The Middle Ages were the period of time in Europe that spanned approximately 850 years from the fall of the Roman Empire in 476 to the Renaissance in 1350. This time was not known for being the easiest time in European history to live in. This time faced many hardships on an everyday basis that stretched for long periods of time. Almost anything that could go wrong did from a disease epidemic that wiped out a large portion of the population to wars that lasted several decades. The main three things that caused the Middle Ages to be such a difficult time to live were feudalism, Black Death, and the Hundred Years ' War. Feudalism was a type of government social pyramid in medieval Europe. In this pyramid, the Crown is at the top, nobles were
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Though serfs and peasants were the ones who worked to till the land and harvest crops, they were more likely to die from famine when nobles would take all the harvest from them and either hoard it or sell it. This also relates with the next problem, which were the banalties lords put on their serfs. The lords could make them do everything they have to do on their manors, from grinded their bread grains on their mills to marrying on their manors. They would take the serf 's best animals as an inheritance tax. This gave the peasants the feeling of being controlled and somewhat isolated. The last problem with feudalism was the rise of the merchants. They challenged old lords for more equality. They wanted the end of tariffs and tolls, and they also wanted simple and uniform law that would help business activity. This caused conflict and also caused the merchants to ally themselves with the kings. The second event that made the Middle Ages all the worst to live in was Black Death. Black Death, or the Bubonic Plague, was a disease caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis, characterized by acral necrosis (blackening of the skin), swollen lymph nodes, fever, chills, abdominal pains, diarrhea, vomiting, and bleeding from external openings. It started in China and spread through biological warfare when Mongols hurled corpses of the dead at the Genoese. The disease was brought …show more content…
They went from one extreme to another. The flagellants were at one side with strong faith that they were being punished while others lost their faith and started living in the moment. These people participated in lewd and promiscuous behaviors that probably aided in the spread of the disease. The fifth thing that Black Death affected was the economy. Because of the decline of the population, estates lost their value because of less demand and labor supply declined as well. Landowners tried to not lose money by changing their crops from labor intensive grain to wool, some abandoned their farms, and others forced their peasants to stay on the farms while freezing wages at low levels. This caused the peasants to revolt in 1381. The pandemic caused much horror and fear and in almost every way negatively affected Europe. The third event that made the Middle Ages difficult to live through was the Hundred Years ' War. The Hundred Years ' War is an Anglo-French war that lasted approximately 116 years from 1337 until 1453. It began in May 1337 when King Philip VI of France attempted to confiscate the English territory in the duchy of Aquitaine. And it continued when the English tried to make a claim to the French throne. France and England had a lot of friction and animosity before this war. This war further aggravated their already tense
Though serfs and peasants were the ones who worked to till the land and harvest crops, they were more likely to die from famine when nobles would take all the harvest from them and either hoard it or sell it. This also relates with the next problem, which were the banalties lords put on their serfs. The lords could make them do everything they have to do on their manors, from grinded their bread grains on their mills to marrying on their manors. They would take the serf 's best animals as an inheritance tax. This gave the peasants the feeling of being controlled and somewhat isolated. The last problem with feudalism was the rise of the merchants. They challenged old lords for more equality. They wanted the end of tariffs and tolls, and they also wanted simple and uniform law that would help business activity. This caused conflict and also caused the merchants to ally themselves with the kings. The second event that made the Middle Ages all the worst to live in was Black Death. Black Death, or the Bubonic Plague, was a disease caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis, characterized by acral necrosis (blackening of the skin), swollen lymph nodes, fever, chills, abdominal pains, diarrhea, vomiting, and bleeding from external openings. It started in China and spread through biological warfare when Mongols hurled corpses of the dead at the Genoese. The disease was brought …show more content…
They went from one extreme to another. The flagellants were at one side with strong faith that they were being punished while others lost their faith and started living in the moment. These people participated in lewd and promiscuous behaviors that probably aided in the spread of the disease. The fifth thing that Black Death affected was the economy. Because of the decline of the population, estates lost their value because of less demand and labor supply declined as well. Landowners tried to not lose money by changing their crops from labor intensive grain to wool, some abandoned their farms, and others forced their peasants to stay on the farms while freezing wages at low levels. This caused the peasants to revolt in 1381. The pandemic caused much horror and fear and in almost every way negatively affected Europe. The third event that made the Middle Ages difficult to live through was the Hundred Years ' War. The Hundred Years ' War is an Anglo-French war that lasted approximately 116 years from 1337 until 1453. It began in May 1337 when King Philip VI of France attempted to confiscate the English territory in the duchy of Aquitaine. And it continued when the English tried to make a claim to the French throne. France and England had a lot of friction and animosity before this war. This war further aggravated their already tense