14th Century Population Decline and Democracy in England

Fourteenth-Century Population Decline

• Overworked soil and a Little Ice Age climate led to devastating famine and crop failures.
• Farms were destroyed, and illness spread, reducing tax revenue.
• The Black Death wiped out a third of Europe's population in five years.
• The labor shortage following the famine and plague empowered peasants to challenge feudalism and demand better wages.
• Noble class, desperate for power, imposed heavy taxes, ultimately leading to rebellions.
• Failed medical theories and plague devastation paved the way for advancements in industry and Western medicine.

England's Move Toward Democracy

• Norman conquest encouraged jury trials as a practical solution for a country with limited French language skills.
• English kings expanded rights for the nobility with the Magna Carta and Habeas Corpus.
• The Peasants' Revolt resulted from the kings ignoring the masses' needs.

Development of European Nation-States

• During the 15th century, European nations began to form, and people developed national identities.
• Feudalism declined, and the Church's power diminished, creating a power vacuum filled by powerful monarchs.
• Kings like Henry VII of England and Louis XI of France fostered trade to strengthen their power.
• Monarchs like Henry VIII and Charles VII asserted authority over the Church.

Constantinople's History

• Originally named Byzantium, founded as a trading city in the 7th century BCE, strategically situated.
• Traded between Sparta and Athens until destruction in the late 2nd century CE.
• Diocletian took control in the late 3rd century, dividing the Roman Empire.
• Constantine the Great renamed it New Rome and made it the Byzantine Empire's capital.
• Constantine aimed for centralized control over the Roman Empire, improved the city, including water systems, and stimulated the Eastern Roman Empire's society.

Byzantine Empire After Constantine

• After Constantine moved the Roman capital, emperors brought various changes and events that significantly impacted the empire.
• Emperor Julian attempted to restore paganism.
• Valens saw Rome sacked by Germanic tribes at Adrianople.
• Theodosius ruled the Eastern and Western halves of the empire until their separation.
• Justinian compiled Roman law into a codified system (Justinian's Code), influencing Western law.

Byzantine Empire and Justinian's Reign

• The Byzantines emerged as a continuation of the Eastern Roman Empire, primarily under Justinian's rule.
• Justinian used a spy agency and diplomacy as tools for power and empire stabilization.

Christian Church Division

• The Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches were once unified, but split in 1054 (Great Schism).
• Complex doctrinal, political, and organizational disputes caused the split.
• Key differences include the Nicene Creed, views on divorce, papal primacy, and the election of clerics.
• Historical differences, like the fall of Rome, and evolution of Byzantine Empire, impacted the split.

Prophet Muhammad and the Rise of Islam

• Muhammad, born in Mecca (570 CE), received revelations from the Angel Gabriel, founding Islam.
• Islam spread from Mecca to Medina (622 CE) after opposition in Mecca and to nearly all of Arabia by Muhammad's death in 632 CE.
• Today, Islam has over 1.9 billion followers globally.

Five Pillars of Islam

• The Five Pillars — Shahada (profession of faith), Salah (prayer), Zakat (almsgiving), Sawm (fasting), and Hajj (pilgrimage) — are central Islamic duties.
• All Muslims, physically capable, are expected to perform these duties, following Prophet Muhammad's example.
• Sunnis' and Shiites' practices of the pillars differ in routine.

Sunni and Shia Split

• The Sunni-Shia split occurred after Prophet Muhammad's death in 632 CE, stemming from differing views on his successor.
• Sunnis chose Abu Bakr as the first Caliph (leader), favoring community election.
• Shiites believed only direct descendants of Muhammad should lead, choosing Ali.
• The split led to violent conflicts with Shiites predominantly residing in places like Iraq, Lebanon, and Iran today.

Islamic Caliphate

• An Islamic caliphate is an Islamic state, often referring to the political structure emerging after Muhammad's death (632 CE).
• The Rashidun Caliphate was the first, led by the Sahabah (companions).
• Four Rashidun caliphs were: Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, and Ali.
• The Umayyad and Abbasid caliphates succeeded the Rashidun, marking the Golden Age of Islam, lasting until the Mongol invasion.
• The Ottoman replaced the Abbasid caliphate, holding power until its eventual collapse in 1924.

Abbasid Dynasty and the Golden Age of Islam

• The Abbasid dynasty (8th-13th centuries) saw a flourishing of Islamic culture, preservation of knowledge, and advancements in art, literature, science, and medicine.
• The House of Wisdom in Baghdad played a key role in this scientific flourishing.

First Crusade

• The First Crusade began in 1096 after Byzantine Emperor Alexius Comnenus asked Pope Urban II for help.
• Urban II aimed for Christian expansion into the Middle East. Crusades were for glory, and valuable commodities that could be obtained in the Middle East via the Silk Road.
• The four Crusader states were the Kingdom of Jerusalem, the County of Edessa, the County of Tripoli, and the Principality of Antioch.

Crusades: A Long and Complex Conflict

• The Crusades, initially aimed against Muslims for the Holy Land, evolved to target numerous groups and locations.
• The early Crusades had religious motivations, but they increasingly became economically and politically driven.
• The First Crusade was successful in capturing Jerusalem, but subsequent crusades ultimately failed to maintain the conquered lands due to religious and political disputes between religious and secular authority.
• The Fourth Crusade diverted to Byzantine's Constantinople instead of Jerusalem due to conflicts.

Crusader and Islamic Conflicts

• Crusaders surprised the Middle East by capturing Jerusalem and later shocked many with the slaughter of Jerusalem's citizens.
• Saladin successfully rebalanced the power dynamic and defeated the Crusaders.
• Subsequent attacks were less successful, marking the significant failure for an extended time of the Crusades taking Jerusalem.

Explore the impacts of the 14th-century population decline, including the effects of famine, the Black Death, and subsequent changes in social structures. Understand how these developments paved the way for greater democratic principles in England, alongside the formation of European nation-states. This quiz covers significant historical events and their long-lasting effects on European society.