Middle Ages Dbq

The Middle Ages were filled with fear, death, strife, war, and famine. All who lived during the years 1300-1453 faced plague, war, and schism. However, not all of this time was bad. Education was more accessible for people. A strong feeling of nationalism struck the people of war-torn countries. Most importantly, the turmoil of the Dark Ages led to one of the greatest periods of discovery and creativity known to man: the Renaissance. The three events that characterized the Dark Ages—The Black Death, the Hundred Years’ War, and the Great Schism—had the greatest effect when it came to bringing about the prosperity of the Renaissance. The Black Death hit Europe between the years 1346 and 1353. The plague devastated Europe, killing two-fifths of the population in just seven years. The bubonic plague made its way into European ports from Asian ships infested with rats carrying the disease. The sickness swept across Europe, leaving devastation in its wake. The ruin that the Black Death caused led to many consequences. Socially and economically, villages vanished. Laborers decreased as the population decreased, so the number of farms declined. However, this led to a …show more content…
The aftermath of the Black Death saw a rise in population and the power of the merchants and artisans. It also helped increase the sense of individualism after the carnage that people witnessed. The Hundred Years’ War inspired a growing sense of pride and nationalism. It also helped to organize governments into strong, centralized powers. The downfall of the Church saw an increase in secular power and gave rise to humanism. People began to look to science to explain things, instead of just accepting them. Education increased, creativity and discovery was abundant. Europe had made its way out of the Dark Ages. “Every renaissance comes to the world with a cry, the cry of a human spirit to be free.” –Anne