Council of Constance :

1. FC.72 THE DECLINE OF THE MEDIEVAL CHURCH (c.1300-1436) Rise of Popes (FC.66) Rise of Fr. Mon. (FC.68) Philip IV of Fr. & Pope Boniface VIII argue over control of Church taxes Philip’s agents kidnap Boniface & he dies  Intimidated cardinals elect French pope who stays at Avignon (Papal terr. surrounded by France “Babylonian Captivity” (1309-77), era of French dominance of Papacy Popular discontent with the Church, esp. in England Popes move back to Rome to avoid war & turmoil in France When pope dies, angry Roman mob intimidates Fr. Cardinals into electing Italian pope John Wycliffe translates Bible into English & claims it is sole source of religious truth French cardinals return to Avignon & elect French pope Condemns any Church rites & beliefs not found in Bible Hundred Years War (FC.73) “Great Schism” (1377-1417) splits Eur. b/w loyalty to Fr. popes in Avignon & Ital. popes in Rome Wycliffe’s BibleLollard heresy  Differs w/Ch. on sev. Pts Mild repression in 1370s Controversial idea of Church Council to restore Church unity Wat Tyler Rebellion  More severe repression (FC.71) Council of Pisa (1409) creates new pope, but other 2 won’t resign Jan Hus spreads Heresy in Bohemia vs. Church & Ger. rulers Council of Constance : Kills Hus despite safe conductHussite Wars (1420-36) Boh’s win reforms but stay Cath. Replaces all 3 popes w/new one  Ends Great Schism but hurts Popes’ authority Foundations for the Protestant Reformation (FC.84)

2. FC.71A WOMEN’S CHANGING STATUS IN LATE MEDIEVAL EUROPE Middle Class Rise of Towns in High Middle Ages (FC.64) Men can run businesses themselves  Less need for women’s labor than on farms Lower status for women as seen by: Early arranged marriages Typically secluded from public life Usually banned from guilds Peasants Nobles War Lower status for women, though higher than peasant & MC men Agr.  Women’s labor is vital  Relatively high status TownsMore law & order (FC.64) Rising piety Cult of Virgin Mary (FC.66) Plague after mid 1300s (FC.71) “Little Ice Age” after 1300 (FC.71) Artificial courts of love presided over by women Higher age of marriage to control pop. growth Higher status for women as seen by: Higher status for women as seen by: Ideal of romantic love between equals Chivalrous behavior toward women Later marriage More assertive in choice of husband Children’s games that mimic adult behavior Trad. gender roles Strong resistance to change (FC.6) Trad. gender roles Strong resistance to change (FC.6) Status won’t change until 1800s when MC women have leisure time & money to work for equal rights (FC.114)

3. FC.71 THE BLACK DEATH AND ITS IMPACT “Little Ice Age” c.1300-1850 New agr. tech’s (FC.63) Mongols conquer China & most of Eurasia (FC.57) Mongols conquer China & most of Eurasia (FC.57) Pop. growth Need more food & fuel Inflation & strain on envir.  Expand agr. lands Black Death spreads from China along Silk Road kept open by Mongols Black Death (c.1347-1450) reduces Western Europe’s population by 30-40% Urban grain mkts wrecked Less demand Lower prices Cities especially devastated, some losing 60-70% of their popul. Survivors inherit prop. & buy (now cheap) land Stand. of living  Hurt Church & nobles dependent on selling grain to cities’ now decimated popul’s Labor shortages Workers demand higher wages & less restrictive guild membership Kings & nobles try to keep peasants down & raise taxes to cover loss of tax base from plague Church abuses to raise cash: fees for any services, & sell indulgences, dispensations, & Church offices Nobles sell serfs their freedom & land to get some quick cash In long run they lose future tax revenues Urban rev’s (e.g., in Florence, Mailloten & Caboche rev’s in Paris) Peasant revolts (e.g., Jacquerie in Fr. & Wat Tyler revolt in England) Growing public discontent over Church corruption & failure to give comfort or relief from plague Nobles decline while free peasants have incentive to work harder Agr. & ec. revival in 1400s All put down after initial successes catch authorities off guard All put down after initial successes catch authorities off guard Tyrants & princes replace more democratic communes in N. Italy & Flanders Polit. stability & $$ to patronize arts Nobles regroup & crush peasant revolts w/savage brutality, but their reputations & military prestige are seriously hurt Church challenged by kings, clergy, & popular heresies in 1300s & 1400s (FC.72) New & broader consumer mkt. Rise of capitalism & the decline of guilds(FC.75) Wealth & more secular outlook Italian Renaissance starting in 1400s (FC.76)

4. “This is the end of the world” The Black Death (1347-50)

5. In the 1300s, Europe entered a period of turmoil that shook medieval civilization to its foundations and paved the way for such aspects of the modern world as nation states, capitalism, and the Protestant Reformation.

