1. End of Middle Ages
Late Middle Ages
( )

2. Bubonic Plague – called Black Death
End of Middle Ages
Bubonic Plague – called Black Death
disease spread by fleas on rats
came to Europe via traders
Asia → Middle East → Europe
Italy → Spain & France → rest of Europe
1 in 3 die
over 25 million people
worse than any war in history
no way to stop disease
Rats everywhere (even rich homes)
-- common, so no one paid much attention to them
Fleas common too
Fleas → clothes & packs of traders
-- one bite, and you’re infected with plague
Autumn 1347, Genoese trading ships leave Black Sea port (of Caffa) for Sicily.
By mid-voyage, sailors are sick & dying.
Reach Sicily town of Messina & soon townspeople start getting sick & dying.
Unsanitary conditions in Europe helped spread
people thru garbage & human waste into streets.

3. Bubonic Plague – Black Death
End of Middle Ages
Bubonic Plague – Black Death
social upheaval
hysteria
Christians blamed Jews
thousands of Jews slaughtered
economic effects
inflation = rising prices
>100 years for Western Europe to recover
Christians blamed Jews for poisoning wells.
Flea bite – within hours, egg-sized lumps under arms
then black spots on skin, spit blood (certain death at this stage)
Inflation – workers & employers died
-- production declined
-- survivors demand higher wages
-- cost of labor soared

4. End of Middle Ages The Hundred Years’ War
French king dies without direct heir
Edward III (King of England)
claims to be heir and invades France
Series of conflicts
France & England – rival powers

5. End of Middle Ages The Hundred Years’ War Battle of Agincourt 1415
Henry V (successor of Edward III)
crushes France with longbow
Many English victories at first
took heavy toll on France
looked like England would control all of France
Longbow: 6’ long; years to master
shoot 3 arrows in time it took French crossbow archers to shoot 1 arrow
arrows pierced all but heaviest armor

6. End of Middle Ages The Hundred Years’ War Battle of Orleans
Joan of Arc
17 year old French peasant
saves French army
Led the French to victories against the English
Joan of Arc: – Told Charles VII (uncrowned king of France)
that God had sent her to save France
& persuaded him to let her lead his army
Led French troops to several victories.
Captured by English, tried & convicted of witchcraft, burned at stake.
Her death rallies French, saw her as martyr.
After her death French took offensive.
Statue in Notre Dame cathedral.

8. End of Middle Ages The Hundred Years’ War Gun Powder Cannon
brought to Europe from China by Muslim traders
Cannon
French used to drive England out of France
Trebuchet reigned in castle warfare until cannon came along.
Not much castles could do against cannons.
Castles also began installing cannons.
Cannons undermined value of armored knights.
gave common soldiers a new importance on battlefield

9. End of Middle Ages The Hundred Years’ War lasted for 116 years
damaged both England and France
Damaged Eng & Fr
-- physically
-- deaths
-- economically – war is expensive

10. Effects of Hundred Years’ War
End of Middle Ages
Effects of Hundred Years’ War
feudal society began changing
monarchs sought large armies
not feudal vassals
French kings expanded their power
England wanted new trading ventures overseas