the English
ii. 1429, French King turned command of his army over to Joan of Arc
a) her belief in God raised morale of France's armies, allowing for several key victories
b) 1430 Burgundian aristocrats captured Joan and turned her over to the English, who
convicted her of witchcraft and burned her at the stake
• this made her a martyr, and French armies pushed even harder
• Burgundian aristocrats joined with French in 1435
• French forces finally pushed English out of France in 1453
B. French monarchy strengthened hold by breaking the independence of Burgundy and
increased their hold over all the provinces
XII. England in the early 1400s
A. King Henry VI lost power after acting erratically in the Hundred Years' War and refusing to
uphold the Magna Carta
i. aristocracy blamed him for the loss, and civil war broke out with two families trying to
take power
a) House of Lancaster and House of York (called War of the Roses)
ii. aristocrats chose sides and fought for 5 years until York won, named Edward IV king
B. ending the War of the Roses did not end power struggle
i. King Edward IV died in 1483, his brother Richard took power and murdered his sons
a) House of Lancaster rebelled again
b) Henry Tudor, duke of Lancaster, kills Richard and marries Edward IV's widow to
make peace with York family, becomes King Henry VII
• dominates aristocracy, centralizes power in royalty, strengthened finances
XIII. Hapsburgs and Hohenzollerns
A. with weakened Emperor, aristocracy fractured in Germany until two kingdoms emerged
i. Brandenburg-Prussia, ruled by Hohenzollern dynasty
ii. Austria, ruled by Hapsburg dynasty
B. both would rule until modern period
XIV. Italian City-States
A. North dominated by 3- Florence, Milan, and Venice
i. Milan controlled by princely dynasty with absolute rule (like a king)
ii. Venice controlled by merchant oligarchy
iii. Florence was technically a republic, but was ruled by Medici and merchant families
B. Papacy controlled central Italy
C. Kingdom of Naples controlled southern Italy
D. the relative peace between them contributed to a great revival of art and science
XV. Changes in Art
A. new literature developed
 i. most graceful work was from Florence written by Boccaccio
a) used local languages, rather than Latin
b) wrote prose stories, rather than poetic verse
c) subject matter began focusing on romantic and sexual adventures set against
backdrop of impending Black Death
ii. Chaucer wrote Canterbury Tales, taking a comedic point of view of knights, the Church,
and the Crusades
B. Naturalism
i. Boccaccio and Chaucer began this by looking at subject matter as nature
ii. Art followed this, and paintings began to imitate nature rather than the abstract and
stylized art of the Middle Ages
XVI. New Technology
A. creation of lenses for eye glasses and telescopes
B. magnetic compass would allow for next stage, the Age of Exploration
C. clocks transformed how people began to understand and experience the passage of time
D. new paper making tech made it easier and cheaper to make books
i. coupled with Gutenberg Press able to print books en masse, literacy rates rose
E. contact with China provided gunpowder, revolutionizing warfare with cannon and firearms