Europe: 1294-1450

“In the late years of the thirteenth century, Europeans seemed to run out of steam. The crusading movement gradually fizzed out”(McKay,Hill,etc 389). After the efforts of the Crusades began to slowly decline, many social, health, and economical problems arose in the midst of all this confusion. During this time many once highly powerful and authoritive members of the church, community, and royal society were being questioned and opposed by the common people. They began to lose the trust and loyalty of their subjects. Also, during this time, many new churches and cathedrals were left incomplete due to tension between the rulers common citizens. During the late Middle Ages four main dilemmas occurred which sparked a beginning of change in the world at that time, such as: the increasing numbers of challenges to religious authority, the massive plague known as The Black Death, the fiercesome struggle known as the Hundred Years’ War, and the steady decline of participants in the religious activities of the community.

“In 1294, King Edward I of England and Phillip the Fair of France declared war on each other.�

many people to take a second look at the people who reigned their country. The Black Death contributed to an increase in petty crime, homelessness, and a massive rise in mortality rates during that time. Due to the exercise of free trade, the Hundred Years’ War caused serious growth in the economic status of some countrie but also caused it to decline in England and France. The lack of participants in community religious activities caused many people to ‘lose the faith’ that once was the foundation of almost all civilizations of the world. All of this “exposed the crying need for ecclesiastical reform, thus laying the foundations for the great reform efforts of the sixteenth century” (McKay,Hill,etc. 398). The sixteenth century, of course, is another story.

The final crisis in the late Middle Ages is the lack of participants in religious activity. Many people had ‘lost the faith’ due to the unscrupuless characters of many of the religious figures of that time. Many people were distraught over the issue of the Pope’s residential move from France to Rome. After the death of Popr Gregory XI, the Roman citizens demanded an Italian Pope who would reside in Rome. Pope Urban VI worked to eradicate simony, pluralism, absenteeism, clerical extravagance, and ostentation. However, he attempted to reform the ways of the church in a very haphazard fashion. Because of his actions, his sanity is questioned by many people that study his life today. Pope Urban’s election was declared invalid by cardinals due to the assumption that his reign was established by threats from Roman mobs. “The common people - hard pressured by inflation, wars, and plague - were thoroughly confused about which pope was legitimate. The schism weake

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