ANAYSHA BOOM MLVRCS DECEMBER 6,2013 7-2 THE DECLINE OF FEUDALISM The decline off eudalism had many impacts like polit ical development in England, The bubonic plague and t he Hundred Years war. King Henry II made a legal ref orm a cent ral concern of his reign. The bubonic plague killed t housands of people. The hundred years war bet ween t he f rench and t he Spanish. I will explain how t hese t hree t opics led or impact ed t he decline off eudalism. King Henry’s II legal ref orms. Henry made a legal ref orm a cent ral concern of his reign.
Henry’s eff ort to t rengt hen led to a serious conf lict In t he year 1164, Henry issued t he Const it ut ions of Clarendon, a document t hat he said spelled out t he kings t radit tonal right s. Among t hem was t he right t o t ry clergy accused of serious crimes in royal court s, rat her t han in Church court s. Henrys act ion led toa long, bit t er quarrel wit h his f riend, Thomas Becket , t he archbishop of Cant erbury. In 1170, f our knight s, perhaps seeking t he king’s f avor, killed Becket in f ront oft he main alt ar of Cant erbury Cat hedral.
The cat hedral and Becket ‘s t omb soon became a popular dest inat ion f or pilgrimages. In 1173, t he Cat holic Church proclaimed him a saint . St ill, most oft he Const it ut ions of Clarendon remained in f orce. The bubonic plague killed t housands of people. people t hink t he plague began in Cent ral Asia, possibly in China, and spread t hroughout China, India, t he Middle East , and t hen Europe. Sympt oms, or signs, oft he plague included f ever, vomit ing, f terce coughing and sneezing f it s, and egg-sized swellings or bumps, called buboes.
The t erm “Black Deat h” probably came f rom t hese black-and-blue swellings t hat appeared on t he skin of vict ims. The dirt y condit ions in which people lived cont ribut ed signif icant ly to t he spread oft he bubonic plague. The bact eria t hat cause t he disease are carried by f leas t hat f eed on t he blood of inf ect ed rodent s, such as rats. When t he rats die, t he f leas Jump toot her animals and people. City t errible t oll on t he populat ions of Asia and Europe.
China’s populat ion was reduced by nearly half bet ween 1200 and 1393, probably because of t he plague and f amine. Travelers report ed t hat dead bodies covered t he ground in Cent ral Asia and India. Some hist orians est imat e t hat 24 million Europeans died ft he plague??”about a t hird oft he populat ion. The deat hs of so many people speeded changes in Europe’s economic and social st ruct ure, which cont ribut ed t o t he decline of f eudalism. The hundred years war bet ween t he f rench and t he spanish. his long conf lict cont ribut ed t o t he erosion off eudalism in England and in France. English monarchs had long claimed lands in France. This was because earlier English kings had act ually been f eudal lords over t hese French f ief s. French kings now disputed t hese claims. When Philip VI of France declared t hat t he French f lef s of England’s King Edward Ill ere part of Philip’s own realm, war broke out in France. The French slowly chipped away at t he t errit Ory t he English had won in t he early years oft he war.
In 1415, aft er a long t ruce, English King Henry V again invaded France. This t ‘me, t he English met wit h st ronger resist ance. One reason was t hat t he French were now using more modern t act ics. The French king was recruit ing his army f rom commoners, paying t hem wit h money collect ed by t axes, Just as t he English did. Anot her reason f or increased French resist ance was a new sense of nat tonal ident it y and unit y. In part , t he French were inspired by a 17-year-old peasant girl, known t oday as Joan of Arc.
Joan claimed t hat she heard t he voices of saint s urging her t o save France. Put t ing on a suit of armor, she went tof ight . IN CONCLUSION,t hese t hree events impact ed t he decline off eudalism because king Henry II was ref ormed and he made t he rules he want ed. The bubonic plague occurred and lef t only a lit t le bit of people because it killed t housands of people. Last but not least t he hundred years war bet ween t he Spanish and t he f rench leaving t he f rench to win.
