Chaucer

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Pilgrimages
 Pilgrimages in Medieval times were considered to be an important element of everyone's life style. People from all different social classes went on pilgrimages as penance for sin; the more serious the crime, the longer the penance. They would also go on the trip to fulfill a vow or to seek cure for illness. The poor pilgrims would walk and the rich would ride horses. As pilgrimages became part of everybody’s life, there were “companies” that normally initiated by cleric who would plan out the trip for a fair price. People would then gather for the trip along with armed soldiers as body guards, since some of the trips were dangerous. There were many pilgrimage centers in Medieval England including that of St. Thomas a Becket in Canterbury, however, people also went abroad to the Holy Land, Santiago de Compostela in Spain, and Rome, including the tomb of St. Francis of Assisi. Usually, the pilgrims would pray for several days near the saint’s tomb or the altar that kept the holy relic and if possible, they would touch it. At Canterbury, pilgrims would drink water that was said to contain drops of Becket’s blood; pilgrims would also take water or dust scraped from the shrine for future use.  It was normal to make offerings at shrines. Sometimes the pilgrims would bend a silver coin when they vowed to be a pilgrim and give it on arrival. It was also common that one would measure the height of the sick person or the injured limb with thread and use it as the wick for a candle to be burnt at the shrine. Bibliography "Pilgrimage." __A Dictionary of English Folklore__. Oxford University Press, 2000, 2003. //Answers.com// 05 Oct. 2008. http://www.answers.com/topic/pilgrimage "Pilgrimage." __Britannica Concise Encyclopedia__. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 2006. //Answers.com// 05 Oct. 2008. http://www.answers.com/topic/pilgrimage Hatley, Ray, ed. "Medieval Pilgrims." __History.UK.com__. 5 Oct. 2008 http://www.history.uk.com/articles/index.php?archive=44 .

The Black Death
= = The Black Death first struck England in the period 1348-1350. It was a destructive plague which affected over twenty-five to fifty percent of the England population. The symptoms caused by the plague were mainly classified into three categorizes. The most common form was the buboes variant; it caused the victims to have swellings on their neck, armpits or groin. The buboes first appeared to be red and gradually turn into black, giving the “black death” its name. The swelling were extremely painful and a victim with such symptoms usually died within a week. The plague was spread when inflected fleas attach themselves to rats and then to humans. Ano ther type was the pneumonic plague which attacked the respiratory system, caus ing bloody vomit. Victims of the plague were only expected to live for one or two days. It was normally spread through breathing exhaled air containing infected virus. Lastly, the septicemic type attacked the blood system, which destroyed the victim within one day. No medical treatment was possible to alleviate or cure the disease, causing a tremendous effect on both the English population and its social order. Since the re was a great decline of population in England, there was a shortage of laborers. This caused the wages and prices to rise and the peasants to gain advantages; which changes the social conditions. Also, as numerous priests died from the inevitable disease, the church’s power diminished.

//**Added by Ms K:** The plague later returned to England two or three more times in the 14th century, and didn't disappear altogether until after the Great Plague that devastated London in 1665. The population of England did not fully return to its pre-plague level until the 17th century. This decimation of the population had enormous economic and social consequences, and directly contributed to the downfall of the feudal system, under which labourers were treated very unfairly. This is because there was suddenly plenty of food, so the landlords couldn't charge too much for it, and not enough labour, so the laboureres had to be paid better.//


Works Cited "The Black Death in England 1348-1350." __ Britain ____ Express __. 2000. 5 Oct. 2008 . "The Black Death of 1348 to 1350." __History Learning Site__. 2000. 5 Oct. 2008 . "The Black Death, 1348." __EyeWitness to History__. 2001. 5 Oct. 2008 .

