World History Unit 5

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In the eleventh and twelfth centuries, Europe experienced a warming in climate. Warmer temperatures, along with better farming techniques, led to an agricultural boom. Food output increased dramatically. This success, however, was interrupted in the early fourteenth century when the climate started to cool. Heavy summer rains and bad weather contributed to crop failure, poor harvests, and famine. Many Europeans died of starvation. Others were malnourished because the grains that were harvested had been stripped of their nutrients.

The decline in food production led to rising prices for available grain. Many people could not afford to pay for food for themselves or their livestock. Many pigs and chickens died, leading to a scarcity of meat for humans to eat. In order to survive, people killed their draft animals and ate seed grains. Some accounts written during the time period even refer to incidents of cannibalism.

The crop failures of the early fourteenth century created much upheaval. Sometimes entire vi

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CLIMATE CHANGE AND FAMINE

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Bubonic plague is a deadly disease that caused a global pandemic in the mid-fourteenth century. Originating in Asia, the plague spread along trade routes to the Middle East. The disease reached Europe in 1347 when a fleet of Genoese ships arrived in Messina, Sicily, from Caffa, a port city on the Black Sea. Many of the Genoese sailors were dead upon arrival. Shortly after, the townspeople of Messina began to fall ill. The disease then spread to Spain, France, and the rest of Europe.

Although it was not known at the time, bubonic plague was carried by fleas on rats. The fleas could infest a person's clothing. After getting bitten by a flea, an infected person would fall ill and die after two or three days. Symptoms of bubonic plague include swelling of the lymph nodes, fever, and vomiting. Victims also developed black boils because of blood hemorrhaging under the skin. Because of these black boils, the Europeans called the plague the Black Death. Europeans reacted to the crisis in a variety of ways. Because

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THE BLACK DEATH

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Before completing the problem set below, review this lesson's main ideas:

A cooling in climate in the early fourteenth century resulted in crop failure, poor harvests, and famine. Many Europeans died of starvation and others were forced to leave their homes in search of food.
The bubonic plague, or Black Death, of the mid-1300s originated in Asia and quickly spread to Europe, killing one-third of the European population.
The crisis created by the Black Death halted trade in Europe.

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LET'S REVIEW

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The name of the Hundred Years' War suggests ten solid decades of constant battle. However, it was actually a series of conflicts between France and England that began in 1337 and ended in 1453. In typical French fashion, Philip VI of France snatched the Aquitaine region from Edward III of England. Edward invaded France, claiming to be not only King of England but King of France as well. The conflict eventually ended with the English possession only of the town of Calais.

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EUROPE'S UPRISINGS

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relating to the natives or inhabitants of Normandy, a region of France.

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NORMAN

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the middle class.

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BOURGEOISIE

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It is hard to imagine starting a war over switching from drinking beer to drinking wine, but this was the case with the Hundred Years' War. Flanders was an industrial center of northern Europe that became quite wealthy and famous for its cloth manufacturing. However, Flanders could not produce enough wool, so it needed to import fine fleece from England. This trade was important to England for its foreign exchange. During the 1200s, the English nobility had adopted Norman fashions and had switched from drinking beer to wine.

Beer and wine were an important component of the medieval diet. Both contain yeast and vitamin complexes that were missing from the diet of this period. At this time, food preservation was difficult and alcohol offered an inexpensive and effective way of consuming needed calories. Yes, people abused this food source and did get drunk, but most could not afford to do so. These beverages were valued as food and were priced accordingly.

So, where is the problem? The problem was England co

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THE BATTLE OF FLANDER'S

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During this time, the king of England controlled much of France, particularly the fertile regions in the South. These lands came under English control when Eleanor of Aquitaine, heiress to the region, married Henry II of England. Constant bickering arose along the French-English frontier, and the French kings always had to fear an English invasion from the South. Between Flanders in the north and the English in the south, the French were caught in a "nutcracker."

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STRUGGLE FOR CONTROL OF FRANCE

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The French responded by creating their own diplomatic alliance or "nutcracker." The French allied with the Scots in an arrangement that persisted well into the eighteenth century. Thus, the English faced the French from the south and the Scots from the north.

