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The Crisis of the Late Middle Ages (1300-1450)

The Crisis of the Late Middle Ages (1300-1450). Or “The Calamitous 14 th c.”. Why the “calamitous 14 th c.”?. From historian Barbara Tuchman’s The Distant Mirror: The Calamitous 14th c.

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The Crisis of the Late Middle Ages (1300-1450)

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  1. The Crisis of the Late Middle Ages (1300-1450) Or “The Calamitous 14th c.”

  2. Why the “calamitous 14th c.”? From historian Barbara Tuchman’s The Distant Mirror: The Calamitous 14th c. Her thesis: when the gap between the ideal and the real [in society] becomes too wide, the system breaks down.

  3. Essential Questions & Objectives Questions: • In what ways was the 14th c. “calamitous”? Objectives: • Recognize the geography of Europe in the later Middle Ages. • Identify events that have resulted in the use of the term “calamitous” to describe the 14th c. • Describe the social characteristics of the 14th c.

  4. Geography

  5. Europe in 1300

  6. Geography of Europe in 1300 Europe = many small states!! Major states at this time: England Scotland Norway Sweden Portugal Denmark France Bohemia (Czech Republic today) Austria Teutonic Order (Baltic states today)

  7. Geography of Europe in 1300 Places that did not yet exist as we know them today: Spain = Castile, Aragon, Granada, Navarre; not united Italy = Sicily, Papal States, + others; not united Germany = not united; part of Holy Roman Empire Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg = the Low Countries Russia = group of principalities; Mongol Yoke (1237-1480) Nations of SE Europe = part of Byzantine Empire

  8. Europe in 1328

  9. Europe in 1400

  10. Geography of Europe in 1400 From 1300-1400 states consolidated their holdings = fewer small states Major states at this time: England Union of Kalmar = Norway, Sweden, Denmark Scotland Poland-Lithuania Portugal Bohemia France Hungary Austria Wallachia (= Romania today) Ottoman Empire Still did not yet exist as we know them today: Spain, Italy, Germay = still not united Russia = still under Mongol Yoke (1237-1480)

  11. Events In what ways was the 14th c. “calamitous”?

  12. (1) Great Famine (1315-1322) & (2) The Plague From the Apocalypse in a Biblia Pauperum illuminated at Erfurt around the time of the Great Famine. Death sits astride a lion whose long tail ends in a ball of flame (Hell). Famine points to her hungry mouth.

  13. Causes Terrible weather and price inflation In 1315 the price of wheat rose 800% Imagine today a loaf of cheap bread costs $1.25. With 800% inflation → $10! In 1303 and 1306-1307, the Baltic Sea froze!

  14. Dürer’s Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (1497-98) Consequences • ↑ susceptibility to disease • later marriage • ↓ population • ↑ homeless • rich farmers buy out poor farmers • volatile land market • unemployment • migration of young males to towns • ↑ crime • Int’l trade = consequences spread far • Gov’t. responses ineffective Famine Pestilence War Death

  15. Consequences – Social • pogroms against Jews • merchants endow hospitals • migration • clergy care for sick The burning of Jews in 1349

  16. Why target the Jews?

  17. PLabor S1 S P2 P1 D Q2 Q1 QLabor Consequences – Economic • ↓ unemployment • craft guilds take new members • inflation • ↑ productivity, wages, & standard of living Wage Increase

  18. Consequences – Psychological/Cultural • pessimism • art & lit – theme of death • flagellants • new colleges & universities – more localized • culturally Europe becomes more divided Dance Macabre (Hans Holbein)

  19. CAUSES OF THE HUNDRED YEARS WAR

  20. THE NORMAN CONQUEST • The causes for the Hundred Years War can go as far back as an event known as the Norman Conquest in 1066 AD. • William of Normandy (a territory in France) was the cousin of the King of England. He thought he would inherit the throne when his cousin fell ill and died. Instead, he was passed over by a powerful English lord named Harold. • Angered, William then invades England. • During the Battle of Hastings, he defeats Harold (who gets shot in the eye by an arrow) and claims himself as King of England. • He earns the nickname William the Conqueror.