The Peasants’ Revolt of 1381 was the consequence of a culmination of regulations that squeezed the peasants’ finances. After the Black Death of 1348-1349, the labor force was largely diminished. In an effort to control rising labor costs, the English parliament enacted The Statute of Labourers in 1351, which placed a maximum wage on laborers and other harsh laws. The poll-tax implemented in 1380 to finance the Hundred Years’ War pushed the laborers over the edge to revolt. The Essex villages of Fobbing and Brentwood sparked the uprising. As the revolt spread from town to town, the rebels began to attack political territories of London. The king was eventually moved to the Tower of London for safekeeping. On June 14th, King Richard II met the Essex peasants at Mile End. There, the King agreed to the demands of the peasants. Many of nobility, including The Archbishop of Canterbury, were taken hostage and executed by the rebels, claiming that these “traitors” served injustices by corrupting society. The next day, King Richard II met Kentish peasants in Smithfield under rebel leader Wat Tyler. Tyler and the peasants demanded “an end to all lordship beyond that of the King, that the Church's estates be confiscated and divided among the wider populace” (Hobbs 1). Again, the King agreed to all demands. The revolt ended here. Since the peasant’s revolt, no late medieval Parliament ever tried to impose a poll-tax again, and signified “the beginning of the end of serfdom in medieval England.” (Peasants’ Revolt)


 * //From Ms K: Oh dear! You needed to read on a bit, and perhaps question the validity of your sources a bit more. Although serfdom was ended and The King did initially grant concessions, look at this extract from the BBC site for the full outcome://**

//"As a result, Richard ll agreed to meet the rebels at Mile End the following day. Once there, he made some tactical concessions and granted collective charters of pardon and freedom from serfdom to the men of Essex and Hertforshire - **charters revoked** on the collapse of the revolt a fortnight later. . . .On the 15th, the final meeting between Tyler and Richard occurred at Smithfield. Troops loyal to the King were concealed nearby and following the **fatal stabbing of Tyler**, probably by London's Mayor Walworth, the troops appeared and surrounded the rebels. **This was the end of the revolt in London**, although further risings continued throughout the South East."// [|//http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/history/voices/voices_revolt.shtml//] <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left">  <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left"><span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif"><span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">       Works Cited: <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left"><span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif"><span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"> Hobbs, John. "The History of the Peasants' Revolt." __Britannia History: The Peasant's Revolt__. Britannia. 5 Oct. 2008 <http://www.britannia.com/history/articles/peasantsrevolt.html> <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left"><span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left"><span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif"><span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"> "Peasants' Revolt." __Peasants' Revolt__. Wikipedia. 5 Oct. 2008 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/peasants%27_revolt>. <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left"> <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left"><span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif"><span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif"> Bibliography:       <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left">“::Peasants Revolt::.” 5 Oct 2008 <http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/peasants_revolt.htm><span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left"><span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif"><span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">     <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left"><span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif"><span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">     “Statute of Labourers 1351 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.” 5 Oct 2008 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statute_of_Labourers>.

=Chaucer's Life= == =The Magna Carta= The Magna Carta is a famous English charter issued in the Middle Ages, its purpose being to establish the definite position of laws. The charter was first released in 1215 and written in Latin. Its name “Magna Carta”, meaning “Great Charter” in Latin, is also often referred to as Magna Carta Libertatum, the “Great Charter of Freedoms”.

The crowning of King John of England marked the end of the dominance of the English King and the beginning of problems and failures for England. Fed up with the King’s constant abuse of power and successive failures, the English barons entered London by force. Together the barons pushed the King into signing a document that would legally prohibit his powers. This document was the first Magna Carta of 1215.

The contents of the charter included various clauses that would reduce the King’s authority. The “security clause” (clause 61) is arguably the most significant and most restrictive.This clause allowed a committee of 25 barons to override the King’s orders, and was granted the right to confiscate his castles or possessions. Effectively, the King was stripped of his power and had no real control over England. Later on Civil War erupted in England (First Barons’ War), and after the war revised editions of the Magna Carta were reissued.

Magna Carta was most significant in that it laid the foundations for constitutional law. It was the inspiration for the common law and other important documents, such as the United States Constitution.


