Decline of Feudalism

Decline of Feudalism

Medieval Europe

Open Ended

Warm Up: Out of these three events which do you think had the biggest impact on the decline of Feudalism? (Hundred Years' War, Bubonic Plague, Magna Carta)

Hundred Years War

• The Hundred Years War was a long war between England and France that lasted from 1337 AD-1453 AD

• The kings fought over land, power, and wealth

• During this war the English introduced the Long Bow, a huge technological advancement for the time.

Multiple Choice

What was the cause of the war?

• land, wealth, power

• land

• trade, land

• shipping rights, resources, and money

Multiple Choice

Who was the war between?

• German and English

• French and English

• French and German

• Spanish and German

How the Hundred Years War Caused Feudalism to Decline

• It helped end Feudalism because the English and French kings created their own armies to fight the war. (Paid soldiers)

• this weakened the whole feudal system, which was based on nobles providing the king with military forces

• A sense of Nationalism develops among the peasants, King and Country gained more loyalty and Lords lost power

Multiple Choice

What is Nationalism?

• A National in need

• A pride in one's nation

• countries coming together

Multiple Choice

True or false: Nationalism and paid soldiers during the 100 Years War were causes for Feudalism to Decline.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

Who on the Feudal Pyramid lost power as a result of the Hundred Years War?

• Peasants

• Knights

• Lords

• King

The Bubonic Plague

• A horrific Plague that hit Europe and killed 1/3 - 1/2 the population

• Starting in Asia, the bacteria would live inside the stomachs of fleas.  The fleas would then live on rats.  When merchants traveled from Asia, their ships would bring the rats with them.

• As the rats scampered about, the fleas would jump onto human hosts and bite them – infecting them with the bacteria.

Multiple Choice

True or False: The Plague originated in Spain.

• True

• False

How did the Plague help end Feudalism?

• Because so many people died, cities and towns saw a shortage of labor. Businesses needed more workers because all their old workers had died!

• Higher wages were then offered

• Many serfs would hear about how much money they could make, so they ran away from their manors to get jobs in the cities.

• Nobles saw their power slowly decrease and eventually the whole Feudal system stopped being the main economic system of Europe.

Multiple Choice

Who on the Feudal Pyramid gained power from the Bubonic Plague?

• Kings

• Lords

• Knights

• Peasants

Magna Carta

• Before the Magna Carta, laws were really harsh for lower classes and the King could do whatever he wanted.

• In 1215, the English King John was forced to sign the Magna Carta into law, which limited his power and gave power to the lords.

• Kings now had to follow the laws as well, 80 years later peasants were allowed into Parliament to help make laws along side upper classes.

Multiple Select

How did the King signing the Magna Carta contribute to the decline of Feudalism? (2)

• It gave power to the King

• It gave power to the peasants

• It gave power to the Nobles/ Lords

• It took power from the King

Magna Carta Changes England

• It was the first document in English history to limit the power of the monarch. Until then, there had been a belief that the monarch was the absolute ruler and could do whatever they wanted

•  This created for the first time the idea that law itself should be the absolute ruler

• Magna Carta established the idea of rights and liberties that even a monarch cannot ignore.

Multiple Choice

True or False: The Magna Carta forced Kings to follow the laws of the realm.

• True

• False

Parliament Created

• Parliament became law making body of government , instead of the King

• The King had to have the permission of Parliament to create new taxes

• Members were originally chosen from the Nobles class, but later included peasants as well.

Multiple Select

How did Parliament change England? (2)

• It stopped the King from making whatever laws he wanted

• It ensured laws would be created by those who would live under the laws

• It only benefited the lords/ nobles.

Open Ended

Exit Ticket: Out of these three events which do you think had the biggest impact on the decline of Feudalism? (Hundred Years' War, Bubonic Plague, Magna Carta) Explain.