The Late Middle Ages
● The black death (1348-1352)
● The hundred years war (1337-1453)
● Schism in the catholic church (1378-1417)
● Invasion by the turks (ottoman) and fall of constantinople (1453)
The black death
● Bubonic plague pandemic: 25-50 million dead
● Spread by fleas from black rats and through the air (bacterium yersinia pestis)
● Devastating widespread shock
● Described in Boccaccio’s Decameron
● The plague devastated Europe by killing approx. a third of the population. It had lasting
economic, social, and religious effects that vastly changed European society and
contributed to Europe’s emergence into the Renaissance, an age of exploration
● Cured in 1352, almost every 15 years, a new black death came (1600s it stopped)
○ Number of farm laborers decreased
○ Many serfs pursued more rewarding jobs
Hundred years war
● England (plantagenet dynasty) and france (valois dynasty) fought over throne of france
● impact/changes
○ Military technology and tactics
■ Gunpowder
■ Heavy artillery
○ Chivalry (decline)
○ Nationalism
○ growth strong centralized monarchy in france and the rise of parliament in
england
The great schism
● Split in the roman catholic church (1378-1415)
● The “Babylonian Captivity” of the papacy
● The pope's involvement in secular politics, and the rise of humanism
● The moral and spiritual authority of the church hierarchy was seriously undermined
Fall of constantinople
● In 1453, constantinople, the capital of the byzantine empire, fell to the invading ottoman
empire after a long siege
● A turning point, seen by some as “the end of the middle ages”
● Christian europe now faced the threat of Muslim invasion and Ottoman expansion
● An exodus of greek byzantine scholars to italy helped revival of learning and the
growth of humanist scholarships
● The loss of constantinople severed trade routes with Asia, forcing European powers to
seek out water routes to Asia
The Renaissance
● The period from 1375-1527 was a transition from medieval to modern times
● Different from the feudal fragmentation of medieval times, Renaissance Europe (starting
in Italy) saw:
, ○ A growing national consciousness
○ Political centralization
○ An urban economy based on commerce and capitalism
○ Growing lay control of secular thought and culture
● Burckhardt thesis:
● Renaissance represented
○ A break with the past
○ An emphasis on things scientific, realistic, individualistic and humane
○ A “birth of the modern sensibility” which “left behind the superstitious mindset of
the Dark Ages”
○ The “prototype of the modern world”
○ Made in the 1860s
The Renaissance: Italian City States
● Growth of City States
○ 5 major city-states
○ Urban rich / trade / commerce
● Social Class and Conflict
○ Ciompi Revolt (1378)
○ Poor (popolo minuto) vs. Grandi/popolo grosso
● Despotism and Diplomacy
○ Medici dynasty (starting with Cosimo in 1434) and Lorenzo de Medici
(1478-1492) rule Florence until 1537
○ Condottieri, guilds, signoria gain influence
○ Art of diplomacy
The Renaissance: Italian humanism
● Educational and cultural movement focusing on:
○ The dignity of the individual
○ Secularism
○ Civic virtue
○ The recovery and study of Greek and Roman classics
○ The 5 subjects in the studia humanitatis
● Francesco Petrarch (1304-1374), father of humanism, was a scholar and poet known
for rediscovering the writings of Cicero
● Leonardo Bruni (1370-1444) promoted “civic humanism” with an emphasis on
humanistic studies and public service
● Dante Alighieri (The Divine comedy), Giovanni boccaccio, author of The Decameron
(a collection of 100 tales told during plague-ravaged Florence), Lorenzo Valla (The
Donation of Constantine) and Baldassare Castiglione (The Book of the Courtier)
● Pico della Mirandola’s Oration on the Dignity of Man (1486) is perhaps the most
famous Renaissance statement on the nature of humankind:
Italian Humanism: Patronage
● Cosimo di Giovanni de’Medici was an Italian banker and politician (statesman), who
established the Medici family as effective rulers of Florence