 * //Added by Ms K: luckily, this information from wikipedia is correct, but you would be better off cross-referencing it somewhere, for example look at the extract below from//** [|**//http://www.britishcouncil.org/bih-discoveruk-faq.htm//**]**//://**
 * //What is the Magna Carta? The Magna Carta (Latin for Great Charter) is Britain’s best known constitutional document. In 1215 feudal barons forced the tyrannical King John (1199-1216) to agree to a series of concessions embodied in a charter which became known as the Magna Carta.//**
 * //Sixty-one clauses set out a clear expression of the rights of the community against the Crown. The contents deal with the free Church; feudal law; towns, trade and merchants; the reform of the law and justice; the behaviour of royal officials; and royal forests.//**
 * //The King was forced to fix his seal to the Magna Carta in a meadow next to the River Thames at Runnymede between Windsor and Staines in Surrey. Legend has it that he behaved pleasantly to the nobles at the time, but as soon as he returned to his own chamber he threw himself on the floor in a furious rage.//**
 * //Since that day the Magna Carta has become part of English Law and established the important principle that the King is not above the law.//**
 * //Original copies of the charter exist in Salisbury Cathedral, Lincoln Castle and the British Museum in London.//**

Bibliography: "Magna Carta." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 02 Oct. 2008 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/magna_carta >.

Thomas a Becket
St. Thomas A. Becket was born in 1118 in Cheapside, London. He was the Archbishop of Canterbury from 1162 to 1170. From both the Roman Catholic Church and Anglican Church, he is remembered as a saint and martyr. He became well known in 1154, when the Archbishop of Canterbury, Theobald, introduced Becket to the newly crowned King, Henry II. The two immediately became good friends because of their similar, “personal chemistries”. Without wasting much time, Henry named Becket his Chancellor. The King thought, by having “his man” in the top post of the Church, he could easily control the powerful religious institution, but it did not go well as he planned. Becket’s allegiance shifted and this inspired him to take a stand against his king. In those days, the Church reserved the right to try felonious clerics in their own religious courts of justice and not those of the crown. Henry wanted to change this by increasing his control of the realm. Unhappy about a Canon accused of murder, Becket refused to agree about the change of the law. After Becket returned to his post Canterbury, King Henry was in a rage since Becket remained steadfast in his refusal to absolve his bishops. Henry sent four knights to hunt Becket down, and murder him. After Becket’s murder several miracles were said to occur at the tomb of the martyr and on July 12, 1174 he was canonized. Bibliography

October 5, 2008/ Thomas a Beckett / wikipedia/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_of_Canterbury

James E Kiefer October 5, 2008 “Thomas of Canterbury, Archbishop and writer” <span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'">http://justus.anglican.org/resources/bio/23.html

=The Hundred Years' War= The “Hundred Years' War” lasted from May 1337 to July 1453. This war was initiated when two royal families fought to take control of the French throne. The two royal families were the House of Plantegenet and the House of Valois. Although they lost in the end, the English won many of the battles. The war lasted over 100 years although there were a few gaps of peace with no battles taking place. The Hundred Years’ War consisted of three wars: Caroline, Edwardian, and Lancastrian War. Famines and epidemics took place during the “Hundred Years’ War.” Probably the most important outcome of the war was the change of French and English people; the English monarchy were driven from France. After the war the house of Plantagenet protected its footing in England while the House of Valois controlled the mainland of France and created two distinct nationalities. Joan of Arc, a significant person during the wars, became very important during the Lancastrian war. She led the House of Valois in order to defeat the House of Plantagenet. Although she was captured by Burgundy, she was so important that in the end, because of her, the House of Plantagenet lost the war. <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'">Bibliography "Hundred Years' War." __Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia__. 5 Oct. 2008 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/hundred_years_war#french_victory:_1429.e2.80.931453 The Hundred Years’ War (1337-1453) was a war between two Royal families for the French throne. These two Royal families are the House of Valois and the House of Plantagenet. When the last of Capetian family of French throne died, the House of Valois proclaimed itself as the king of France while the House of Plantagenet proclaimed to be the king of France and England. Though the war seemed to last over 100 years, within that period were many terms of peace. Furthermore, the war can be divided into three phases: the Edwardian War, the Caroline War and Lancastrian War. The end of Lancastrian War marked the end of the Hundred Years’ War; the House of Valois expelling the House of Plantagenet from France, thus claiming the undisputed title of king of France. There are a few significances to this war. Perhaps the most important outcome of the war was the shaping of “English” and “French” people. Prior to the war both the British Isles and mainland France were ruled under one king – the king of France. However, after the war the house of Plantagenet secured its foothold in England while the house of Valois controls mainland France, creating two distinct nationalities. Also, important historical figures have emerged in this period, most notably Joan of Arc. She became important during the Lancastrian phase of the war. During her time in the army, she led France (House of Valois) to defeat the English (House of Plantagenet), who had the upper hand in the war. Although she was later captured by Burgundy, a minor belligerent, and sold to Britain for execution, she had such an impact in the war that the House of Plantagenet eventually lost the war because of her.

