The Downfall Of The Middle Ages

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Term Paper Title	The Downfall Of The Middle Ages
# of Words	578
# of Pages (250 words per page double spaced)	2.31

The Downfall of the Middle Ages

The Downfall of the Middle Ages

        There were many reasons for the downfall for the Middle Ages, but the
most crucial ones were the decline of the feudal system,  and the declination of
the Church's power over the nation-states.  In feudal society, everyone had a
definite place and a definite role, with the power resting in the hands of the
local lords (instead of a central government).  The lords, or nobles, lost power
after the Crusades, when the Europeans came into contact with the more advanced
civilizations of the Byzantine Empire and the Muslims.  That spurred the growth
of trade, which in turn gave rise to a money system.  The money system in turn
caused the birth of a middle class, which didn't fit anywhere into the feudal
system.  It was made up of the serfs and peasants that left the feudal system in
search of making money in trade.  For the middle class, the king granted
Charters, made a uniform law, started banking, offered protection, and expanded
territory.  In return, the middle class payed taxes to the king.  While t his
money economy grew, the feudal lords were put into an economic squeeze.  As one
may see, that didn't leave much of a place for the nobles, who were rapidly
losing power.  Another thing that contributed to their loss of power was the
enforcement of Common Law, which applied throughout the kingdom.
     The effects of the Hundred Years' War hastened the decline of the feudal
system.  The use of the longbow and firearms made the feudal methods of fighting
obsolete.  Monarchs replaced feudal soldiers with national armies made up of
hired soldiers.  Finally, threats to the monarchy decreased as a result of the
large number of nobles killed in the war.
     Another major factor that contributed to the end of the Middle Ages was
the declination of the Church'...

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