The Late Middle Ages

An overview
The century of war, plague and disorder

• 14th century: Plagues

• Challenge to authority
• Murders
• Nobles started to disappear
• Scotland allied with France in case England
tried to attack. This alliance benefitted France
as it was a means to keep England under
control as well.
 War with France
• Edward III declared war on France in 1337,
claiming the French Crown.
• This war was known as the Hundred Years War,
because it ended in 1453
• In 1360 Edward accepted the treaty of Bretigny
because he reestablished control over areas
previously belonging to English Crown (Aquitaine,
parts of Normandy and Brittany and the port of
Calais) – But this peace didn´t last long
 The age of chivalry
• This was created by Edward III and his son, the
black Prince
• Code of chivalry for the perfect knight
• There was a strong interest in the legend of
King Arthur
• The rules of the Code: defend your good
name, serve God and the king, and help a lady
in need. It was a useful way to convince men
to fight in the war.
 The plagues
• 1348 – BLACK DEATH (Bubonic Plague)
• It is the most fatal pandemic recorded in
human history, causing the death of 75–200
million people in Eurasia and North Africa,
peaking in Europe from 1347 to 1351
• Agricultural Crisis
• Famine
 Changes in economy
• Farmers had higher wages
• They had a greater share in agricultural
economy
• Better houses
• Wool was changed by finished cloth and it
became England´s main export.
 The Poor in Revolt
• The idea that God had created all human
beings equal was starting to develop and this
led to the end of the Feudal System
• There was a lot of discontent with the taxes.
This led to the Peasants´Revolt, which lasted
only 4 weeks until king Richard II quietened
them under a promise that then he didn´t
accomplish
 And the Church?
• There was a lot of discontent with the Church
for its greed and also because it was a Feudal
Power.
• The English had to pay taxes to the Pope when
the Pope was a foreigner.
• Another threat to the Church was the increase
of people who could read the religious
writings and so questioned them.
 Heresy/ Lollardy
• The Lollards were a group who
quesioned and challenged the power of
the Catholic Church in England claiming
that everybody had the right to read the
Bible, but after Richard II’s death, his
successor Henry IV decided to burn them
because he was loyal to the Church.
 The Crisis of Kings and Nobles
• Richard II was killed because he had been
very unpopular among the nobles and
because he had imprisoned his own
uncle John of Gaunt. He had no children,
so there were 2 possible successors: The
Earl of March (7-year-old son of Edward
III´s second son)or Henry of Lancaster,
son of John of Gaunt
• Henry was stronger and became Henry IV
• The nobility would be divided between
Lancastrians and Yorkists
 Wales in Revolt
• Owain Glyndwr was the first Welsh
Prince to rebel againt the English. It
was a national revolt, but he couldn´t
succeed. However he created the
feeling of National Identity that was
to continue.
 The struggle with France
• Henry IV died in 1413 – Successor: his son Henry
V, who was a very good king.
• Henry V felt confident to begin fighting against
France again. It began again in 1415 and he
managed to capture Normandy and nearby areas.
• 1420 – Treaty of Troyes: recognized Henry V as
heir to the throne, but he died
• His son, Henry VI, inherited both the thrones of
England and France
 The hundred Years War
• But the French were developing a strong
national feeling thanks to Joan of Arc, who
was then burnt as a witch in 1431. However,
every battle made the English lose their
dominions in France until finally by 1453,
when the war was over, they had lost
everything in France except the port of Calais
 The War of the Roses
• Henry VI became king being a baby, he grew
up lovingly and didn´t like wars. During his
kingdom, places of learning were built: Eton
College and King´s College. He suffered
periods of mental illness.
• Henry VI was bad at choosing advisers. Some
nobles were really powerful at that time.

• Lancaster York
• The nobility was divided:
• 1) those who remained loyal to Henry VI
«Lancastrians»
• 2) those who supported the duke of York
«Yorkists», the duke claimed the throne and
died in battle, so his son Edward took the
throne himself
• Edward IV put Henry VI in the tower of
London, but 9 years later Henry VI was
rescued by the Lancastrians and chased
Edward out of the country.
• Later Edward was able to raise another army,
supported by the Yorkists and defeated the
Lancastrians putting Henry VI again in the
tower, later Henry VI died
 But the war wasn´t over…
• Edward IV died in 1483, but his brother
Richard of Gloucester, put Edwards´two sons
in the tower of London.
• So Richard took the throne and became the
cruel Richard III. He killed the 2 princes.
• Richard III was a tyrant, both Yorkists and
lancastrians disliked him.
 A new dinasty
• In 1485, a distant relative of John of Gaunt
(Lancastrian) landed in Britain. He was Henry
Tudor, Duke of Richmond.
• Henry Tudor fought against Richard III at the
battle of Bosworth and defeated him, and
became HENRY VII.