Bibliography "Hundred Years' War." __Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia__. 2 Oct. 2008. 4 Oct. 2008 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/hundred_years_war#french_victory:_1429.e2.80.931453>.

=The Crusades & Chivalry= The Crusades were religious wars against the enemies of the pope. Christians fought against many groups including Muslims, Jews, Slavs and many others. The original goal of the Crusades was to take the Holy Land back into Christian European rule. There were many Crusades in the middle ages. The earliest started in 1095 and the latest was in the 17th century. The Knights Hospitaller, Crusaders, even fought until their Defeat in 1798. There are mixed views about the crusades. In Western Europe, people saw the Crusades as heroic, chivalrous and adventurous but others saw the Crusades as barbaric and even somewhat hypocritical. Christians believe that they should not hate or fight their enemies so the Crusades seemed like a direct contradiction to these values. Christianity and courtly love influenced and expanded the code of chivalry to include religious goodness and refined social graces and manners. Chivalry started to make the people not want war anymore. It made them not as aggressive. Knights were expected to treat other knights with respect and benevolence. When in battle, knights would not attack their enemies if they were not armed. Chivalry is used to describe courteous, respectful behavior. It is sometimes used to describe men's attitude to women. The 10 Commandments of the Code of Chivalry:
 * 1) Thou shalt believe all that the Church teaches, and shalt observe all its directions.
 * 2) Thou shalt defend the Church.
 * 3) Thou shalt respect all weaknesses, and shalt constitute thyself the defender of them.
 * 4) Thou shalt love the country in the which thou wast born.
 * 5) Thou shalt not recoil before thine enemy.
 * 6) Thou shalt make war against the Infidel without cessation, and without mercy.
 * 7) Thou shalt perform scrupulously thy feudal duties, if they be not contrary to the laws of God.
 * 8) Thou shalt never lie, and shall remain faithful to thy pledged word.
 * 9) Thou shalt be generous, and give largess to everyone.
 * 10) Thou shalt be everywhere and always the champion of the Right and the Good against Injustice and Evil.

[|http://www.astro.umd.edu/~marshall/chivalry.html] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chivalry http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crusade

//Link from Ms K:// [|//http://wyclif.stockton.edu/index.php/%2AChivalryinChaucersAge//] //Please study this link, quiz questions will be based on it.// =The Feudal System= <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'">The feudal system, aka feudalism, was a hierarchal system of the Medieval European society, which consisted of four strata: the King, the Lords, the Vassals, and the Peasants. The basic “chain” relationship among the social classes was that the higher class granted land to the lower class; in return, the lower provided specific services to the higher. The top of hierarchy was the King, who had full control over the land in the feudal society. He granted holdings of lands to the Lords, who in return provided the King with knights for his military defense. The Lords were in charge of all the lands, or Fiefs, granted by the King, and gave these lands to the Vassals. In return, the Vassals <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'">entered a contract with the Lords in which they promised to fight for the Lord at his command. Since the Lord only loaned the land to the Vassal, it was still the Lord's responsibility to maintain the land, even though the Vassal collected revenues from it. Another obligation of the Lord was to protect the land and the Vassal from harm. The Vassal was responsible for answering any calls to military service from the Lord. This military help was the only reason the Lord had a relationship with the Vassals. <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'">The Peasants, or Serfs,were the lowest of the Feudal System; they provided food, payment, labor, and services to the Vassals in return for the land they were granted.

