unit 1: the middle ages - crisis and disintegration in the 1300's

black death

Consisted of the bubonic and pneumonic plagues, spread by fleas on rats that traveled on ships, leading to the death of about 50% of Europe’s population.

pogroms

An organized massacre of Jews. Europe wanted someone to blame for the plague, and ended up destroying and killing property of the Jewish people.

100 years’ war

A war fought between France and England from 1337, beginning when Edward III claimed the French throne after Philip VI seized his holdings in Gascony.

longbow

A powerful weapon used during the Hundred Years’ War, ranging about 5-6 feet tall. The English longbow was made so thick to the point where it was able to pierce through heavy armor, leading to the fallout of the French army, suffering multiple losses.

joan of arc

She was able to carry the French army out of loss due to her ability of seeing Holy visions. She claimed to foresee the future by the power of God, which became a major contribution to helping the French towards victory. Though, the English assumed she was a practitioner of witchcraft and was eventually burned at stake in 1431.

scutage

Often used by peasants, as a way to prevent being drafted into the military. But the Monarchs loved this concept because now they were able to hire stronger and reliable soldiers.

third estate

A social class, representing a vast majority of the population. This included the King, the nobles, knights, commoners, peasants, etc. The third estate also paid for almost all the taxes, causing a huge gap between rights and wealth.

condottieri

Consisted of leaders of mercenary companies, though they were pretty unreliable. Because they simply fought for money, mercenaries had a negative reputation and were perceived as less loyal than soldiers who fought for a cause. When they weren’t fighting, they would often loot and raid the countryside.

the papacy

A controversial 72-year period when the papal residence moved from Rome to Avignon, leading to perceived corruption and a decline in papal power.

great schism

Lasted nearly 40 years, marked by competing claims to the papacy, causing confusion and aggravation among citizens and leading to financial abuses and loss of faith.

mysticism

The experience of feeling a personal harmony with God. Meister Eckhart created a mystical movement in Western Germany and preached that salvation was possible for anybody as long as they pursued it genuinely.

modern devotion

A person has to live their life like Jesus. They have to start spending their time trying to improve the things around them, such as society and the lives of people. 

dante alighieri

An Italian writer from Florence. He wrote 3 continuous books called the Divine Comedy which included Inferno (about hell), Purgatorio (about purgatory), and Paradiso (about heaven). The Divine Comedy was a mix full of symbols, representing the soul’s path from sin and misery to enlightenment.

petrarch

A medieval poet, writing most of his poems about a married woman he knew. His poems were written in a realistic manner and reflected the woman's reality, not in a romantic way, but rather around every detail of what she would do.

giovanni boccaccio

A plague survivor from Sicily, Italy. He wrote his works about the spread of the plague through Sicily, covering in full detail about the painful deaths of his family members and the burial of his wife and children. Consisted of vivid descriptions of body burnings and graves.

christine de pizan

The first professional and French renaissance writer who wrote a few of the very first feminist pieces of literature. She wrote extensively to defend women against misogyny, writing about the moral qualities and academic abilities of women.