6. In the 1300s, Europe entered a period of turmoil that shook medieval civilization to its foundations and paved the way for such aspects of the modern world as nation states, capitalism, and the Protestant Reformation. Such periods of transition are rarely easy to endure, and this was no exception. It was a period which saw recurring famines, outbreaks of plague, peasant and worker revolts, the rise of religious heresies, challenges to the Church's authority, and long drawn out wars, in particular the Hundred Years War between France and England. Ironically, the problems were largely the result of better farming methods.

7. Signs of Growing Stress The High Middle Ages had been a time of growth and prosperity. New agricultural techniques had caused a dramatic rise in population, which in turn led to rising demands for food and fuel. This generated inflation and a strain on the environment, which led people to clear more new lands for cultivation. That, in turn, triggered more population growth, and so on

8. Aggravating these problems was a change of climate. Apparently, the climate in the High Middle Ages was good, thus making possible that period's prosperity. However, in the 1300's the climate turned colder and wetter than usual, resulting in floods and early frosts. Sources spoke of great famines in 1316 and 1317 and of reports that the Baltic Sea froze over in 1303 and 1316. The resulting malnutrition of the early 1300s made people born during that time especially susceptible to disease, since our immunological systems develop during childhood. This in turn set up the worst of the Middle Ages: Bubonic Plague, aka the Black Death.

9. Aggravating these problems was a change of climate. Apparently, the climate in the High Middle Ages was good, thus making possible that period's prosperity. However, in the 1300's the climate turned colder and wetter than usual, resulting in floods and early frosts. Sources spoke of great famines in 1316 and 1317 and of reports that the Baltic Sea froze over in 1303 and 1316. The resulting malnutrition of the early 1300s made people born during that time especially susceptible to disease, since our immunological systems develop during childhood, which in turn set up the worst of the Middle Ages: Bubonic Plague, aka the Black Death. This period of unstable weather patterns, known as the Little Ice Age, lasted from c.1300 to c.1850. Since the mid 1800s, temperatures have been gradually rising.

10. The Bubonic Plague had not hit Europe or the Mediterranean since the sixth century. When it came back, it came with a vengeance. It seems to have started in Central Asia, which ordinarily wouldn’t have been a problem for Europe, except for some old friends, the Mongols.

11. The Bubonic Plague had not hit Europe or the Mediterranean since the sixth century. When it came back, it came with a vengeance. It seems to have started in Central Asia, which ordinarily wouldn’t have been a problem for Europe, except for some old friends, the Mongols. We remember the Mongols mainly for the path of destruction they forged across Eurasia in 1200s. By 1300 they had settled down and established stable trade along the Silk Road between China and Europe. As a result, they cleared the path for a new, more deadly type of invasion, which spread east to China, south to India, and west toward Europe & the Middle East.

12. The main suspect in spreading the Plague is the Asian Black Rat, which supposedly burrowed into grain sacks on caravans and made the trip across Asia along the Silk Road. These rats must have had contact with other rodent populations, rats or marmots, because the death rate of Plague victims was so high that it would take a huge population of carriers to ensure a few would survive on the journey.

13. The Plague reached a Mongol army besieging the Genoese city of Caffa on the Black Sea. According to one version, the Mongols decided to wage a primitive form of germ warfare by catapulting plague victims over Caffa’swalls. When Plague broke out in the city, Genoese merchants there cleared out for home, spreading the pestilence at every port of call. By the time they reached Messina in Sicily, most of the crew were dead. This sparked a panic among the town’s population, who fled the city. Unfortunately, they took the Plague with them.

14. The Plague reached a Mongol army besieging the Genoese city of Caffa on the Black Sea. According to one version, the Mongols decided to wage a primitive form of germ warfare by catapaulting plague victims over Caffa’swalls. When Plague broke out in the city, Genoese merchants there cleared out for home, spreading the pestilence at every port of call. By the time they reached Messina in Sicily, most of the crew were dead. This sparked a panic among the town’s population, who fled the city. Unfortunately, they took the Plague with them. The Black Death had arrived in Europe.

