The Downfall Of The Middle Ages :: essays research papers

The Downf all in all of the Middle AgesThere were many reasons for the downfall for the Middle Ages, but themost crucial ones were the decline of the feudal dodging, and the declination ofthe Churchs power everyplace the nation-states. In feudal society, everyone had adefinite place and a definite role, with the power resting in the hands of thelocal lords (instead of a central government). The lords, or nobles, confused powerafter the Crusades, when the Europeans came into contact with the more advancedcivilizations of the Byzantine Empire and the Muslims. That spurred the growthof trade, which in turn gave rise to a money system. The money system in turncaused the birth of a middle class, which didnt fit anywhere into the feudalsystem. It was made up of the serfs and peasants that left the feudal system in reckon of making money in trade. For the middle class, the king grantedCharters, made a uniform law, started banking, offered protection, and expandedterritory. In return, th e middle class payed taxes to the king. While t hismoney economy grew, the feudal lords were put into an economic squeeze. As onemay see, that didnt leave much of a place for the nobles, who were rapidlylosing power. Another liaison that contributed to their loss of power was theenforcement of Common Law, which applied throughout the kingdom.The effects of the Hundred Years War hastened the decline of the feudalsystem. The use of the longbow and firearms made the feudal methods of fightingobsolete. Monarchs replaced feudal soldiers with national armies made up ofhired soldiers. Finally, threats to the monarchy decreased as a result of thelarge number of nobles killed in the war.Another major factor that contributed to the sack of the Middle Ages wasthe declination of the Churchs power over the nation-states. Conflicts betweenthe papacy and the monarchy over political matters resulted people losing faithin the Church. Events like the Babylonian Captivity and the smashing Schismfur ther weakened the Churchs influence over the peole. Aside from that, peoplewere disgusted at the actions of the corrupt church officials. They wouldcharge the people money for all church services, and they also allowed churchpositions to be bought. The princely lifestyle of the clergy further erodedregard for the church. While some still believed that religion held all theanswers, others were head start to put faith into reason and science. Theuncertainty of the existance of God made people question the Church. Perhapsone of the most vital blows to the Church was the printing of the book of account in the