The Late Middle Ages Week 3 Politics War

The Late Middle Ages Week 3: Politics, War, and, Crisis

Crisis of Church & State • Benedict XI 1303 -1305 short reign as pope allowed for Philip IV to directly influence the papacy. • In 1305, Philip’s childhood friend, Bertrand de Got was elected Clement V. • Thus, begins the French domination of the College of Cardinals, and Avignon Papacy.

Avignon Papacy • • Clement V: 1305 -1316 John XXII: 1316 -1334 Benedict XII: 1334 -1342 Clement VI: 1342 -1352 Innocent IV: 1352 -1362 Urban V: 1362 -1370 Gregory XI: 1370 -1378

John XXII • Attempted to move the papacy back to Rome. • Fighting with Emperor Louis IV…similar to Boniface and Philip IV • Ultimately stayed because of the pressure from the kingdoms.

Indulgences • Basically pardons for un-repented sins… get out of purgatory. • Under Clement VI … you could buy indulgences for people who were already DEAD!

Opposition to Avignon • English opposed the papacy at Avignon as a result of the Hundred Years’ War. • Others opposed the decadence of the Papal Curia. • 1377 Gregory XI moved back to Rome.

The Great Schism: 1378 -1417 • After Gregory XI died the Italians insisted on an Italian pope and elect Urban VI. • A few months later, the French Cardinals elect Clement VII, who is headed in Avignon. • Conciliar Theory of Church Government

Conciliarism • The basic theory of conciliarism was to unify and reform the Church, and it called for several Church Councils. • Council of Pisa 1409 -1410 • Council of Constance 1414 -1417 • Council of Basel 1431 -1449

Pre-Reformation Stirrings • John Wycliff and Lollards in England • Mass in Vernacular • Clerical Poverty • Against Indulgences • Challenged the dogma of Transubstantiation • Jan Huss and Hussites in Bohemia • Mass in Vernacular • Challenged the validity of the sacraments • Lay communion

Political Development Government Models in the Middle Ages: • • Cortes – Spain 1230 Parliament – England 1265 Estates General – France 1304 Reichstag (Imperial Diet) – HRE 1356

The Hundred Years’ War • 1337 - 1453 struggle for power between France and England. • Not really one but, several, a long series of campaigns broken by occasional interludes of truce and peace.

Background to War • Treaty of Paris 1259 • King Henry III of England (1216 -1272) abandoned his claims to Normandy, Maine, Anjou, Touraine, and Poitou. • King Louis IX of France (1226 -1270) reserved his right to hold the English duchy of Gascony as a fief.

Underlying Causes • Piracy: French and English sea merchants robbing and looting boats. • Flanders: English Wool superior to the wool trade, but clothes and products made in Flanders. • Dynastic Implications: 1328 Charles IV of France died with no direct male heir.

The Plot Thickens • Capetian Dynasty failed to produce a male line. • Philip IV had four children: Louis, Philip, Charles, and Isabelle. • Isabelle was married to King Edward II of England they had a son Edward III.

Philip VI de Valois • 1328 -1350 • Count of Valois, and 1 st cousin to King Charles IV Capet. • Holds vassalage over King Edward III of England. • Extremely Haughty

Edward III and Philip VI

The War Begins • In 1337, Philip VI began to support the Scottish Rebels against the English Crown. • He also attempted to take Gascony away from Edward III, by seizing territory through force. • “The so-called King of France” • Three Major Phases of War

Conflict during Edward III • 1337 -1360 was the first phase of the war. • Edward embargoed wool causing urban rebellions in Flanders. • England was outnumbered 4 million to 15 million

Battle of Crecy • Edward attacked Normandy and finally defeated the French in Crecy in 1346. • Major English victory because they held onto the port city of Calais.

A Brief Respite • Edward and Philip ran out of money. • Philip VI died in 1350 • John II aka Jean le Bon (1350 -1364) was crowned King of France.

The Black Prince of Wales • Edward, the Black Prince, begins his campaign, in 1355 • Plunders the French countryside • 1356 captures King John II of France near Poitiers.

Battle of Poitiers

English Success • France witnessed a lack of leadership due to John II’s imprisonment. • 1358 – Estates General attempts to take control of government under Etienne Marcel, but leads to the Jacquerie Revolt. • 1360 – Treaty of Bretigny

Effects of the Treaty • The French were to pay 3 million crowns to the English. • Only came up with 400, 000 crowns but Edward released John and held his family. • John turned himself into Edward and lived out his days in London. • Charles V (1364 -1389) becomes King of France.

The Second Phase of War • The second phase began over a Feudal dispute in the Duchy of Gascony, which the Black Prince, Edward ruled. • Charles V was savvy and quite intelligent. His main strategy was to start war, but avoid the English troops.

Dynastic Issues • After Edward III died (1377) and Charles V (1380), the war effort lessened. • Richard II (1377 -1399) of England was a weak and unfavorable monarch. • English Peasant Revolt 1381 brought animosity to the lowering sort. • Richard abdicates to his cousin Henry Bolingbroke.

Once more into the breech dear Friends • Henry V (1413 -1422) • Led a series of victories in France and eventually seized the whole country in 1420.

The Third Phase • Henry V was capable and efficient monarch, but he was cruel, cold, and selfish. • In 1415, he led a small garrison of English troops into Calais. • Heavy rains and disease cornered Henry’s troops. • Battle of Agincourt - October 25, 1415

The fewer men, the greater share of honor!

Treaty of Troyes • Henry V negotiated the Treaty of Troyes (1420) which stated that he would marry the Charles VI’s daughter, Catherine, and become the heir apparent to the King of France. • Henry V and Charles VI both died in 1422

Final Phase of War • Henry VI of England declared king of France, but was an infant • Henry VI’s uncles assume control. • Charles, the dauphin, went into hiding.

Joan of Arc • Deliver of French • Military genius, who had visions from Saints and God. • Her visions were presented to Charles in hiding, in 1429.

Siege of Orleans

Charles VII • On July 16, 1429 Charles marched across France to Reims. • Crowned King of France. • Slowly acquired back his land.

Visionary of God ? ? ? • Joan of Arc was captured by the Burgundians. • In 1430, she was ransomed to the English who tried her as a heretic.

The End of the War • In 1435, Charles VII makes peace with the Burgundians and slowly takes control of France - Treaty of Arras. • 1450 – Battle of Formigny • 1452 – Battle of Bordeaux • 1453 – Battle of Castillon

The Black Death • Europe had been weakened due to famine and bad health. • Overpopulation of cities • 1347 - plague hits Europe • Bubonic - carried by fleas on rats • Wipes out 2/5 of the population

Conceptions of Death • Christians believed it was a bad sign • Humanism develops during this time. • Pre-Renaissance

Canterbury Tales • Geoffrey Chaucer wrote this story in midst of Black Plague. • Morally inspired and teller of several pilgrim stories • Holy Relics – Thomas a’Beckett

Back to the Dark Ages • The 12 th and 13 th centuries Europe flourished. • In the 14 th and 15 th centuries there is a great decline. • Pre-Renaissance Europe was hit with social, political, and economic distress.

The Break Down • Hundred Years’ War - 1337 -1453 • Black Death - Plague hits Western Europe 1347 -1430 • Great Schism - 1378 -1417 • Conciliar Movement – 1415 • End of the Byzantine Empire - 1453 • Humanism - Reacting to Scholastics

Next Week • Next week we delve into the Renaissance and the Birth of Modernity. • Based off the readings in the textbook and packet discuss the meaning of the Renaissance • How does Burckhardt view it? What criticisms can be leveled against his view?