During the Late Middle Ages, Europe endured several calamities which led to an overwhelming sense of crisis. Three specific types of crises will be discussed in order to better examine our main idea—those being crises in the physical world, society and government, and the Church. In understanding the problems people in the Late Middle Ages faced, we can better understand their downfall and hope to improve upon how we recognize problems in our own society. A clear crisis people in the Late Middle Ages faced happened in the physical world, namely, plague and famine contributed greatly to the general difficulty and decline of civilization. Despite advancements in agriculture like the three-field system, things like soil-exhaustion and a changing climate led to a shortage of food and an inevitable devastating famine.1 However, even worse troubles came for the people of the Late Middle Ages when the bubonic plague began to spread and bring pain to an already struggling population.2 Estimations range from a quarter to a third Europe being killed by the disease.3 The plague not only killed many people, but it also caused many others to turn on one …show more content…
Government and society also underwent a process of breakdown during the time. The deadly Hundred Years’ War (which lasted longer than one-hundred years) only contributed to the perilous conditions that people of the time faced.6 The Late Middle Ages also dealt with severe social unrest as urban poor classes began to rise up against the ruling class, despite being stopped, they still contributed to the disorder.7 Without a doubt, situations like war and insurrection led to the eventual discontent of society and collapse of government. We cannot properly examine the crisis of the Late Middle Ages without noticing the troubles of society and government and the effects those problems had on how people saw their lives while living in that
By the time the plague began to decline in the 1400s, half of Europe’s population had perished from the effects of the plague (document 9). The following essay will explain why the Bubonic Plague was so devastating to European society because of how quickly the disease would spread, the passing of millions of people, and the lack of treatment and physicians. To begin with, not only had the Plague kill millions of people, but it affected families as well. The death of many loved ones caused family relationships to go downhill.
History reveals the mid-14th century as a very unfortunate time for Europe. It was during this period when the continent became afflicted by a terrible plague. The source of the pathogen is known today as bubonic but was colloquially known as “The Black Death” to Europeans of the day. The plague caused a tremendous number of deaths and was a catalyst of change, severely impacting Europe’s cultural, political and religious institutions.
Among three devastating events of the fourteenth century, I consider the Black Death(Plague) had the most pronounced impact on the course of medieval history. Although, other two events were also left an impact on the course of medieval history, but there is no such comparison to the black Plague. The changing climate and poor harvests which lead to famine, malnourishment, and death was just the beginning of troublous period on Europe’s. Europe was already suffering from famine, but more devastating time has just arrived along with the medieval shipping. Plague first started from china, and soon brought by Genoese ships to Europe, which was the ticking time bomb waiting its own time to burst. It has start spreading throughout many parts of
In the late Middle Ages the worst evil known to man terrorized Europe. People were dropping dead everywhere and there was no place to put them. This vicious culprit was known as the Black Plague. During the 14th century in Europe millions of people died from the plague and the plague brought about great change. Before the plague there was peace and prosperity in the High Middle Ages and after the plague things were different. Historians consider the outbreak of the Black Plague a watershed moment because of great social, religious and economical changes.
Towards the end of the Middle Ages and into the duration of the Renaissance, the Medieval Church’s social and political power dwindled. Centuries prior the Catholic Church gained a surplus of control, largely due to the stability it maintained during the chaotic breakdown of the Western Roman Empire . Yet toward the end of the Middle Ages the Church set in motion factors that would ultimately lead to its downfall as the definitive figure of authority. However, despite political and social controversy surrounding the church, the institutions it established cleared a path for a new way of thinking, shaping society in an enduring way.
It was in the 14th century that a catastrophic and deadly Plague hit Europe. The Black Plague killed up to a 3rd of Europe’s population. This lead to medieval science changing dramatically as people began to question how much authority the church should be given, and began to turn to science for logical answers. The plague also contributed to the Peasants anger that evolved into the Peasants Revolt, and ultimately, the breakdown of the feudal system.
The Plague that struck Europe and Asia in the 14th century was probably the most devastating disease or natural disaster the world ever faced. The Bubonic Plague or Black Death killed an estimated 25 million people from 1347 to 1352 in Europe which accounted for one third of Europe’s population.??-1 It is believed to have started in Asia and then spread to Europe. The Bubonic Plague was not just limited to this period in time. It would reappear through the centuries including the Great Plague of London around 1656 in which 20% of London residents died from it.??-2 Although some of the latter breakouts of the plague were also catastrophic, this paper will primarily focus on the plague from the 1300s. More specifically, this paper will
The Middle Ages are known for its abundant amount of deaths from plagues and wars. Let’s first look at what happened particularly in Europe during these
The pandemic known to history as the Black Death was one of the world’s worst natural disasters in history. It was a critical time for many as the plague hit Europe and “devastated the Western world from 1347 to 1351, killing 25%-50% of Europe’s population and causing or accelerating marked political, economic, social, and cultural changes.” The plague made an unforgettable impact on the history of the West. It is believed to have originated somewhere in the steppes of central Asia in the 1330s and then spread westwards along the caravan routes. It spread over Europe like a wildfire and left a devastating mark wherever it passed. In its first few weeks in Europe, it killed between 100 and 200 people per day. Furthermore, as the weather became colder, the plague worsened, escalating the mortality rate to as high as 750 deaths per day. By the spring of 1348, the death toll may have reached 1000 a day. One of the main reasons the plague spread so quickly and had such a devastating effect on Europe was ultimately due to the lack of medical knowledge during the medieval time period.
Disease, particularly the plague, was the most important factor in determining medieval, and/or early modern population levels, discuss.
The plague of the black death was a panic and disaster in Western Europe because it leads the death of ⅓ of the population. It quickly spread all over the continent, destroying full towns and cities. Moreover, the plague reached its peak of destructions in 1349, which was a “wretched, terrible, destructive year, the remnants of the people alone remain.” Life before the black death arrived for the serfs it was unpleasant and short. Nevertheless, Europe before the black death arrived was successful and the trade at the time was strong. The spread of the plagues was traumatic and unexpected because it spread so quickly.
Along with famine, pestilence was also a great enemy to the early farmer. One of the most famous plagues began in the 1330s, which became known as the Black Death. It was caused by fleas carrying Yersinia Pestis, a bacterium which began to infect humans when fleas bit them. One study estimated that “it claimed an estimated 60% of the European population” (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2015, History of Plague, para. 4). Some towns were completely wiped out, while other towns suffered so much that there weren’t enough living to bury the dead. On the other hand, hunter-gatherers would not have to worry so much about this problem due to them thriving in much lesser numbers. A source of food from gathered plants and hunted animals didn’t support a giant population, so these nomads groups need not worry much about these invisible enemies, for their smaller groups weren’t such a hotbed for the spread of
In the mid-1300s, many places in northwestern Europe began to outgrow their food supply and a severe economic problem began to take place. Throughout the next few years, the climate and conditions made crop yields even lower and Europe was declared to be in a famine. They endured this hardship for seven years before severe plague struck the area. This plague is said to have come from China and was carried over by fleas and rodents. The disease caused the infected victim to develop purple and black tumors all over their body the size of small apples. These bumps were a sure sign of death and would kill an adult in 3-5 days. Over the period of only three short years, over one-third of Europe’s population
The late Middle Ages were characterized by conflict. Towns and cities began to grow in alarming numbers; the new towns wanted to have their own self-control. They wanted to be free of outside leadership. One result of this struggle was the intensification of political and social thinking.
It is reasonable to characterize the Middle Ages as a “dark age” because the government in the Early Middle Ages was unorganized, and ineffective before the Monarchy began