Social Unrest and Artistic Evolution in the Late Middle Ages

Persecution of the Jews

Jewish quarters were attacked, accompanied by sacking and killings. This violence against Jews is called a pogrom and was predominant in Central and Eastern Europe.

Persecution of Conversos

These were Jews who had converted to Christianity. They were accused of being false converts who continued to practice their old religion in secret.

Social Revolts

Peasant Revolts

Impoverished peasants rebelled against the abuses of feudal lords, including:

• Increasing taxes to cope with the agricultural crisis.
• Prohibiting peasants from leaving the fiefdom.

Urban Revolts

Impoverished urban groups rose up against city leaders who monopolized political power and held most of the wealth.

The Crisis of the 14th Century

Agricultural Crisis

Bad harvests were caused by unfavorable climatic conditions. Decreased agricultural production led to malnutrition and hunger.

Epidemics

Various outbreaks of the bubonic plague, known as the Black Death, were contagious diseases that killed nearly a third of the European population.

Wars

Nobility tried to compensate for their losses by fighting against other nobles to seize their lands and riches.

Tax Increases

These worsened the economic situation of the peasants and the petite bourgeoisie.

Gothic Art

Gothic Painting

Features a naturalistic style:

• Portraits of important figures from the nobility and wealthy bourgeoisie.
• Landscapes replacing plain backgrounds.
• Objects from daily life depicted in great detail.

Techniques included tempera (mixing colored pigments with eggs) and oil (mixing colors with oil on wooden panels).

Gothic Sculpture

Gothic sculpture adopted a more naturalistic style:

• Figures were no longer rigid; they created the sensation of looking at each other.
• Faces were realistic and expressive.
• Clothing and objects were extremely detailed.
• High reliefs stood out from walls, often attached to facades and portals.
• Altarpieces were complex stone structures.
• Freestanding sculptures were not attached to the architecture, often depicting the Madonna.

Key Definitions

• Petite Bourgeoisie: Small-scale traders and craftsmen with a modest economic situation.
• Fueros: A set of laws through which the monarch granted specific rights and privileges to the inhabitants of a particular area.
• Hanseatic League: A commercial and defensive confederation of merchants.
• Fair: Treating people equally without favoritism or discrimination.
• Bourgeoisie: The middle class, typically with reference to its perceived materialistic values.