15. Host is infected Flea bites host & regurgitates blood into open wound The Plague cycle Get off my back. Eek. Eek Wheee! Get off my back. Eek. Eek

16. Yersinia Pestis is the bacillus that spreads plague. However, the bacillus needs a host to spread Bubonic Plague. That host was the common household flea. Host is infected Flea bites host & regurgitates blood into open wound

17. Two fleas, the one to the right engorged with plague infested blood & one (below) ready to share. In order to reach a new host, fleas can jump 4” vertically and 6” horizontally, which is 150 times their size. The flea itself needs a host on whose blood it can live. The bacillus multiplies & clogs up the flea’s stomach, forcing it to bite its host to regurgitate the blood, thus infecting its host. When its host dies, the flea must seek a new host. Its favorite host was the Asian black rat. Host is infected Flea bites host & regurgitates blood into open wound

18. The Asian black rat can survive a 50’ fall and scale brick walls. It has a vertical leap of 2 feet, a horizontal leap of 4 feet, and can squeeze through a hole the size of a quarter. Unless it constantly gnaws to file down its teeth, which grow 4-5"/ per year, they will grow up into its brain and kill it. These creatures can even survive by eating excrement. However, when the plague kills the rats, the fleas need a new host. Host is infected Flea bites host & regurgitates blood into open wound

19. And since the Asian Black Rat lives in close proximity to humans, dogs will do just fine. Host is infected Flea bites host & regurgitates blood into open wound

20. So will humans. In fact, fleas were so common in medieval households that their presence was seen as little more than a nuisance, as these paintings indicate. That was part of the problem: fleas were barely noticed. Host is infected Flea bites host & regurgitates blood into open wound

21. Symptoms Day 1: The 1st symptoms consisted of headaches & weakness, followed by aches & chills in the upper groin.

22. Symptoms Day 2: A white coating would appear on the tongue, accompanied by rapid pulse, slurred speech, confusion, fatigue, apathy, and staggering.

23. Symptoms Day 3: Lymph nodes near the flea bite would swell to the size of an egg or apple, especially in the armpits and groin. Thus the term bubonic, from the Greek boubonfor groin.

24.  "...Woe is me of the shilling [i.e., buboe] of the armpit! It is seething, terrible... a head that gives pain and causes a loud cry...a painful angry knob..…Great is its seething like a burning cinder...a grievous thing of ashy color."—Unknown

25. Symptoms Other symptoms included a fluttering heart as it tried to pump blood through suffocating tissue, and subcutaneous hemorrhaging which showed up as bluish black splotches under skin, giving rise to the other common termBlack Death

26. Symptoms Day 4saw wild anxiety & terror in the victimas well as intense pain & a bizarre neurological disorder commonly called theDance of Death from the involuntary jerking around.

27. Varieties There were three basic varieties of the plague, largely defined by how the victim was infected. The Bubonic variety, coming from flea bites, killed 70-80% of its victims within five days .

28. Varieties There were three basic varieties of the plague, largely defined by how the victim was infected. The Bubonic variety, coming from flea bites, killed 70-80% of its victims within five days . The Pneumonic variety , transmitted by coughing & sneezing, which were also symptoms of the disease, wasmore contagious, typically killing an estimated 90% of those infected within 3 days.

29. Varieties There were three basic varieties of the plague, largely defined by how the victim was infected. The Bubonic variety, coming from flea bites, killed 70-80% of its victims within five days . The Pneumonic variety , transmitted by coughing & sneezing, which were also symptoms of the disease, wasmore contagious, typically killing an estimated 90% of those infected within 3 days. The Septicemic varietydirectly entered the bloodstream, leading to death much sooner, often without symptoms,and having a lethality of nearly 100%. Some victims would go to bed apparently healthy and never wake up, which was probably the best way to go, all things considered.

30. Personal Accounts of the Plague  "Neither physicians nor medicines were effective. Whether because these illnesses were previously unknown or because physicians had not previously studied them, there seemed to be no cure. There was such a fear that no one seemed to know what to do. When it took hold in a house it often happened that no one remained who had not died. And it was not just that men and women died, but even sentient animals died. Dogs, cats, chickens, oxen, donkeys sheep showed the same symptoms and died of the same disease. And almost none, or very few, who showed these symptoms, were cured…. It was such a frightful thing that when it got into a house, as was said, no one remained. Frightened people abandoned the house and fled to another.” --Marchione di Coppo Stefani

31. Personal Accounts of the Plague "How many valiant men, how many fair ladies, breakfast with their kinfolk and the same night supped with their ancestors in the next world! The condition of the people was pitiable to behold. They sickened by the thousands daily, and died unattended and without help. Many died in the open street, others dying in their houses, made it known by the stench of their rotting bodies. Consecrated churchyards did not suffice for the burial of the vast multitude of bodies, which were heaped by the hundreds in vast trenches, like goods in a ship’s hold and covered with a little earth.” -Giovanni Boccaccio

32. Personal Accounts of the Plague "Father abandoned child, wife husband, one brother another, for this plague seemed to strike through the breath & sight. And so they died. And no one could be found to bury the dead for money or friendship... And I, Agnolo di Tura, called the Fat, buried my five children with my own hands, and so did many others likewise.”—Agnola di Tura

