Crisis and Recovery in Europe: 14th–16th Centuries

Europe in the Fourteenth to Sixteenth Centuries

During the fourteenth century, all of Europe suffered a terrible crisis caused by disease, crop failures, and wars. Agriculture did not produce enough to feed the population, and many died of famine. It was also a period of wars and popular riots. Most serious was the terrible epidemic, the Black Death: the plague that spread across Europe in 1348, sweeping the continent and annihilating a quarter of the population.

During the fifteenth century the population began to recover slowly. During the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries the European economy entered a phase of prosperity: trade expanded and the banking system improved.

Social Structure and Living Conditions

The nobility and the clergy were privileged classes (they did not pay taxes) and represented a minority. The non-privileged bourgeoisie reached a position of preeminence. Farmers continued to suffer harsh living conditions and remained among the poorest.

Royal Power and State Formation

In the fifteenth century the kings of Europe consolidated their power. They reformed institutions and weakened the influence of the nobility, the Church, parliaments, and municipalities; sometimes this caused civil wars. Kings established mechanisms to make decisions effectively: they created bureaucracies, increased taxes, and developed diplomatic networks. Thus emerged the so-called authoritarian monarchies.

Iberian Crowns in the Fifteenth Century

• Crown of Castile: The history of Castile in the fifteenth century was marked by continuous noble conflicts. When King Henry IV died, Castile was divided between supporters of his daughter Juana and supporters of his half-sister Isabella.
• Crown of Aragon: In the Crown of Aragon, King Martin I died without heirs and left the throne vacant. In 1410 representatives met in Caspe to resolve the succession; commissioners were chosen for each realm (Aragon, Catalonia, Valencia).

In 1469 Ferdinand, heir to the Crown of Aragon, married Isabella, heiress of Castile. In 1474 Isabella became Queen of Castile, and in 1479 Ferdinand succeeded his father as King of Aragon. This began the dynastic union between Castile and Aragon, although at first it was only a personal union.