The decline of the 14-15th centuries, also known as the crisis of the late Middle Ages, is a term used in Western historiography to refer to the recession processes that took place in some countries of Western Europe. Western historians, considering the socio-economic processes in some European countries in the 14-15th centuries, paid particular attention to the “crisis phenomena” in the European economy of these periods (Cole and Symes). They put in the first place the movement of prices, population, “desolation” of lands, and others as determining factors of recession (Cole and Symes). Although the Middle Ages were once seen as a time of ignorance and social oppression, it is now understood as a dynamic period during which the idea of Europe as a separate cultural unit appeared.
Since the 20s of the 14th century, the economic downturn in the history of Europe has begun. The population was declining, while cultivated lands were mainly abandoned. Cities were falling into decline, agricultural and industrial products were reducing, technological progress was suspended, the development of trade, primarily foreign exchange, was slowing down, prices were falling. Additionally, the period is characterized mainly by overcoming feudal fragmentation and the formation of centralized states in France and England. Using the financial resources of the cities, the kings could constantly maintain a mercenary army to fight rebellious feudal lords. The appearance of firearms at the beginning of the XIV century reduced the importance of chivalry. Castles could not withstand artillery, and the appearance of hand-held firearms made heavy knight armor meaningless.
After the period of rapid population growth, Europe faced the depression phase. It has been traditionally believed that the late Middle Ages is vividly characterized by demographic decline. There were three significant factors for the recession: plague epidemic, famine, and numerous wars. In addition, the weather conditions were also to blame since winters became harsh at the end of the 13th century. The soil was inappropriate for planting crops which took a toll on the nutrition of European residents. At the time of the Great Famine, thousands of people died daily from lack of food, parents sold and ate their children, cannibalism was widespread. Hence, the population struggled to survive and did not focus on materialistic goals.
The other reason for the decline was the plague which quickly spread around Europe and killed millions of people. It is believed that the epidemic has penetrated almost every corner of the continent, killing from 30 to 50 percent of the population (Cole and Symes). The mass fled from the cities gripped by the disease gave rise to anarchy, panic, and mob rule. For fear of getting sick, anyone who aroused even the slightest suspicion was dragged to the infirmary by force. The suicide epidemic, which intensified along with the spread of infection, forced the authorities to adopt special laws that threatened those who took their own lives to put their corpses to the public eye. Together with the sick, healthy people often got into the infirmary, who was found in the same house with the ill or dead, which forced people to hide the sick and secretly bury the corpses. Therefore, the contemporaries again had the only goal – survival.
Ultimately, the revolts created severe conditions for the Europeans in the late Middle Ages. The pressure on the poor caused peasants to rebel against the nobles. Being a peasant was viewed as something pejorative, which opposed wealth and status. While the aristocracy was accustomed to a luxurious lifestyle, the poor considered their fraud. Hence, these two classes were fighting against each other with increased violence. However, the nobles beat those from lower stratification since they had more power. In addition, the War of Roses, Hundred Years’ War, Polish-Teutonic Wars, and some others have greatly devastated the European territory leading to political, economic, and social dissonance. Consequently, the population was trying to make ends meet to survive.
For all its versatility, spirituality and culture of the Middle Ages were built around one vector. Religion permeated all spheres of life in medieval society and changed their perception of crisis (Gaddy 72). The Church continued to eradicate heresy to a large extent, repressing religious sects and urging priests to punish unorthodox followers (Gaddy). Meanwhile, the peasantry practiced pagan customs and began mixing them with Catholic ones. The Church has become the center of social contradictions, weakening the political influence of the Papacy in the 14th century. It further led to the development of independent centralized states.
The religious assumptions have also given rise to the progress of art and sciences, initiated by the development of universities and the spread of scholarship. The revived interest in ancient literature led to the Italian Proto-Renaissance (Cole and Symes). Antiquities, including books, have been accumulating in Europe since the Crusades (Cole and Symes). The invention of printing also contributed to the spread of knowledge. Previously rare and costly books gradually became publicly available, preparing the European reformation.
The first Italian humanist, Francesco Petrarch, revived man’s science – humanities. Humanists believed that eternal truths were hidden under cover of the poetic fiction of ancient literature. They rejected the totality of academic knowledge with its ontological problems and brought to the fore ethics, the science of the formation of human personality based on a thoughtful reading of Roman authors with their ideal of human dignity. The defining feature of Italian humanism was the possession of classical instead of medieval Latin. Contemporaries appreciated Petrarch for his treatises on history and ethics, written in beautiful classical Latin. Petrarch studied the norms of elegant Latin from Cicero, whose works he tirelessly searched in the monastery libraries (Robinson 249). For his Latin writings, Petrarch was crowned with a laurel wreath in Rome.
What is more, the New Testament was viewed as a source of faith formation, especially during the crisis. Since the Catholic faith was spread by people, the New Testament was the book to rely upon when praying (Luther 358). The church was gaining more power causing individuals to convert and making them serve for the sake of God (Gaddy 114). It also helped shape the concept of chivalry and contributed to the rise of women’s status in society (Luther 359). Consequently, the population was trying to find peace resorting to religion during the decline.
In conclusion, the crisis of the Middle Ages caused devastating consequences on Europe; however, it gave rise to cultural formation. The recession was primarily driven by the plague, famine, and conflicts making contemporaries suffer and fight for life. Therefore, their only goal was survival and trying to find reconciliation in religion. The religious assumptions of that time have significantly impacted the development of culture and education.
Works Cited
Cole, J, & Symes, C. (2022). Western civilizations. W.W. Norton & Company.
Gaddy, C. Welton. A Soul Under Siege: Surviving Clergy Depression. Presbyterian Publishing Corporation, 1991.
Luther, Martin. Prefaces to the New Testament. Translated by Charles Jacobs and Theodore Bachmann, Wildside Press, 2010.
Robinson, James. Petrarch’s Letters. G.P Putnam, 1898.