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THE "AULD ALLIANCE"

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The French nutcracker would only have force if the French could invade England across the English Channel. In addition, England could support their Flemish allies only if they could send aid across the North Sea, and English trade depended on the free flow of ships through the English Channel. Both countries hired what would have been called “pirates” if they had not been operating with royal permission. These forces preyed upon each other’s ships, and frequent naval battles broke out in the Channel.

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THE BATTLE FOR THE CHANNEL AND NORTH SEA

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The last son of French King Philip IV died in 1328, ending the direct male line of the Capetian kings. However, Philip had a daughter named Isabelle. She married King Edward II of England, and King Edward III was their son. Edward's grandfather was Philip IV. Edward III was now the successor in a direct line to the French throne. But the French could not tolerate having Edward become king of France.

The French lawyers brought up an old French law, the Salic Law, which stated that property, including the throne, could not descend through a female. The French quickly gave the crown to Philip of Valois, nephew of Philip IV. Edward III, nevertheless, had a valid claim to the throne of France if he wished to pursue it.

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THE DYNASTIC CONFLICT

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France was the wealthiest and most populous country in Western Europe. England had several advantages as well. Although its population was smaller, England had a strong central government, veteran soldiers of hard fighting on England's Welsh and Scottish borders, a thriving economy, a popular king, and subjects willing to fight against France.

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AN AGGRESSIVE SPIRIT IN ENGLAND

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War broke out in earnest between England and France in 1340. A disagreement between French and English sailors was used as an excuse by Philip VI to attempt his takeover of Aquitaine. At the same time, Philip VI and Edward III both claimed the French throne. This action resulted in war between the two countries. An uneasy peace was achieved for a short period. Finally, Edward III, in an effort to prevent the loss of English land in France, declared war in 1337. This intermittent fighting which lasted over a century was known as the Hundred Years' War.

England quickly gained control of the Channel by defeating the French fleet off the coast of the Netherlands. The English now had control of the Channel and North Sea. This guaranteed that the English were safe from French invasion and could attack France at will. It also guaranteed that the war would be fought in France and not England.

The French were equally unsuccessful in land battles. The Battle of Crécy in 1346 resulted in the overwhelming defeat of t

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THE COURSE OF THE HUNDRED YEARS' WAR

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Joan of Arc, a young girl from Domremy, furthered the cause of French nationalism. Joan had absorbed the French people's feelings of resentment against the English occupation and civil disorder. The legendary and historical aspects of the story of Joan of Arc are intertwined. Both affected a twenty-year period of history.

Joan claimed to have heard voices and seen visions as an adolescent. She believed she had been visited by the archangel Michael, who instructed her to become "an instrument of divine will." Whatever her motivation, she set out to help the French king receive his rightful crown and kingdom by driving out the English and removing Henry from the French throne. Joan convinced Charles VII of her divine mission, and she was allowed to accompany troops that were being sent to relieve the troops of the besieged Orléans. With her help, the French troops promptly defeated the English along the Loire.

Joan decided that Charles should be crowned at Rheims, which was held by the English. Therefore, F

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JOAN OF ARC

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The Hundred Years' War marked the end of English attempts to control continental territory and the beginning of English naval and maritime supremacy. Great advances in military technology and science developed during the period. The military value of the feudal knight was thoroughly discredited. The order of knighthood went down fighting, however, in a wave of civil wars that wracked the countries of Western Europe. The European countries began to establish professional standing armies and to develop the modern state necessary to maintain such forces.

By the end of the fifteenth century, France had become a strong monarchy. She had a strongly centralized administration and a judicial system controlled by the king. Under France's system, the nobility played a secondary role to the king, but the bourgeoisie had risen in importance.

From the perspective of the fourteenth century, however, the most significant result of the Hundred Years’ War was that the nobility and secular leaders were busy fighting each

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THE CONSEQUENCES OF THE HUNDRED YEARS' WAR

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The Hundred Years' War centers on the French invasion of Aquitaine and competing claims made by Edward III and Philip VI to the French throne.
Joan of Arc led French forces to military victories against the English during the Hundred Years' War. After being captured by the English, Joan was tried by the Inquisition as a witch and a heretic. She was burned at the stake in 1431.
During the Hundred Years’ War, the feudal knight decreased in importance. As a result, European countries began to establish professional standing armies.

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LET'S REVIEW