33. Personal Accounts of the Plague “One man shunned another...kinsfolk held aloof, brother was forsaken by brother, oftentimes husband by wife; what is more and scarcely to be believed, fathers and mothers were found to abandon their own children to their fate, untended unvisited, as if they had been strangers."--Unknown   

34. "Realizing what a deadly disaster had come to them the people quickly drove the Italians from their city. However, the disease remained, and soon death was every where. Fathers abandoned their sick sons. Lawyers refused to come and make out wills for the dying. Friars and nuns were left to care for the sick, and monasteries and convents were soon deserted, as they were stricken, too. Bodies were left in empty houses, and there was no one to give them a Christian burial."--Unknown

35. “Bring out your dead.” In many cases, there were so many dead and so few living that mass burial pits had to be used. Finding people to carry out this grim task wasn’t so easy. In Florence, a religious order known as the CampagnadellaMisericordia collected bodies left on doorsteps until the last of them died. Since such graves were usually quite shallow, dogs and wolves would sometimes come and dig up the bodies.On the other hand, the stench of death often drove them away.

36. These people are lucky. They each get their own grave.

37. Explanations for the Black Death were plentiful and imaginative:

38. Explanations for the Black Death were plentiful and imaginative: • Earthquakes, which led to crevices through which toxic fumes escaped into the atmosphere.

39. Explanations for the Black Death were plentiful and imaginative: • Earthquakes, which led to crevices through which toxic fumes escaped into the atmosphere. • A triple conjunction of Saturn, Jupiter, & Mars-> exerted unusually intense influence on earth. Saturn Venus Mercury Uranus Moon

40. Explanations for the Black Death were plentiful and imaginative: • Earthquakes, which led to crevices through which toxic fumes escaped into the atmosphere. • A triple conjunction of Saturn, Jupiter, & Mars-> exerted unusually intense influence on earth. Similarly, the conjunction of five planets was what destroyed the earth on December 21, 2012 Saturn Venus Mercury Uranus Moon

41. Explanations for the Black Death were plentiful and imaginative: • Earthquakes, which led to crevices through which toxic fumes escaped into the atmosphere. • A triple conjunction of Saturn, Jupiter, & Mars-> exerted unusually intense influence on earth • Transference by sight when someone with the Plague looked at you

42. Explanations for the Black Death were plentiful and imaginative: • Earthquakes, which led to crevices through which toxic fumes escaped into the atmosphere. • A triple conjunction of Saturn, Jupiter, & Mars-> exerted unusually intense influence on earth • Transference by sight when someone with the Plague looked at you • Raining frogs, toads and lizards

43. Explanations for the Black Death were plentiful and imaginative: • Earthquakes, which led to crevices through which toxic fumes escaped into the atmosphere. • A triple conjunction of Saturn, Jupiter, & Mars-> exerted unusually intense influence on earth • Transference by sight when someone with the Plague looked at you • Raining frogs, toads and lizards • Lust with old women

44. Explanations for the Black Death were plentiful and imaginative: • Earthquakes, which led to crevices through which toxic fumes escaped into the atmosphere. • A triple conjunction of Saturn, Jupiter, & Mars-> exerted unusually intense influence on earth • Transference by sight when someone with the Plague looked at you • Raining frogs, toads and lizards • Lust with old women • Bad air which made exercise especially dangerous, since that led toheavy breathing & then Plague.

45. Explanations for the Black Death were plentiful and imaginative: • • Earthquakes, which led to crevices through which toxic fumes escaped into the atmosphere. • • A triple conjunction of Saturn, Jupiter, & Mars-> exerted unusually intense influence on earth • • Transference by sight when someone with the Plague looked at you • • Raining frogs, toads and lizards • • Lust with old women • • Bad air which made exercise especially dangerous, since that led to heavy breathing & then Plague. • Baths which open pores through which Plague would get in, such as happened to this dog.

46. Because Judaism prescribed a very clean household, rats found little there to eat and moved on down to the messier Christian households where they shared their fleas in exchange for a few choice crumbs.

47. Because Judaism prescribed a very clean household, rats found little there to eat and moved on down to the messier Christian households where they shared the fleas in exchange for a few choice crumbs. The Christians, seeing the Jews suffered less from the Plague than they did, assumed they had done something like poison their wells or made a pact with the devil.

48. Already driven to hysteria by this mysterious disease, mobs in many cities, especially in Germany, massacred entire Jewish communities.

49. Already driven to hysteria by this mysterious disease, mobs in many cities, especially in Germany, massacred entire Jewish communities. • In Basle several hundred were burned in a house built for the occasion.

50. Already driven to hysteria by this mysterious disease, mobs in many cities, especially in Germany, massacred entire Jewish communities. • In Basle several hundred were burned in a house built for the occasion. • In Strasbourg 2000 were burned at the stake.