Crisis of the Late Middle Ages Events

Text

In the late middle ages, the world was shaken to its foundations, old certainties were crumbling as new dangers and risks emerged. This crisis was particularly evident in demographic, political and religious (cultural and ideological) spheres.
From the mid 14th century, Europe was ravaged by plague epidemics, but the Czech lands were mostly spared. Even before the outbreak of plague, agriculture was experiencing a crisis, as its production was no longer sufficient to feed the growing continental population.
The west was ravaged by the Hundred Years’ War between England and France, while in Eastern Europe the Teutonic Order and the Polish state were engaged in a long term conflict in the Baltic region. The Russian state was subjugated by the Mongol rulers of the Golden Horde and further south, the Ottoman Empire, which would later become a traditional enemy of Europe in the early modern period, was growing ever stronger. In addition to these major conflicts, there were numerous peasant uprisings, especially in the west.
Universal unity, an important pillar of the medieval world order, was shaken by papal schisms, the long-term inability to resolve this situation, conflicts within the Church itself, and the weakening of the emperor’s position. During the Middle Ages, imperial power, the secular counterpart of universal unity, was limited to rulers over Central Europe, especially the German lands, albeit with varying degrees of real power.

Artwork