The Crisis of the Later Middle Ages, 1300-1450The Hundred Years’ War & Decline of the Church

Key Concepts Hundred Years War

England & France forged their identities Fought intermittently between 1337 & 1453 Began as a feudal war – developed two powerful &

territorially integrated states Challenges to the Catholic Church

Kings sought greater influence over the clergy

Theologians rejected many of the church’s positions Legitimacy of its power Damaged prestige

The Babylonian Captivity The Great Schism

Social Change Growing cities

Tightening membership in Guilds Stratification of gender roles Peasant and urban revolts Sexual issues became public concern

The Hundred Years’ War1337 – 1453England and France

fought over English feudal claims to the French throne

116 years of intermittent war

England won every important battleExcept the last one

The Hundred Years’ WarCauses

AquitaineInherited in the 12thC by England (Capetian dynasty)Capetian dynasty died out in 1328

French nobles did not want England’s king Edward III to exercise his royal claim in France. French nobles seeking to weaken French monarchy supported

Edward Econ competition over the rich Flemish wool-producing

towns Flemish aristocracy supported France Merchant class suported England

The war presented many opportunities for honor, advancement, and wealth for nobles

France & England during The 100 Years War

The Hundred Years’ War• Importance• Nationalism grows• Both countries sensationalized the evils of the other• Fostered mutual hatred

• Military• Ended medieval tactics and chivalric rules of war• England won most of the battles• Used artillery for the 1st time & the longbow, • Which unhorsed knights in armor, superior to the crossbow

• The cannon meant stone castles were obsolete

• France won the war• Joan of Arc – spurred nationalistic fervor

The Hundred Years’ War• Joan of Arc

• Peasant girl• 16 years old• Heard voices urging her to help the dauphin (uncrowned king) • Convinced king to allow her to accompany an army to the siege of

Orleans.• Her leadership inspired the soldiers• 10 days later England withdrew • 10 days after that Charles was crowned

• Joan was captured by Burgundians• Sold her to England• Tried and executed for witchcraft and heresy• Cut her hair• Wore men’s clothes• Claimed to hear directly from God

• Became one of two patron saints of France

The Hundred Years’ War• Consequences

• Death Toll was huge in contrast to medieval wars• Economies in France where the battles were fought, were

devastated.• England’s economy suffered due to the stunning costs of the war• Plunder soldiers brought back added to their coffers• Gov. raised taxes on wool – making it harder to sell aboard, thus

hurting the econ• Parliament grew - Constitutional Monarchy advanced• Edward III called Parliament into session 37 our of the 50 years

of his reign to ask for finances for the war.• Commons separated from the Lords • Commons – knights and wealthy burgers• Right to approve non-feudal levies – financial power• England only had one Parliament – other countries had dominate

regional/provincial assemblies

The Hundred Years’ War• Seeds of change – Parliament

• Limited monarchy (nearly 800 years)• Origin • The Magna Carta• The barons of England forced King John to sign – 1215• Estab. Limitations on royal power• Restricted judicial powers of the king• Protected the barons, clergy and burghers (wealthy townsmen)

from arbitrary arrest or cruel punishment• Granted trial by jury• Required the “common consent of the realm” for new taxes

• During the 100 Years’ War• The king needed the common consent to acquire more (and

more) funds for the war• Parliament became more powerful

• A feudal origin the Magna Carta guaranteed right to the ruling elites, that were extended over the centuries to all royal subjects

Challenges to the Church

• Catholic Church• Inadequate and conflicted leadership• Putting it under the

domination of powerful states

• Demand from within to restructure from a papal hierarchy to councils made up from the clergy

• The growth of lay piety• Mysticism

Challenges to the Church• The Babylonian Captivity 1309 – 1376• The popes resided in Avignon• Under the domination of the French king (not in Rome)• Focused on internal administrative reforms

• Return to Rome (after nearly 70 years)• Dispute over who should be pope• Fueled by nationalism• Two popes were elected • Urban VI – Italian• Clement VII – cousin of the king of France• States supported according to their political interests

Challenges to the Church• The Great Schism

• Effort to reform the monarchical organization of the church by sharing power with church councils representative of all Christians

• Defensor Pacis of 1324 - Marsiglio of Padua • Intellectual underpinnings of the conciliar movement• Argued that the church must be subordinate to the state • The church had no right to own property• Led to his excommunication

• John Wyclif (later his ideas were used by Martin Luther)• The only source of Christian doctrine & practice – the Scriptures• Scriptures should be read in the vernacular by the laity• Common religious practices were illegitimate• Veneration of saints and pilgrimages• Simony (buying/selling of church offices)• Pluralism (holding several offices at the same time)• Absenteeism (holding an office, but living in another place)• Property ownership

Challenges to the Church

• AP Tip• Pilgrimages and veneration of saints were also an

important part of the urban economy• Pilgrimages fostered trade and the founding of

towns along their routes

Challenges to the Church• Lollards

• Wyclif’s supporters• Used his ideas to justify peasant revolts -1381• Same time as 1st Eng. Translation of the Bible

• Women• Lollard’s supported women preachers

• Significant impact – 15thC• Bohemia• Czech priest John Hus• Preached in native language – not Latin• Not a radical – but• Argued for Scripture to be accepted• Denounced abuses of the church• Communion for clergy and laity

• Czech nobles used ideas to push independence from Habsburg (Gr overlords)

• Council of Constance 1415 – tried and executed for heresy• Hussite Wars – Nobles/people rebelled against Habsburgs • Council called an end to the Great Schism• Martin V – pope• Councils lose power – papacy wins power

Challenges to the Church

AP tip!• Religion & Politics• Wyclif & Hus reveal the degree to which religious reform

was tied to politics

• Seeds of Change• Martin Luther would use their ideas a century later• Martin Luther was able to bring about reform they

could not (Wyclif and Hus opposition too powerful – supports too weak)

Challenges to the Church• Lay Piety gain prominence• Disorder & disunity• disputes among various orders • particularly Franciscans & Dominicans

• Disappointing performance of some priests• Absence of priests• The Black Death took many priests