Northern Europe During The Middle Ages Essay

Without the chaos in Europe during the fourteenth century, Europe would not have become a newly unified power. Famine, cold, wet, and deadly conditions set place in Europe during the middle ages. Poor leadership and unlucky sequences caused the massive economic/political meltdown in Europe and the consequences were immensely costly to the general population for more than a 100 years. Northern Europe endured a large economic turnaround during the Little Ice Age because they heavily relied on agriculture. Agriculture became a growing concern due to the cold weather and the lack of production caused shortages which resulted in The Great Famine. The lack of food caused the prices to rise and since the general population already suffered from the appalling economy, they could not afford the prices which made them resort to violence and disturbing food selections. Disease from Asia mainly known as the Black Plague riddled Northern Europe causing a large population decrease and a change in balance of power.
The Church was extremely respected making them more powerful than the kings. The Pope and bishops were thought to be close to
God which made people do whatever they ask of them. The church basically ran the government and everyone else listened to only them. However after the plague people questioned the church and its usefulness because people were still dying from the plague. The poor and middle class suffered enormous amounts of casualties resulting in not only an economic meltdown but also a political shakedown. From the societal point of view, people blamed doctors for not controlling or curing the plague and blame also went on other groups like Jews.
The survivors of the plague surprisingly did better after the plague then before the plague. New medications were found and the economy was starting to rebuild itself. During the Great Famine and before the plague, the economy was in turmoil due to low land availability. Since agriculture was vital for Europe, land was an important necessity. Overpopulation was the main cause of minimal land and after the Black Plague the population was down tremendously which opened up a lot of land for people. Power that once belonged to the churches and other powerful organizations started to transfer to the common people like ordinary farmers. Less people meant a wage increase for the people that were still alive and in general the survivors gained more than they lost from the deadly Black Plague.
The famous 100 year war between France and England made the situation in Northern Europe even tougher. Europeans faced The Great Famine then the Black Plague and on top of that a war that caused extreme amounts of disorganization. France and England engaged in a war that consisted of four different phases and the outcomes were deadly for both nations. France lost a lot of land and the political structure was in major jeopardy because of violent revolts. Due to damaged lands, the economy was in poor shape, and the balance of power shifted. England also faced unfavorable circumstances after the war with financial losses and a political structure that was completely different from a joint monarchy.
Taxes, lots of taxes was a major concern for the people.
It became such a problem that revolts against the government took place and the results were were not in favor of the rebellions but it did give notice to the higher ups. The “Roman church as headed by the pope was much challenged by the new forces of the Late Middle Ages”(Dutton pg. 314), and now power began to disperse amongst different classes. Peasants revolted in both France and England because of high imposed taxes and serfdom. The government put forth different operations that put peasants vulnerable and the peasants main goal was to put an end to that. Many people burned down courts, documents, and other important essentials to the government predominantly to put an end to the unjust behavior they were getting treated with and create an economy that was stable for all
classes.
However due to all of this disorder Europe became a stronger force in the world. After the hundred year war “The survivors were left to remake their world with a new set of attitudes and energies, and this new world did not reward passivity.” (Dutton pg. 309), which drove the motivation for a better unified European regime. The plague, Great Famine, and 100 years war was probably the toughest time in north European history and the aftermath of all of that was better than expected. The foundation of England, France, Holy Roman Empire, and everyone else involved was stable and slowly recovering into a reformed Europe. Although there was widespread malnutrition, inflation, and overall stress in the economy, the horrid events altered the way the countries operated and Europe had a new system.