//Added by Ms K: William the Conqueror introduced the feudal system to England after his victory in 1066. In order for it to run properly he created the 'Domesday book' in 1086 which set out all the rights to land ownership for England. It was the first inventory of its kind and allowed the king to charge taxes based on real property instead of a uniform tax for all.// <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'"> **<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'">Bibliography **<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'"> <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feudalism <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'"> <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'">http://history-world.org/feudalism.htm <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'"> <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'">http://www.historyonthenet.com/Medieval_Life/feudalism.htm <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'"> <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'">http://www.schoolhistory.co.uk/year7links/1066/FeudalSystem.pdf <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'"> <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'">

=Religion during the medieval period= During the Medieval Times, the Roman Catholic Church was the main church in Europe. Within the church were Monasteries where Monks and Nuns lived and worked. The Monks and Nuns had three main jobs: work, study, and prayer. The Monasteries began in Italy and spread to all parts of Western Europe; everywhere they went, they converted people to Christianity. Christianity became the main religion of all Western Europe by the year 1100. The local churches were run by the Priests, and within assigned certain areas were the Bishops. During Middle Ages, people looked to the church for education, medicine, and help during hard times; this helped bring peace to Europe.

Christianity had large influence on both high and lower class people. The spread of Christianity lead to the idea of monasticism where a person devotes his or her soul to his or her belief; this is where the rise of Monks and Nuns came. The Art of the time was also strongly influenced by people’s religion. From the Architecture to the jewelry, many biblical images can be seen behind the works. Christianity not only influenced the good times but it also influenced the bad times. This strong Christianity ideal led to the Crusades and the Hundred Year War.

//From Ms K: What do you mean by 'it influenced good and bad times'? And how was the 100 years' war related to christianity? Wasn't that about France taking ownership of their land from England?// Bibliography: " Medieval_history " Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 02 Oct. 2008 < http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medieval_history#Church_and_monasticism>

"Medieval Religion." Medieval Period. 3 Oct 2008 <http://www.medieval-period.com/medievalreligion.html>.

"Religion ." Life In Medieval Times. Think Quest. 3 Oct 2008 <http://library.thinkquest.org/6105/religion.html>.

