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AP European History Summary of Chapter 13
Three main crises affected Europe during the period of the mid-
fourteenth century to the end of the fifteenth century were the
Black Death, the Hundred Years war and the Great Schism. The
Black Death was a plague caused by the bacteria Yersinia
pestis that originated around the Black and Caspian seas. It was
carried westward by fleas on rats on trade ships, reaching Europe
by 1348. Although the period referred to as the Black Death lasted
only from 1346 to 1353, individual plagues continued to occur
every decade or so for the rest of the fourteenth century and
continued still until the 1700s. Coupled with the aftermath of The
Great Famine and the other diseases rampant at the time, the
Black Death is estimated to have killed between one third and one
half of the population of Europe.
The responses and the consequences of the Black Death variedfrom area to area. The responses ranged from quarantining a city
to holding more frequent religious processions to people whipping
themselves. The religious reaction of many to the Black Death led
many to blame the Jews for the illness, creating a hostile
environment for them. Some Jews left to Poland, where they were
welcomed. Another reaction to the Black Death was the theme of
the Dance of Death, which was shown in paintings, performances
and writings and often depicted people being taken by death. Theconsequences of the Black Death were considerably more positive
for those who survived. There was a smaller population, meaning
that entire populations could be fed with less food and less
farmland. This led to the diversifying of crops and a better
standard of living. Peasants could get better wages or working
conditions and thus had more money to spend for a better diet
and other necessities for a better life. The years after the plague
also showed higher birthrates and a greater frequency of
marriages as well as new places of education. The Hundred Years
War was another crisis that shook Europe, lasting from 1337 to
1453. It began after King Philip VI of France claimed Guyenne (a
piece of land held by England) to be his and King Edward III of
England declared himself king of France in response. Although
England was strongest during most of the war, France reversed its
position after King Henry V of England was victorious at the battle
of Agincourt in 1415. Joan of Arc, a teenage peasant girl, was
largely responsible for the turnaround. She convinced the Frenchthat she was sent by God to lead an army against England and
fought in the battle of Orleans, which the French won. She also
advised the dauphin to be anointed as King Charles VII, which was
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also helpful in the war. She, however, was captured in Paris and
turned over to England, where she was burned at the stake after
being tried as a witch. The other countries involved in the
Hundred Years War were Flanders and the duchy of Burgundy.
The Flemish allied with England (after ousting their French-
supporting count) until they combined with the duchy of Burgundy
in 1369. Their alliance with England truly fell apart after a failed
attempt to expand put them at odds with the Swiss Confederation,
who defeated them.
During the Hundred Years War, most of the soldiers were
mercenaries who fought for pay and lived in the French
countryside, stealing money from peasants. During the 1440s,
however, the French created a permanent army that was paid and
subject to inspection. Other impacts of the war were seen in
Flanders, where revolts against the count (who sided with the
French) led to discord. This allowed for Louis de Male to step inand permit some self- government among them, keeping peace.
The influence of the war in France was seen in Paris, where
citizens against the high taxes used to finance the war revolted,
but were eventually quieted as food supplies shortened and
Marcel (the leader of the revolt) was assassinated. Revolts also
took place among the peasants in France and in England. The
peasants revolted against the incompetence of the military and
the mercenaries, although their revolts were squashed by thenobility. The rebellion in England, known as Wat Tylers Rebellion,
was caused by the commons, who refused to pay taxes to finance
the war. They soon began to demand an end to serfdom, but the
rebellion was put down.
The conquest of Constantinople by the Ottoman Turks happened
after a long period of expansion by the Ottoman Turks. In March of
1453, Mehmed II launched an attack of around 80,000 men on
Constantinople, whos own force was only 3,000. After breaching
the walls of the city in May, Mehmeds forces were able to wreak
havoc in the city and kill its emperor. Under the rule of the
Ottoman Turks, many of the churches in Constantinople were
converted to mosques, a strong army was created and Mehmed II
began to expand, bringing all of Serbia as well as Athens, the
Peloponnese and Bosnia under his control.
The Great Schism took place between 1378 and 1417 after the
papacy had moved from Rome to Avignon and then back to Rome
in 1377. Determined to choose an Italian as a pope in 1378, the
cardinals chose Urban VI, who took away some of the wealth and
privilege of the cardinals. After they demanded that he resign and
he refused, they chose a French pope (Clement VII) who moved
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back to Avignon. This split most of Europe, some sided with one
pope and some the other, creating the Great Schism. Afterwards a
conciliar movement started to have someone other than the pope
call a council and succeeded in 1408 with a council being held in
1409. The two existing popes were deposed and a new pope
elected. However, the deposed popes refused to abandon their
thrones and there ended up three popes, which was resolved
(along with the Great Schism) during the Council of Constance in
which all three popes were deposed and new pope elected, who
was recognized by all of Europe.
