Vocab
Great Famine
- (1315–1317)
- Bad weather caused millions from Northern Europe to suffer from starvation and disease, weakening the feudal economy and population
1337
Feudal System
- Kings own an entire kingdom of land
- Kings give nobles sections of the land in exchange for military protection
- Militaries fight for their noble in exchange for smaller pieces of land
- Peasants work the land for protection/shelter
Serfdom
- Peasants peasants are stuck working on a lord's land
- In return, the peasant gets a place to live and protection
- Serfs are legally attached to the land, not the lord (even if the land was sold), which makes them NOT a slave
Black Death
- (1347–1351)
- Bubonic plague killed roughly 1/3 to 1/2 of Europe's population
1347
Black Death reaches Europe
Great Famine (Feudal Order)
- Crop failures caused starvation and population decline
- The feudal economy depended on peasants producing food, so widespread famine weakened manors and nobles' wealth
Great Famine (Modern Europe)
- Economic disruption encouraged changes in labor and trade
- As the medieval economy recovered, towns, merchants, and a middle class became increasingly important
Hundred Years War
- (1337–1453)
- Long conflict over Britain and France over territory
1378
Great Western Schism
Black Death (Feudal Order)
- Millions died, creating a huge labor shortage
- Peasants became more valuable and could demand higher wages, making nobles less able to control them (rise in middle class)
- Serfdom weakened
Black Death (Modern Europe)
- Higher wages and declining serfdom helped create a more mobile middle class and money-based economy
- Wealthy merchants helped fund the Renaissance
Great Western Schism
- (1378–1417)
- Two, eventually three, men claimed to be pope
1450
Gutenberg's Printing Press
100 Years War (Feudal Order)
- Kings started taxing the whole country directly, giving them a steady stream of cash
- They used their tax money to hire professional soldiers that only answered to them
- Many nobles also died in battle or went broke funding the war
- Kings became powerful while nobles were left weak
100 Years War (Modern Europe)
- Led toward "New Monarchs" who centralized power
- Stronger monarchies had more resources to fund exploration, armies, and larger governments
1315
Great Famine
1517
Protestant Reformation Begins
Great Western Schism (Feudal Order)
- Multiple people claimed to be pope, causing people to question the Church's leadership
- This weakened the Church's position as Europe's "Spiritual Emperor"
Great Western Schism (Modern Europe)
- Weakened Church authority made it easier for people to challenge Catholic authority later
- The printing press helped spread these criticisms, contributing to the Protestant Reformation