The 1300's

by Currie, Stephen; Szumski, Bonnie; Barbour, Scott

• ISBN13: 9780737705331
• ISBN10: 0737705337
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2001-05-01
• Publisher: Greenhaven Pr

Summary

The fourteenth century found Europe struggling against famine, plague and the Hundred Years' War between France and England. Japan experienced political infighting and the Aztecs developed a sophisticated civilization that spread throughout Central America. Chapters also examine the rise of the Ottomans, the Mali Empire, the Great Schism and Geoffrey Chaucer's poetry.

Table of Contents

Foreword	12	(1)
Introduction	13	(10)
Politics, Government, and War in Fourteenth-Century Europe
Preface	23	(2)
The Battle of Bannockburn: The Scots Defeat the English	25	(8)
Thomas B. Costain
Quarrels between England and its neighbor to the north simmered throughout the century
At the 1314 Battle of Bannockburn, Robert Bruce led the Scots to a rout of the English, temporarily gaining the upper hand
Women, Land, and Inheritance in England	33	(4)
Jennifer Ward
England granted women more rights than did most other European nations of the time, but even Englishwomen faced an uphill battle in safeguarding those rights
Widowed noblewoman Elizabeth de Burgh complained bitterly about her property losses at the hands of her relatives and the ruling family of England
Crime	37	(4)
May McKisack
Crime was a major concern for citizens of fourteenth century Europe
Maintaining the peace was difficult and sometimes impossible
Trade and the Hanseatic League	41	(5)
Robert S. Lopez
The Hanseatic League was a group of European merchants that dominated trade in and around northern Germany, Scandinavia, and England for many years
Victory at Sea	46	(7)
Desmond Seward
The Hundred Years' War began in 1337
One of the first engagements was a sea battle fought off the town of Sluys
The English won handily, but at some cost for the future
Anti-Semitism in Spain	53	(7)
Michel Mollat
Philippe Wolff
The position of Jews in Europe was usually precarious during medieval times
Late in the century, anti-Jewish violence broke out in Spain, a country in which a large population of Jews had settled
Deposing King Richard	60	(4)
Adam of Usk
Richard II of England was far from a popular or effective king
In 1399 he was forcibly removed from the throne in favor of a political enemy, Henry of Lancaster, whom Richard had exiled some years earlier
The Great Schism	64	(9)
Walter Ullmann
After the death of Pope Gregory XI in 1378, two rival factions presented candidates to succeed him
Compromise proved impossible; two separate popes took office in two separate cities, and the Catholic Church was split in two
Feudal Society
Preface	71	(2)
The Nobles	73	(6)
Charles Seignobos
The nobility played an important role in feudal society
They served as leaders, both economically and politically; royal control over a country often relied on the goodwill of local nobles
Court Life	79	(5)
Gervase Mathew
Life in the royal courts of Europe could often be quite glamorous
Fine clothing, fancy jewelry, and various entertainments were all popular among the nobility
The Serfs	84	(4)
George Holmes
Whereas nobles occupied the highest rung in feudal society, serfs occupied the lowest
Peasants, who were legally bound to serve their lords, they worked the fields and paid taxes in exchange for the promise of protection in the event of war
Peasants in the Hundred Years' War	88	(5)
Nicholas Wright
Although nobles commanded and led operations during the Hundred Years' War, it was the peasants who were usually most affected
Their lands and homes were destroyed, and many serfs who were commandeered to be soldiers died
Wat Tyler's Rebellion of 1381	93	(13)
Jean Froissart
The fourteenth century was a time of many popular revolts, wars in which peasants and other poor people attacked wealthy nobles
Chief among them was a rebellion led by the Englishman Wat Tayler in 1381
Life and Culture in Fourteenth-Century Europe
Preface	105	(1)
The Famine of 1315--1322	106	(8)
William Chester Jordan
Famine was always a possibility during medieval times, when people rarely could store up food from one harvest to the next
A particularly destructive and widespread famine affected much of Europe for several years in the early part of the fourteenth century
Childhood in the Fourteenth Century	114	(8)
Barbara Hanawalt
Although growing up as a noble was necessarily quite different from growing up as a serf, fourteenth-century children all shared some similar experiences that helped define childhood during the period
Catherine of Siena	122	(3)
Phyllis McGinley
At once a political thinker and a religious figure, Catherine was an influential woman of fourteenth-century Italy
A Medieval Play	125	(6)
Medieval European drama was significantly different from the theatrical conventions of today
Plays of the time were strongly moralistic, and they usually contained religious elements as well
Food in the Fourteenth Century	131	(6)
Reay Tannahill
Manners, menus, and cookery all helped define the fourteenth century
A look into the food of the time sheds light on the social and cultural background of the period
