Between the 12th and 14th centuries, the medieval economy experienced a period of ascension through the expansion of the offer of agricultural products and the development of cities. The dynamic that previously ordered Europe emerged to other possibilities that included the heating of commercial activities, the the loosening of servile relations in some regions, the monetization of the economy and the consolidation of a new social class by bourgeoisie.
However, at the beginning of the second half of the 14th century, this reality was abruptly interrupted with the terrible advent of the Black Death. In a short time, thousands of Europeans were decimated by a terrible epidemic that spread thanks to the poor hygiene conditions of that time. In addition to causing so many deaths, this disease was also responsible for a large population decline. Some scholars estimate that more than a third of Europe was victimized.
The death of so many people ended up causing an enormous disorder to the productive process of that time. Commercial activities retracted, as well as feudal properties slowed down their production capacity. Fearing the shortage of food, which in fact happened, several nobles made it as difficult as possible for the servants to leave their properties. In this context of scarcity and hardening, tensions between serfs and nobles soon became evident.
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Not by chance, the Black Death soon came to coexist with uprisings organized by serfs and newsboys from all over Europe. In regions of Belgium, France and England we observed the peasants involved in great revolts that became known by the name of “jacqueries”. The term, originating from the expression “Jacques bon homme”, was negatively directed towards all those who did not have any type of property or did not occupy a privileged position.
Such instability demonstrated that the old habits and institutions that defined the feudal order would no longer remain unscathed. For this reason, we observe that these last decades of the medieval period were marked by wars, the centralization of political power and the reorganization of economic activities. Entering the 15th century, we see a Europe articulating transformations that defined much of the understanding of the modern world.
By Rainer Sousa
Graduated in History
Would you like to reference this text in a school or academic work? Look:
SOUSA, Rainer Gonçalves. "Crisis of the 14th century"; Brazil School. Available in: https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/historiag/crise-seculo-xiv.htm. Accessed on June 27, 2021.