The aftermath of the Great Schism led to newer practices of
religion, particularly in the forgiveness of sins, in Europe. Full
forgiveness of sins could be granted to those who confessed and
did good deeds. There was also a movement to begin teaching
young people about the Christian religion and for religion to be
practiced in the home through prayer and holy images.Processions in the street were held to symbolize the crucifixion of
Christ, which was done to make the viewers feel the pain that he
felt as he was crucified. Two groups also formed after the Great
Schism: the Lollards in England led by Wycliffe and the Hussites in
Bohemia led by Hus. The Lollards emphasized that the church was
a community of believers, rather than a hierarchy. They supported
bible readings, but denounced the Mass and excommunication.
The Hussites had a very different aim, which was to be able todrink the wine at Mass. Although Hus was declared a heretic and
burned at the stake, his aim was ultimately successful.
During the Renaissance, Humanism referred to the revival of
classical Latin writings and ideas. This was practiced mostly
through poetry and other forms of writings. The arts were also an
important component to the renaissance, blending the past and
present. In architecture, cities were reimagined as places of order
and buildings were designed to have covered walkways and large
open areaspiazzas. In sculptures and paintings, the blending of
the old and new is shown in Lorenzo Ghibertis bronze doors
depicting the sacrifice of Isaac. The doors were cast using new
technology and Isaac was based on classical ideals, while
Abraham was based more on medieval depictions. Perspective
was also a big influence during the renaissance, creating more
realistic pieces of art. Music was big during the renaissance, used
to express emotions and also used to blend classical or classically
inspired writings with new compositions.
During this period, there were also many different political
formations. In Bohemia, the quarrel between the Catholics and
Hussites led to Bohemia being seen as heretical and isolated from
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the rest of Europe. The Hanseatic League was the strongest of the
allied cities in the north, but began a decline in the 1400s. Poland
prospered in the fourteenth century (unlike most countries in
Europe) in part because of the influx of Jews after they were exiled
from other areas during the plague. They were further
strengthened as they united with Lithuania and converted them
(to Christianity).
The strongest states in western Europe were Spain, Burgundy,
France and England. Spain became more powerful by the union of
Castile and Aragon, not unlike how Poland became unified with
Lithuania. The duchy of Burgundy was also united with Flanders in
the same way. Burgundy was very divided geographically and
culturally, but the dukes (Philip the Good and Charles the Bold)
were able to keep the state unified by traveling it and making
appearances in different areas. The death of Charles the Bold in
1477 took away much of the territory, however, as many pieces ofit went to either the Holy Roman Empire or France. France was
also expanding at this time, doubling its area. By promoting
industry, enforcing taxes on salt and land and maintaining a
standing army, Louis XI was able to strengthen the French royal
power. England continued to experience civil wars after the
Hundred Years War ended, called the Wars of Roses, although
they did not have much of a negative impact on the country.
Englands economy continued to grow with the expanding woolindustry, the growing political power of the merchants and the
higher farm and land-rent income.
Republics that were also powerful during this time were the Swiss
Confederation, the Republic of Venice and Florence. In the Alpine
region, the cities had formed alliances to create the Swiss
Confederation. The confederation had no head and was primarily
made up of wealthy traders and merchants, although some did
work as mercenaries for other armies. The Republic of Venice
gained strength after the Peace of Lodi, which was signed to end
the fight between Milan and Venice for control of the territory.
Although Venice did have a hereditary monarch, the lower classes
didnt rebel like they did in other states. The greater dedication
and higher public funds needed to maintain a city on water
seemed to have created a greater sense of community,
preventing rebellion. Florence was also a republic in Italy,
although it did not have the same calmness and sense of
community as Venice. Even after revolts like the Ciompi Revolt of1378, Florence continued to be monopolized by the upper class.
The Medici family was the off and on ruling family of Florence,
started by Cosimo deMedici, who used the money from the Medici
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bank to start controlling the politics in Florence, deciding who
could take office and establishing committees of those most loyal
to him to govern. Florence fell in 1530 after the Medici family
declared themselves the dukes.
During this time period, many states used different tactics to keep
the poor or those of different religions from gaining power. The
catasto in Florence was an inventory of the households in theterritory designed for the purpose of taxation. It found that a very
small percentage of the population (mostly those in the city) held
the majority of the wealth. In Spain, Ferdinand and Isabella began
to persecute conversos (Jews who converted to Christianity). This
continued with massacres of conversos, naming them heretics to
justify their persecution. After the Inquisition, the Jews were given
the choice to either convert or leave and most left Spain. In 1502,
Ferdinand and Isabella gave the Muslims the same choice.