Petrarch	137	(7)
Francesco Petrarch
An Italian writer whose work often has a strikingly modern feel, Petrarch is still we known today
Among his most noted works is his ``Letter to Posterity,'' a short autobiographical sketch
Religious Thought in the Fourteenth Century	144	(8)
Robert E. Lerner
The theologies and philosophies of the fourteenth century were in some ways very different from the ideas of the thirteenth
The 1300s were a time when many thinkers questioned orthodox ideas and experimented with new ways of looking at the world
Geoffrey Chaucer	152	(5)
S.S. Hussey
The best-remembered writer of fourteenth-century England is Geoffrey Chaucer
His Canterbury Tales and other works stand today as highlights of medieval literature
Religious Life	157	(10)
Eileen Power
Many young men and women of fourteenth-century Europe entered monasteries and convents as monks and nuns to spend their lives in good works and religious contemplation
Life in these religious institutions, however, was often not as strictly focused on God as it perhaps could have been
The Black Death
Preface	165	(2)
The Plague and the Decameron	167	(7)
Giovanni Boccaccio
One of the finest firsthand accounts of the Black Death appears in the introduction to the Italian writer Giovanni Boccaccio's book the Decameron
Boccaccio describes the spread of the terrible plague---and the massive social disruption it caused
Medicine and the Plague	174	(10)
Robert S. Gottfried
The medical profession of the mid--fourteenth century was at a loss when it came to dealing with the plague
Much of the problem was a lack of scientific understanding; doctors of the time did not know how diseases were caused, so they were powerless to do much to fight the pestilence
Long-Term Effects of the Plague on Society	184	(11)
J.N. Hays
The plague's influence did not end when the dying stopped
Not only would the plague make further appearances in future years, but the loss of population also had important consequences for economic, political, and social structures across Europe
The Fourteenth Century Outside Europe
Preface	193	(2)
Tensions in Japan	195	(5)
John Whitney Hall
During the fourteenth century many different powerful families did their best to win control of Japan
Leaders took charge through force and careful alliances, and they were in turn deposed by the next clan to pose a serious threat
The Tughluq Dynasty in India	200	(5)
Stanley Wolpert
Like Japan and most of Europe, India spent much of the fourteenth century split into various warring factions
Even when the Muslim Tughluqs finally gained an edge, the dynasty did not eliminate conflict
Ibn Battuta	205	(5)
Ross E. Dunn
One of the few men who traveled extensively during the 1300s, Ibn Battuta was a Moroccan Muslim whose journeys took him across three continents---and who committed every step of the way to writing
The Rise of the Ottomans	210	(7)
M. Philips Price
The southeastern corner of Europe came more and more under Turkish dominance as the century wore on
Muslim leaders Osman and Murad used rewards, promises, threats, and a finely tuned fighting force to make inroads into Christian Europe
Timur	217	(4)
Bertold Spuler
The dominant name in Central Asia during the fourteenth century was undoubtedly that of Timur, sometimes known as Tamburlaine
A mighty prince and a feared conqueror, Timur influenced events far beyond the area he actually governed
The Aztec Empire	221	(7)
Robert Ryal Miller
The Aztec Empire in Mexico began in the fourteenth century Aztec culture, customs, and religion would dominate the region until the arrival of the Europeans two centuries later
The Mali Empire
Preface	227	(1)
Mansa Musa and the Magnificence of Mali	228	(7)
Lester Brooks
The West African Mali Empire probably reached its peak during the fourteenth century
The name of Mansa Musa, the emperor who presided over the period that marked Mali's greatest influence, is most closely linked with the glory of the empire today
Life and Government in Mali	235	(8)
W.F. Conton
Socially and politically, Mali held dominion over an area equivalent to several countries today
The social and political structures of the Mali Empire needed to be complex; they were sufficient to meet the challenge
The Ming Dynasty
Preface	241	(2)
The Establishment of the Ming Dynasty	243	(5)
Rene Grousset
Mongolia ruled China in the early part of the fourteenth century
In 1368, however, a rebellion led by Chu Yuanchang successfully swept the Mongols from power and replaced them with native Chinese leaders instead
Early Ming Wars and Successions	248	(7)
Louise Levathes
Taking back the throne from Mongol rulers was only half the battle
The early Ming years were marked by succession struggles and shifting alliances; a great deal of blood was shed before peace and unity returned to the empire
Trade in Early Ming Times	255	(4)
Timothy Brook
Ming China saw a substantial growth in trade, both inside the country and with other nations
The trade helped bring wealth to China, but it sparked significant controversy as well
Chronology	259	(3)
For Further Reading	262	(2)
Index	264