  21. ENGLISH LAND OR FRENCH LAND? • Although William is now the King of England, he also controls lands back in France. • From here on out, it is English rulers’ goal to control lands in both England and France. • Some English kings even marry into the French nobility and gain more lands through marriage. • France is not a unified country prior to the war. In fact, the French king only controlled about half the country. • By the 1300’s, England held much land in France as did other powerful lords. English occupied lands

  22. CONTROVERSY OVER SUCCESSION • When the King of France, Philip IV, died in 1328, there was much controversy over who would succeed him since he had no sons. • Philip did, however, have a daughter named Isabella who was married to the King of England. Together, they had a son. • On the other hand, the king had a brother who also had a son. • The question was, who should become the next king?

  23. THE BATTLE OF CRÉCY (1346) • French knights were exhausted from riding all day to the battle field, only to then have to storm up a muddy hill while being fired upon by English archers. • The outnumbered English completely decimated the larger French army. The French suffered over 15,000 casualties compared to just a few hundred English. • Many French nobles are captured and held for ransom following the battle. • The was also the first time cannons would be used on a European battlefield. English archers decimating French knights

  24. CANNONS AND LONGBOWS AT CRÉCY “The English guns cast iron balls by means of fire...They made a noise like thunder and caused much loss in men and horses...  [by the end of the battle], the whole plain was covered by men struck down by arrows and cannon balls.” -Jean Froissart, French Author

  25. THE BATTLE OF POITIERS (1356) • Edward the III’s son, Edward IV (known as the “Black Prince of Wales” due to his choice of armor) invaded France and reignited the war once again in 1356. • The Black Prince’s army soundly defeated the French army. • The English were also able to capture many French nobles including the new king of France, Jean II. • They held him for ransom and forced him to sign a treaty that gave French lands to the English.

  26. THE BATTLE OF AGINCOURT (1415) • The English struck again in 1415 when King Henry V of England baited the larger French army into attacking his fortified position. • With the aid of the dukes of Burgundy (area of France loyal to England), and using his superior archers, the French were completely destroyed. • Around 10,000 French were killed as opposed to the 100 or so English. Over 1,500 French nobles are captured and held for ransom. • Henry gained control over Normandy, Paris, and much of northern France!

  27. THE HEIGHT OF ENGLISH DOMINANCE • The two kings’ deaths ushered in the final stage of the Hundred Years War. (1422-1453) • So far, the war and political power seemed to be firmly in English hands. • However, things were about to make a decisive turn in favor of the French.

  28. FRENCH DESPAIR • The political situation in France seemed hopeless. • France had experienced defeat after defeat. • The Dauphin had only a little bit of support from nobles; not enough to have a sufficient military force to oppose the English. • Charles VII the was desperate for a miracle. • Little did he know, that help would come in the form of a young, teenaged girl with no military experience…

  29. JOAN OF ARC • Joan of Arc was the daughter of peasants from an area in Burgundy that had suffered greatly under the English. • She came to despise the English whilst growing up. • Around age 12, she claimed she had started to have divine visions and began to hear “voices” from God. They told her to go to the Dauphin, lead the armies and save France from England. • At age 16, she pleaded with French military commanders to let her meet the Dauphin. She was able to convince them by telling them about a French victory that had just occurred, (the messenger with the news wouldn’t arrive for a few days later.) • Convinced she was sent by God, they took her to meet Charles VII. Equally impressed and perhaps out of desperation, he allows to accompany the army to Orléans where the English were sieging the town.

  30. THE SIEGE OF ORLÉANS (1429) • The French town of Orléans was under attack by the English and was desperately running out of supplies. • After the French general engaged in a largely fruitless bombardment of the English stronghold, he decided to cease fire and wait to attack again the next day. • Joan knelt and prayed. Instead of waiting the next day, she quickly grabbed a ladder and led an assault on the fortress herself. • The French soldiers rushed after her, swarming up the ladders. • Joan was even injured by being struck in the shoulder by an arrow. She pulled it out herself and continued fighting. • Her faith and charisma helped lead the French to victory. • This battle is considered the turning point in the Hundred Years War.