Religion during the late middle ages (1300-1500) was still a monopoly of the Roman Catholic Church, although the age of reform was to start in the early 1500s. The Roman Catholic Church still ruled the lives of the people and dictated their actions. One great difference was that the city of Avignon in Spain was the seat of the papacy between 1309 and 1376. //How was this different? What do you mean?// The time period however brought many changes to the role of the church. First the people of Europe started to blame the church every time something bad happened to them, as was the case with the black death plague, where the peasants blamed the church for being incapable of stopping the spread to the Black Death. Many started to seek for a new vision and for reforms in the church. This ultimately lead to the foundation of the Protestant Church in the 1500s. Even though the Roman Catholic Church was powerful over Western Europe, another branch of Christianity, Orthodox Church, was powerful in the East. In Russia, The Byzantine Empire and much of the eastern States of Europe, the Eastern Orthodox Church was powerful. The Orthodox believe that they are the true historical continuation of the Christianity founded by Christ and the apostles. They originated in the Byzantine Empire and spread over great part of Eastern Europe by the late middle ages. And yet the very place where their faith begun was the very first place to be overpowered by the invasions of the Ottomans. The Ottoman Empire, an Islamic empire overtook much of southeast Europe from 1453 on and spread the Islamic faith to the Balkans. And besides those there were hundreds of Jews living in secrecy throughout Europe. Once the Jewish faith was forbidden by the Roman Catholic Church most Jews either converted to Christianity or went in hiding. During the late medieval times religion was still a major part of people’s lives. It dictated what to do, what to say, how to act. Although Catholicism was the predominant religion, other faiths coexisted uneasily. Bibliography: "Late Middle Ages." __Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia__. 4 Oct. 2008. 4 Oct. 2008 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Late_Middle_Ages>. "History of Christianity." __Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia__. 4 Oct. 2008. 4 Oct. 2008 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Christianity>. "Eastern Orthodox Church." __Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia__. 4 Oct. 2008. 4 Oct. 2008 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Orthodox_Church>. "Rise of the Ottoman Empire." __Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia__. 4 Oct. 2008. 4 Oct. 2008 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rise_of_the_Ottoman_Empire>. //From Ms K: In Western Europe during this time there was a homogeneous society with a common culture and common set of beliefs. The single institute that did most to promote this unity was the medieval church. Latin, the language of the church, baceme the language of all educated persons. The Church was the dominant force in preserving and transmitting culture - it was Europe's chief publisher, librarian, and teacher. Abbeys and monasteries were the main centres of learning - they were also immense farms and places where all manner of handicrafts were practised. Of course this much power also led to a lot of corruption in the Church - not everyone involved was necessarily moral!//

=The Medieval period - a brief historical overview=

At the beginning of the 14th century, the Avignonese Papacy began. Starting from 1309, all the popes of the Roman Catholic Church resided in Avignon, France until 1378. In 1314, the Battle of Bannockburn took place in Scotland. The Scottish defeated the English and insured Scotland’s independence for the next three centuries. There was a great European famine for the next three years after 1314. This famine affected all of Northern Europe. In 1326, King Edward II’s England was invaded by his French wife, Isabelle. In 1337, the Hundred Year War began. Philip VI fought against the English claim to Normandy and other northern provinces. In 1340, the French navy was destroyed in the Battle of Sluis, giving England naval supremacy in the English Channel. In the same year, Edward III’s British army defeated Philip VI’s French army. From 1347 to 1353, the period of the Black Death, approximately 19 to 35 million people died throughout Europe. In 1356, Black Prince of Wales Edward defeated the French in the Battle of Poitiers. In 1360, the first phase of the Hundred Years’ War ended. Peace exist ed between the two nation s until 9 years later, in 1369, the war resumed following an outbreak of the plague. Chaucer at that time joined the army in France. By 1372, Britain suffer ed major defeats and lost many land s they ha d won during the last phase of the war. In 1378, the papacy was split into two because of a disagreement between the papacy in Rome and France. Rome elected its own pope while France elected its own “antipope”. In 1399, the K ing of England wa s overthrown and a rebellion from Wales followed. //Some other key events from MsK: 1066 Norman Conquest of England 1086 The Domesday Book compiled 1096 Crusades began 1170 Murder of Thomas a Becket 1215 The Magna Carta written 1265 The first parliament 1337 - 1453 The Hundred Years' War 1348 - 1350 First outbreak of Black Death 1381 The Peasants' Revolt 1386 Chaucer began 'The Canterbury Tales' 1455 - 1485 The wars of the Roses 1476 Caxton's printing press invented//

Anonymous. "1300 - 1400 AD." __History Central__. 2000. MultiEducator, Inc.. 30 Sept. 2008 <http://www.historycentral.com/dates/1300ad.html>. __ Avignon Papacy __. 28 September 2009. Wikipedia. 29 September 2008. < <span style="font-family: 바탕"> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avignon_Papacy> __ History of Britain 14th Century AD __. 29 September 2008. < <span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: 바탕"> http://members.aol.com/noctifer01/private/VampHome/LbN/History/timeline14.html
 * //Bibliography//**