Unit 1 Test Correction
From the beginning of the Middle Ages to the end of Martin Luther’s Reformation, there were countless changes that occurred in the religious, social, political, and economic areas of European life. These changes could have destroyed certain ideas while other changes created new ones. More often than not, these areas of influence affected one another and created situations that benefited some while harming others. An example of spheres of influence affecting one another would be the Black Plague. The Black Plague was a dark, dreary, dismal time in the Middle Ages. Millions of people died and the population of the European countries dropped dramatically. Lords no longer had enough laborers and serfs to work on their lands and offered higher wages to those would come and work. Soon, however, there were no longer enough serfs to support the current system of land labor and the current system of Feudalism began to break apart. Feudalism was the system of government currently used in the Medieval Ages. It allowed the rank lower than the other to gain protection and land while offering services and materials to the rank above them. However, without serfs to support the nobles that supported the monarchy, the system crumbled and left England and other European countries in turmoil. Also, without serfs, there were no longer and crops being harvested or materials being used for trade. This, in turn, led to a massive decline in the European economy which further debilitated the power of the monarchy and of the Feudalistic government. As if the Black Plague had not destroyed enough, Catholic Church officials told the common folk to simply pray and buy indulgences in order to remove the Plague and their sins. When the common folk realized the lies that they had bought into, it severely affected their view on the Catholic Church. As a result, the social standing of the Pope dropped significantly as new religions such as Protestantism began to attract those who had lost faith in Catholicism. With this, I assert that the religious, political, social, and economic changes of the Renaissance forced the Europeans to rethink their religion, governments, hierarchies, and economies.
Religion is arguably one of the most contested areas of influence during this time period. The Catholic Church, in particular, witnessed several changes. At the beginning of the Medieval Ages, the Catholic Church and the religion of Catholicism was the most important thing in anyone’s life. It dictated every major action that the government took and was viewed as a symbol of strength and purity. However, after the events that occurred during the Black Plague, the Catholic Church, in the eyes of the people, began to lose its strength and purity. The common folk began to become angry at the Catholic Church and the religion that they once thought would save and purify them. This anger and disgust at the Catholic Church prompted some people to take drastic action agai...
