For my term project, I researched on the development of nation states, mainly France and England,
and the Bubonic Plague aka Black Death and Great Plague.
Click here to see my timeline.
In 987 AD in France, the last member of the Carolingian family, Louis the Sluggard, died without an heir. The
most powerful nobles chose Hugh Capet, an ordinary duke from the middle of France. Supposedly
all French lords were vassals of the French king. However, at that time, all the counts and dukes ruled as if they
were independent. When the nobles chose Hugh Capet, they expected him to be a weak king, who would be
easy to control. Although Hugh Capet, his son and grandson were almost powerless, the Capetian kings eventually gained
strength. The Capetian family controlled a small but
strategic area with Paris as its center, which was part of important
trade routes in northern France. The Capatian dynasty lasted from 987 to 1328. The Capetian kings united France
and increased royal power.
To get more info about the Capetian dynasty
and the kings, click here.
On January 5th 1066, the English King, Edward the Confessor died without a successor. William, Edward's distant cousin, claimed
the crown. However, his major rival, Harold Godwinson, was supported by the English nobles, and thus was
named king on the day of Edward's burial. William decided to conquer England, and had already formed a
small army by the summer of 1066. Then on October 14, 1066 was the decisive Battle of Hastings. It lasted
all day, but luck was on William's side. Harold lost his life, and the English lost the battle. William now gained the title
"the Conqueror". He took land from all the English lords and gave them to Norman
lords while keeping one fifth of England to himself. This became a powerful base for the king, and made
England the most centralized feudal kingdom in Europe. William's strict and efficient rule laid a strong
foundation for future kings.
Click here for a detailed description of the Norman conquest
and the Bayeux Tapestry, which narrates the stories of the Norman conquest.
William's great-grandson, Henry II, became king in 1154. His greatest achievement was strengthening the
judicial system. He sent royal judges around England at least once a year to try cases for the Crown.
He also established grand jury. A jury back then is a group of about 12 people, who must
answer truthfully the questions about a trial. Then the judge would reach a verdict based to the jury's
answers. Jury trials became a popular way for settling disputes. Because
only the king's court could conduct them, the king had more control power over the feudal lords. Case by case,
the ruling of the royal judges formed a unified body of law, called the common law. therefore, Henry II was also
considered to be the founder of the common law.
Click here to learn more about the life and accomplishments
of Henry II.
King John II, Henry's son, became king from 1199 to 1216 after his brother, Richard the Lionheart died after 10 years
of being king. He was very unsuccessful as a ruler and military leader, and lost a lot of land in France to Philip II. He
put many taxes on the nobles and the people in order to pay for the wars. in 1214, his royal vassals revolted and
demanded that he change his way of governing. On June 15 1215, John was forced to sign a very important document,
the Magna Carta. This document guaranteed basic legal rights and freedom to the nobles and the people, but most importantly,
it limited the king's power by setting a law that even the king could not break.
Here's a really big picture of the Magna Carta.
(may take some time to load)
Click here to see a detailed analysis of the conflicts leading to
the Magna Carta.
Later events helped the people gained even more rights. In 1295, Edward I, the grandson of John II,
set up a Model Parliament. He not only included the nobles and the
churchmen, but the middle class burghers as well. Evidently, due to the growth of towns and trade, the middle
class had gained enough power to have a voice in politics and decision-making that would affect the whole country.
Click here for information on the life of Edward I.
In 1337, England and France went to war over land in France. Most of the conflict arose because England still
control much land in France. Also, France was afraid of an English invasion since England attempted to control
Flanders, a commercial center in the France's possession. By this time, feudalism had pretty much been replaced
by nationalism, a feeling of loyalty to the whole country.
Click here to further explore
the Hundred Years' War.
Meanwhile, the Bubonic Plague had caused even more devastation in Europe. It first broke out in the Gobi
Desert in central Asia in 1320s, and reached the coast of the Black Sea in 1346. The epidemic had a huge impact on
China and India, which were dense populated and which were the biggest trading centers. The plague
gradually spread to the west mostly through trade ships which contained rodents and fleas that carried the
bacteria. In October of 1347,several Italian ships came back from a trip to the Black Sea. The people on
board were already dying from the plague. Within days, the disease had spread to the surrounding cities.
The plague struck Europe the hardest from about 1346 to 1352. In five years between 1347 and 1352,
25 million people died. The main image is a print from the Pepysian Collection, which shows that many
people were fleeing from their lands as the mortality rate increased. Religious intolerance also increased when
Jews were massacred as scapegoats. Also, the plague didn't end in 1352, instead
it came back again and again. Most part of Europe would take the next few centuries to recover.
Click here to learn more about the history of the Bubonic
Plague and the effects it had on Europe.
The feudal system suffered tremendously from the plague. Population decreased drastically because people
either died or fled. The manor's economy was in trouble because of the lack of laborers. As a result, the serfs
were able to demand wages for their work, but the nobles resisted their demands. The peasants became
more unsatisfied and aware of how unfair they were treated. In 1381, the peasants in England revolted, burning manors
and killing lords. Similar upheavals took place all around Europe. The nobles fought fiercely to put down the revolts,
which ended without giving much benefits for the peasants. However, it is clear that feudalism had been weakened
even more.
Here's more information on
the Peasants' Revolt of 1381.
By the 1430s, England still had control over a large area of land in France, and the French people were
beginning to lose faith in their nation. However, a young girl named Joan of Arc quickly turned the tide.
She turned a pathetic prince, Charles VII, into a king. She also freed a French lands from the English.
However, in the end, she was captured by the English, abandoned by her king, and burned at stake in 1431.
Click to read more about the life of Joan of Arc.
Click here for a lot of Joan of Arc's quotables.
In conclusion, most events on this timeline are well-known. But I thought it would be more beneficial
for the people if they know when these events were relative to each other. Also, I found some effects that
the Bubonic Plague had on Europe in the long run:
