The High Middle Ages
Section 4
Challenges of the Late Middle Ages
Preview
• Main Idea / Reading Focus
• Religious Crises
• Wars and Conflict
• Map: Hundred Years’ War
• Faces of History: Joan of Arc
The High Middle Ages
Section 4
Challenges of the Late Middle Ages
Preview, continued
• Black Death
• Quick Facts: Effects of the Plague
• Visual Study Guide / Quick Facts
• Video: The Impact of the Bubonic Plague
The High Middle Ages
Section 4
Challenges of the Late Middle Ages
Main Idea
In the late Middle Ages, Europeans faced many challenges,
including religious crises, wars, and a deadly plague.
Reading Focus
• What sorts of religious crises did Europe face during the late
Middle Ages?
• What were the causes of war and conflict in the late Middle
Ages?
• What was the Black Death, and how did it affect people?
Section 4
The High Middle Ages
Religious Crises
In 1346, Europe faced challenges to its religious, political and social
order. Since Christianity tied most Europeans together, religious crises
were a grave threat to all society.
Heresy
• Heresy, beliefs that
opposed official
teachings of church
• Heretical beliefs
began increasing in
Europe, 1100s
• Spread throughout
medieval society
Alarm
• Most people
remained faithful
• Cases of heresy
increased, church
officials alarmed
• Heretics deemphasized role of
clergy, sacraments
Order
• Heresy threatened
social order in
church
• Heretical beliefs
frightened religious
officials
• Determined to stop
spread of heresy
The High Middle Ages
Section 4
Fighting heresy
• Inquisitions primary method of fighting heresy
• Legal procedures supervised by special judges who tried suspected
heretics
• Accused came before court, local authorities punished guilty parties
Other means
• Francis of Assisi, Dominic of Osma, created new religious orders
• Members of orders, friars, spread Christian teachings among people
• War also used to fight heresy
• Pope Innocent III called for crusade against heretics in southern
France, 1208; spent 20 years trying to eliminate heretics there
The High Middle Ages
Section 4
The Papacy in Dispute
Adding to turmoil in medieval church, a dispute over the papacy
• Political fighting in Rome, 1309
– Pope forced to flee to Avignon, southern France
– Next several popes also lived at Avignon
• 100 years of dispute
– 70 years later, Pope Gregory XI returned to Rome
– Upon his death, disagreement over new pope; two claimed
power, one in Rome, one in Avignon
– Council of Pisa tried to settle dispute, created third claim to
office
– Conflict unresolved, three popes reigned in Europe for 40 years
The High Middle Ages
Section 4
Find the Main Idea
What religious challenges did Europeans
face in the later Middle Ages?
Answer(s): the Inquisition, location of the papacy,
who would be the next pope
Section 4
The High Middle Ages
Wars and Conflict
Wars were also being fought so political leaders could gain power for
themselves. The two most violent involved the kings of England.
Hundred Years’ War
• French king died without son,
1328
• King Edward III of England,
nearest living relative
• Also had first cousin, regent
• English wanted Edward to rule
both countries
• French did not want English
king, favored regent
King Philip VI
• Regent crowned as King Philip
VI of France, decision did not
please English
• Edward invaded France, 1337,
began Hundred Years’ War
• English won many victories
– Used better weapons
– Moved deeper into France
– Under Henry V, advanced to
gates of Paris
Section 4
The High Middle Ages
Hundred Years’ War
War Changed Course
• Young peasant girl, Joan of
Arc, changed course of war,
1429
• Claimed saints told her to lead
French into battle
• Joan, army defeated English at
Orléans
• Led French to several more
victories before being captured,
executed by British
King Charles VII
• After Joan’s death, French King
Charles VII rallied army
• French steadily took back land
lost to English
• Drove English almost
completely out of country, 1453
• War finally ended after more
than 100 years
The High Middle Ages
Section 4
The High Middle Ages
Section 4
Wars of the Roses
No end of fighting
• Shortly after peace with France, two families began war over English throne
• Lancasters, used red rose as emblem; Yorks, used white rose as emblem
• Conflict became known as Wars of the Roses
Yorkist victories
• Yorkists successful early; Edward IV took throne, 1461
• Won significant victories over Lancastrians
• Trouble began after Edward’s death
Richard III
• Edward’s sons disappeared after his death; brother, Richard III, crowned king
• Richard faced number of uprisings; killed in battle of Bosworth Field, 1485
• Tudor Henry VII claimed throne, neither York nor Lancaster; new era began
Section 4
The High Middle Ages
Summarize
How did fights over the thrones of England
and France lead to conflict in medieval
Europe?
Answer(s): heirs unclear; dispute over French
throne led to Hundred Years' War; dispute over
English throne led to Wars of the Roses
Section 4
The High Middle Ages
Black Death
Another crisis
Different theories
• Hundred Years’ War took toll on
English, French armies
• Historians unsure what disease
was, or if single disease
• At same time another crisis
struck, between 1347 and 1351
• One theory, combination of two
different plagues
• Black Death, deadly plague
• Bubonic, pneumonic
Origins
Spread quickly
• Brought to Europe by merchant
sailors from Genoa
• Plague traveled with merchants
• Plague contracted in Asia
• Spread quickly, struck coastal
regions first, moved inland
• Flea-infected rats moved from
Genoa to European ports
• Almost all of Europe touched by
Black Death by 1351
Section 4
The High Middle Ages
Black Death
Course of the Disease
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Black Death, one of worst global killers in all history
Symptoms: dark splotches, high fever, vomiting, severe headaches
Almost always fatal, most who caught plague died within days
Priests and doctors who tended sick also caught plague, died
Plague devastated Europe, Central Asia, North Africa, Byzantine Empire
Effects
More Vacant Land
Varying responses to plague
Most common, God’s punishment
Some turned to witchcraft for cures
Some blamed Jews, accused of
poisoning water wells
• Led to increase in anticlericalism,
anti-Semitic feelings in Europe
• Loss of population left more vacant
land, bought by wealthy
• Created more efficiently organized
estates, used less labor
• Peasants moved to cities to find
work
• Medieval manor system fell apart
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The High Middle Ages
Section 4
Section 4
The High Middle Ages
Analyze
How did the Black Death help end the
manorial system?
Answer(s): reduced labor supply; survivors
demanded wages; left manors for cities; manor
system collapsed
The High Middle Ages
Section 4
Section 4
The High Middle Ages
Video
The Impact of the Bubonic Plague
Click above to play the video.