  31. CHARLES VII CROWNED KING • During the next five weeks, Joan led French forces in a number of stunning victories over the English. • She seemed to have a knack for military strategy and her reputation as a great leader spread far and wide through France. • She became Charles’ most trusted general. • She even personally escorted him into enemy territory, defeating town after town until they reached the city of Reims, where she saw him officially crowned King of France (ending his disinheritance).

  32. JOAN THE MARTYR • Joan of Arc brought inspiration through her charisma and faith. • She gave France a sense of national identity and self-confidence. • However, she is captured by the English in 1432 leading an attack on Paris. • Because of her “unnatural dress” and claim of receiving visions from God, she is accused of being a heretic, practicing witchcraft, etc. • She is found guilty and condemned to death by being burned at the stake. She is only 19 years old.

  33. THE END OF THE WAR • After Joan’s death, the French advance continued. • By 1450 the English had lost all their major military centers. • In 1453 the French armies captured an English-held fortress at Castillon. • This was the last battle of the war. • There was not treaty, only a cessation of hostilities.

  34. ConsequencesTHE HUNDRED YEARS WAR • Gives strong national identities to both England and France. • Saw the introduction of new weapons such as the longbow and the cannon. Military tactics would in turn be changed. (No more knights in heavy armor on horseback). • Both countries see the weakening of feudal lords and the rise of peasantry which would eventually lead to changes in government. • Along with the war, plague and famine would lead people to look for answers that the Church could not provide. This shifted people’s thinking and paved the way for the Reformation.

  35. Crisis (4) Church in Decline

  36. Babylonian Captivity (1309-1376) • Pope in Avignon • Popes live extravagantly • Rome left in poverty Clement V Avignon

  37. Great Schism (1376-1417) • 2 popes!! (Rome & Avignon) • Gregory XI brings papacy back to Rome • Urban VI (Rome) – aggressive reform causes anger & second election • Clement VII (Avignon) – “antipope”

  38. Great Schism divides Europe politically

  39. Conciliarism: Theory • Maybe the pope is not the head of the church or its final authority. The Pope should answer to a council (for the church body) • Reform movement • Pope derives power from entire Christian community • Constitutional structure: pope + general council Marsiglio of Padua John Wyclif & Lollards

  40. Conciliarism: Practice • Council of Pisa (1409) → 3 popes!! • Council of Constance (1414-1418) – 3 goals: • end Great Schism • end heresy • reform church

  41. Crisis (5) Fur collar crime • Nobles attack rich and poor to raise money

  42. Crisis (6) Peasant Revolts Jacquerie (1358) • Causes: • Long-term socioeconomic grievances • 100 Years War – taxation • Result: Crushed by nobility English Peasants’ Revolt (1381) • Causes: • Long-term socioeconomic grievances (Statute of Laborers freezes wages) • Urging by preachers • 100 Years War – French raids • Head tax on adult males • Result: Crushed by Richard II but serfdom disappeared by 1550

  43. Society Life went on even in the face of calamity. What did 14th c. society look like?

  44. Marriage & Family • Arranged • Based on economics (vs. ♥) • Age: men in mid-late 20s, women <20 • Children = objects of affection • No divorce (annulments in rare cases) Prostitution • Legal & regulated • Not respected • Urban

  45. Life in the Parish • Work • Rural: farming • Urban: craft guilds – hard to enter (more open post-plague) • Women “inferior” → limited opportunities • Religion • Central to life • ↑ lay control over parish affairs • Recreation • Aristocracy: tournaments • Commoners: archery, wrestling, alcohol • Both: “blood sports,” executions

  46. Race & Ethnicity on the Frontiers • Migration of peoples to frontier regions • “race”/“ethnicity” = used to mean language, customs, laws (vs. blood) • Legal dualism: natives subject to local laws & newcomers subject to laws of former homeland • Ireland as exception – Statute of Kilkenny (1366) • As time passed, moved away from legal dualism toward homogeneity & emphasis on blood descent • Dalimil Chronicle

  47. Vernacular Literature • Dante, Divine Commedy (Italy) • Chaucer, Canterbury Tales (England) • Villon, Lais & Grand Testament (France) • Christine de Pisan, The City of Ladies, etc. (France) • ↑ lay literacy – due to needs of commerce & gov’t. Dante Christine de Pisan presenting her book to the Queen of France

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