THE 14th century crisis it is what historians have decided to call the catastrophic succession of events that affected medieval Europe. Among the tragedies are the great cycles of hunger - caused by climate change -, wars, the occurrence of popular revolts and the Black Death. It is believed that this cycle has accelerated the end of feudalism.
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Europe in the late Middle Ages
At low middle age (from the eleventh century onwards), Europe underwent a series of transformations that elevated the way of life of man to some extent. The first significant aspect was a small advance in agricultural cultivation through new soil plowing techniques and the use of three-year soil rotation, for example.
There was also an increase in land that was cultivated by draining swamps and clearing forests. This allowed a small increase in agricultural production, which caused hunger to retreat, especially in the 13th century. One of the main effects of this was the demographic growth in Western Europe, that is, the population increase.
Furthermore, Europe witnessed a certain commercial and urban renaissance, that is, commerce gained strength and cities began to grow and gain more expression. The commercial renaissance allowed the development of trade routes and points in Europe and ensured economic growth between the years 1200 and 1316.
In the case of urban growth, the emergence of new trades, since those who arrived in the cities needed the means to survive. Finally, especially in the French case, there was relative peace, that is, war, a reality so common during the High Middle Ages (5th to 10th centuries), it became less frequent.
All this began to change in the 14th century, when a crisis scenario took hold in Western Europe and accelerated the ongoing transformations in Europe. Basically, the crisis of the 14th century hastened the decadence of feudalism in Europe. The combination of these crises throughout this century has been called by historians the crisis of the 14th century.
Hunger and social upheavals
One of the first tragedies that happened in Europe during this century was the return of hunger. This happened due to a number of factors, but the changesclimatic. Historians point out that, at the beginning of the 14th century, there was a cooling of the climate, and the period from 1315 to 1322 was marked by rains beyond the normal.
Furthermore, Europe was living at a time when there was no more expansion of cultivated land and soil productivity was the same as it had been centuries ago. This factor, added to climate issues, made the harvests, especially in the 1315-1317 cycle, very bad. THE decrease in the amount of food it increased the price of food and left many hungry.
Between the 14th and 15th centuries, five great famine cycles were recorded in Western Europe. In Portugal alone, there were 21 food shortages|1|. In France, a report from 1316 says that heavy rains and the widespread famine contributed to weakening people and spreading disease, causing thousands of deaths.
Difficulties in food production hit the economy, causing many peasants to move to the cities. In turn, urban workers began to face a reduction in wages and an increase in unemployment. The result of this context was the increased misery and, consequently, the growth of social tensions.
This framework allowed a series of riots happened, both in the countryside and in the cities. In cities, the increase in unemployment, the large number of miserable people, the lack of food, the low wages and the intense exploitation of artisans motivated popular revolts in several cities European countries.
In the case of the countryside, the poverty of the peasantry and the intensification of exploitation in servile ties (such as increase in taxes) served as motivation for peasants to carry out revolts against the landlords. feudals. In the French context, peasant revolts were very frequent and were called jaquerie.
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War
The 14th century was also marked by the increased violence through wars. The most notable case is that of Hundred Years War, a conflict between the English and the French that dragged on from 1337 to 1453, totaling 116 years of war. An important factor is that the wars of this period incorporated technological advances and new weapons, such as cannons.
The increase in poverty has caused many miserables dedicated themselves to war as a way of survival, starting to offer their services as mercenaries. According to historian Jacques Le Goff, many men formed militarized groups, offering their services to local cities and kingdoms, enriching and gaining prestige|2|.
There were also places that chose to professionalize their soldiers, creating regular armies that were available to the kingdom, as in the French case. These soldiers were fully available to the king and received a wage for their services.
Black Plague
Another factor that amplified the chaotic situation that Europe experienced in this century was the black Plague, one plague pandemicbubonic that brought chaos and death to almost the entire continent. This disease is transmitted to humans through mice contaminated with a bacteria.
THE disease was brought to Europe by Genoese vessels fleeing from Caffa, on account of a siege carried out by Tatar troops against that city. The disease spread throughout the city when Tatar troops decided to dump contaminated corpses into Caffa. This outbreak of bubonic plague is believed to have started somewhere in Central Asia.
The disease arrived in Europe in 1347 and by the following year it had spread to the entire continent. The spread of this disease has been intensified by the fact that, when it affects humans, it can be transmitted through the respiratory tract, becoming highlycontagious. Thus, millions of people contracted the disease and, in a matter of days, died.
THE black plague intensified disorder in Europe, as it destroyed governments, increased hunger, intensified violence and killed millions. The medicine of the time had no answers about how to fight the disease, but it was soon realized that the isolation of the sick was an effective way to prevent the disease from spreading.
New studies indicate that the Black Death may have been responsible for the death of up to 50 million people and that Europe before the disease had about 80 million inhabitants. The old studies indicated that 1/3 of the population had died, but the new studies point to estimates that say that between ½ and 2/3 of the European population had died.
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Consequences
All these events made the 14th century a period of intense transformations in Europe. Feudal ties were weakened and, consequently, social relations were transformed. The economy gained new dynamics, while in politics real power began to strengthen and centralize.
The 14th century crisis marked the end of feudalism, allowing the mercantilism it's the absolutism begin to settle down. Finally, new classes began to emerge, with an emphasis on the bourgeoisie.
Grades
|1| FRANCO JÚNIOS, Hilário. The Middle Ages: birth of the West. São Paulo: Brasiliense, 2006, p. 47.
|2| LE GOFF, Jacques. The medieval roots of Europe. Petrópolis: Voices, 2011, p. 222.
