The Late Middle Ages (1200-1400)
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Transcript of The Late Middle Ages (1200-1400)
The Late Middle Ages (1200-1400)
World History - Libertyville HS
Characteristics of Period
• Agriculture– Limits of agricultural
land reached– “Mini Ice Age” caused
famines, loss of crops due to poor growing seasons / long winters
• Politics– Wars common through
period as political consolidation continued
Characteristics of Period• Economic– Invention of double entry
bookkeeping allowed for keeping track of debts and income at same time
– Led to development of banking
– Rise of Italian banking families• Medici, of Florence• Became patrons of the
Renaissance
Characteristics of Period• Hanseatic League (N. Holy
Roman Empire)– Trading federation among
Baltic Sea & inland HRE– Political, economic force in late
Middle Ages (fish on Fridays)– Helped create larger, more
varied European trading communities
• Luxury goods became more available for rich
• Iron tools became more common for poor
Characteristics of Period• Religious
– Real and perceived corruption of Church• Simony, sale of indulgences
– Rise of “heretics” (people who disagree with Catholic church)
– Jon Hus – Czech philosopher who opposed simony, indulgences
– Invited to debate church– Imprisoned, burned at stake– Important because he
foreshadowed Protestant Reformation
– Inquisition
Characteristics of Period
• Education– Rise of universities in 1100s,
in Europe– “University” = community of
scholars– Universities usually run by
priests, monks– Purpose of learning was to
understand God better– Universities surprisingly
accepting of ideas from other cultures (zero, Arabic numbers for math)
Black Death (1347-1350)
• Estimated death toll = 50 million– Between 1/3 and ½ of
population of Europe• Death toll high, but not
only b/c of plague– Trade stopped (no food)– Famines– Labor shortages, in
fields– 100 Years War started in
1337
Black Death (Bubonic Plague)
• Bubonic plague carried by fleas
• Fleas carried by Rats• Plague actually a virus• Made its way to Europe
from China– Probably brought from
East by Italian merchants– Rats on ships brought
infected fleas to Europe
Bubonic Plague Characteristics
• Fever, blotches all over body
• Huge swelling under armpits, around lymph nodes, called buboes
• If they burst, you were ok; if not, you were dead within hours
• Puncturing them with a knife did not help
Responses to the Plague• Doctors thought it was
transmitted through the air (herbs, incense)
• Religious leaders thought God was punishing man for sins– Flagellant cult: travelling
groups who prayed for forgiveness & whipped themselves as a sign of repentance
– Blamed Jews for plague (attacks)
Effects of Plague• Peasant life improved
– Population way down, but their service became valuable
– Demanded wages, better working conditions from Lords
– If life didn’t improve, peasants rebelled
• Nobility were less affected by plague– Less contact with virus carrying
rats– 1 prince, relatively few nobles died– Affected more by economic,
political changes