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Hi there! I'm Studyfin, and I am so excited to explore the Middle Ages with you today!
During the Middle Ages, the Christian Church split into two major groups. This split is called the Great Schism. It created Roman Catholicism in Western Europe and Eastern Orthodoxy in Eastern Europe.
The Roman Catholic Church was led by the Pope in Rome. It had a huge social impact because it united people under one faith and guided daily life in Western Europe. Let us look at how this split divided Europe.
Later, three major events changed Europe forever. These were the Crusades, the Black Death plague, and the Hundred Years' War. Together, they weakened feudalism and helped create stronger, unified nations.
Explain how the Black Death plague contributed to the decline of feudalism in Western Europe.
- Identify the event: The Black Death was a terrible disease that swept through Europe in the 1300s.
- Analyze the immediate effect: The plague sadly killed about one-third of the population in Europe.
- Explain the impact on workers: Because so many people died, there were very few peasant workers left to farm the land.
- Explain the shift in power: Peasants could now demand higher pay and better treatment from the rich land-owning lords.
- Connect to the end of feudalism: Lords had to pay wages instead of forcing peasants to work, which broke down the old feudal system.