● The black death (1348-1352)
● The hundred years war (1337-1453)
● Schism in the catholic church (1378-1417)
● Invasion by the turks (ottoman) and fall of constantinople (1453)
The black death
● Bubonic plague pandemic: 25-50 million dead
● Spread by fleas from black rats and through the air (bacterium yersinia pestis)
● Devastating widespread shock
● Described in Boccaccio’s Decameron
● The plague devastated Europe by killing approx. a third of the population. It had lasting
economic, social, and religious effects that vastly changed European society and
contributed to Europe’s emergence into the Renaissance, an age of exploration
● Cured in 1352, almost every 15 years, a new black death came (1600s it stopped)
○ Number of farm laborers decreased
○ Many serfs pursued more rewarding jobs
Hundred years war
● England (plantagenet dynasty) and france (valois dynasty) fought over throne of france
● impact/changes
○ Military technology and tactics
■ Gunpowder
■ Heavy artillery
○ Chivalry (decline)
○ Nationalism
○ growth strong centralized monarchy in france and the rise of parliament in
england
The great schism
● Split in the roman catholic church (1378-1415)
● The “Babylonian Captivity” of the papacy
● The pope's involvement in secular politics, and the rise of humanism
● The moral and spiritual authority of the church hierarchy was seriously undermined
Fall of constantinople
● In 1453, constantinople, the capital of the byzantine empire, fell to the invading ottoman
empire after a long siege
● A turning point, seen by some as “the end of the middle ages”
● Christian europe now faced the threat of Muslim invasion and Ottoman expansion
● An exodus of greek byzantine scholars to italy helped revival of learning and the
growth of humanist scholarships
● The loss of constantinople severed trade routes with Asia, forcing European powers to
seek out water routes to Asia
The Renaissance
● The period from 1375-1527 was a transition from medieval to modern times
● Different from the feudal fragmentation of medieval times, Renaissance Europe (starting
in Italy) saw:
, ○ A growing national consciousness
○ Political centralization
○ An urban economy based on commerce and capitalism
○ Growing lay control of secular thought and culture
● Burckhardt thesis:
● Renaissance represented
○ A break with the past
○ An emphasis on things scientific, realistic, individualistic and humane
○ A “birth of the modern sensibility” which “left behind the superstitious mindset of
the Dark Ages”
○ The “prototype of the modern world”
○ Made in the 1860s
The Renaissance: Italian City States
● Growth of City States
○ 5 major city-states
○ Urban rich / trade / commerce
● Social Class and Conflict
○ Ciompi Revolt (1378)
○ Poor (popolo minuto) vs. Grandi/popolo grosso
● Despotism and Diplomacy
○ Medici dynasty (starting with Cosimo in 1434) and Lorenzo de Medici
(1478-1492) rule Florence until 1537
○ Condottieri, guilds, signoria gain influence
○ Art of diplomacy
The Renaissance: Italian humanism
● Educational and cultural movement focusing on:
○ The dignity of the individual
○ Secularism
○ Civic virtue
○ The recovery and study of Greek and Roman classics
○ The 5 subjects in the studia humanitatis
● Francesco Petrarch (1304-1374), father of humanism, was a scholar and poet known
for rediscovering the writings of Cicero
● Leonardo Bruni (1370-1444) promoted “civic humanism” with an emphasis on
humanistic studies and public service
● Dante Alighieri (The Divine comedy), Giovanni boccaccio, author of The Decameron
(a collection of 100 tales told during plague-ravaged Florence), Lorenzo Valla (The
Donation of Constantine) and Baldassare Castiglione (The Book of the Courtier)
● Pico della Mirandola’s Oration on the Dignity of Man (1486) is perhaps the most
famous Renaissance statement on the nature of humankind:
Italian Humanism: Patronage
● Cosimo di Giovanni de’Medici was an Italian banker and politician (statesman), who
established the Medici family as effective rulers of Florence
