1. Challenges of the Church
A steady rise against the Christian church called heresy slowly took hold in Europe. Heresy is beliefs that opposed official teachings of church. Heretics frightened the clergy as people turned against the Christian church. Returning to simpler forms of pagan worship, sorcery, and witchcraft.
The Inquisitions was method of fighting heresy. The inquisition was a council of special religious judges. They tried suspected heretics, if found guilty they were punished for their sins.

2. Challenges of the Papacy
In 1309, political fighting in Rome dispute over the papacy, Pope forced to flee to Avignon, France.
Pope Gregory XI returned to Rome in 1370, upon his death two popes claimed power- Rome and Avignon
Council of Pisa created third claim to office- three popes for 40 years
This squabbling for power tarnishes the image of the church for Kings and commoners alike.

3. The Hundred Years War
In 1328, the French king died without son/ heir to the throne. King Edward III of England (nearest living relative) moved to grab the French crown/ throne.
Of course the French did not want an English king they favored a regent(advisor to the king) and crowned him as King Philip VI of France
In 1337 Edward invaded France beginning the Hundred Years’ War

4. The English won many victories; they used better weapons such as the Long Bow and moved deeper into France. In 1419 The new English King Henry V advanced to the gates of Paris.
In 1429 a young peasant girl named Joan of Arc changed course of war, she claimed saints told her to lead French into battle. Joan and her army defeated the English at the city Orléans which led to several more victories before being captured, executed by British

5. After Joan’s death, French King Charles VII rallied his army and took back land and nearly drove the English out of France in 1453.

6. The War of the Roses
After making peace with France in the Hundred Years war, a political struggle erupted over the English Throne. two families fought over the crown. This is called the Wars of the Roses.
The Lancasters- used a red rose emblem on their banners
The Yorks- used a white rose emblem on their banners
Hence why it was called the War of the Roses……

7. The Yorks and their supporters were successful early against the Lancasters, Edward IV ( a York) took throne in1461- after Edward’s death his two sons disappeared. Edward IV’s brother Richard III was crowned king.
Richard III faced uprisings and was killed in the Battle of Bosworth Field in This left a vacuum for the English throne, and Henry VII of the Tudor family (not a York or Lancaster), Henry VII claimed throne of England

8. The Black Plague
Another crisis struck Europe between 1347 & The Black Death, a plague, brought by merchant sailors from Genoa, contracted in Asia. Infected Fleas brought over on ships by rats carried the disease into Europe.
Historians are unsure of what disease it was. One theory suggests it was a combination of two different plagues, bubonic, pneumonic. It was one of worst global killers ever over 1/3 of population of Europe succumbed to it.

9. Infected people would develop dark splotches on the skin, high fever, vomiting, severe headaches. It was almost always fatal and most died within days. The Plague affected Europe, Central Asia, North Africa, Byzantine Empire
People thought it was God’s punishment for the heresy. And many blamed the Jews increasing the anti-Semitic feelings of Europeans.
With the huge loss of life, manors fell vacant, peasants left for towns and cities to make money. Ending the manorial system and feudalism.