What was the state of Europe in the early to mid-Fourteenth Century?

If you were born in England in 1300 AD, it was likely that you believed the apocalypse was upon you. Conditions were truly that bad in Europe during the early part of what historians call the Late Middle Ages. The Thirteenth Century saw a warming of the climate of Europe that resulted in significant increases in agricultural production. This increase in the availability of food led to exponential population growth.

The climate of Europe in...

If you were born in England in 1300 AD, it was likely that you believed the apocalypse was upon you. Conditions were truly that bad in Europe during the early part of what historians call the Late Middle Ages. The Thirteenth Century saw a warming of the climate of Europe that resulted in significant increases in agricultural production. This increase in the availability of food led to exponential population growth.

The climate of Europe in the early 1300's began to cool again, however, which shortened the growing season. Less food was produced to support that larger populations. Europeans also had created an ecological problem by exhausting the soil. In the best of years in the early part of the Fourteenth Century, there were food shortages. In lean times, famines claimed the lives of thousands of Europeans.

The problem of food production and starvation is strongly correlated to health problems. A hungry person has a weakened immune system. Epidemics devastated Europe during this period and took the lives of thousands of people annually. The crescendo of these series of epidemics arrived in the form of the Black Plague in 1347. The Plague devastated the populations of urban centers. No class of person was insulated from the Bubonic Plaque. In some areas, as many as 60% of the population were killed by the Black Plague.

Adding to the spectre of death caused by famine and plague was the introduction of a major war between France and England. The 100 Years War started during this era and also had devastating effects on the populations of these European countries. The war was primarily fought in France which even further damaged their agricultural output.