Decline of medieval societies

The decline of medieval societies was caused by a number of people and events. With the decline of the medieval frontier because of the bubonic plague or “Black Death” as it’s know, led to many civilians spreading out to a rural style of living. The more populated cities and state’s were more vulnerable to infection because of so many living so close together many who survived took there chance leaving the cities and the more rural areas had less infected. No longer being able to obtain all the necessities needed to live a plentiful secure life a system of trade was developed to obtain all the things needed in life. This was at a time where bartering was the only means of obtaining such items a system of trade where you exchange goods and services for other goods and services. The barter system and the feudal age made an easier lifestyle outside larger cities, but trade was still needed to provide you with everything you needed for survival. This began the rise of towns and urban societies originally arising in commonly known trade spots and easily defendable places. They started first as temporary establishments called "trade-fairs” usually close to a river or water since that was a large means of transportation. Towns were rare and very different to feudal society at this point and time. But with the development of towns it changed a lot of civilian’s rural style of living. Trade and the development of towns had a major effect on society which was first started by the Italian merchants in the 13th century. This would eventually lead to the great development of the monied economy. A monetary system would have a huge effect on society socially, politically and personally. It would also give birth to capitalism, the exchange of goods and services which would be a major impact on society as a whole, even in the one we live in today. At this point in time people no longer wanted goods and services in exchange for their good and services, etc. Now people wanted money instead of goods and services. For example the lord no longer wanted a bushel of wheat or services for you living on or using his land he now wanted money. This created the landlord where now it wasn’t such a personal relationship with a hand shake and your word of honor. Instead it was more of a business approach with every man for himself in a cut-throat environment. These events would have other huge impacts on society in many different ways. The rise of a monetary system gave birth to the monarch. A man who could purchase the best armies, bureaucrats and goods as long as he had the wealth and monetary value to do so. Monarchs would give birth to the centralization and decentralization of government and politics in many of the highly populated territories in the 13th century A.D. King John was a man of power in England in the 13th century and had endured many failing conquests and battles with France. To support his battles and expeditions King John taxed the nobles of England, the wealthiest among the Kingdome. The nobles grew weary of this and would draft the Magna Carta in 1215 A.D. This protected them from the power of the King or Emperor by limiting the issuance of taxes. King John would now have to ask his noble men before he could issue more taxes. The King had no choice but to agree and sign it which would eventual lead to the Provisions of Oxford and the Council of 25, know today as Parliament. Phillip the Fair would be one of the first monarchs in France to centralize politics. He did so by hiring and obtaining the best armies and bureaucrats with money and wealth and centralizing all the major powers. Italy on the other hand would begin to decentralize in politics which was once under the control of the Roman Catholic Church and the papacy. But because of the Babylonian capture of the church and the Great Schism there soon were separate states of Naples, Milan, Venice, Florence and the Papal State. The Holy Roman Empire continued its conquest in trying to obtain Italy because the importance of Rome. They demanded money from its nobles and taxed them to support their conquests. This taxation would lead to the Golden Bull in 1356 A.D. Since the nobles were needed so much for the support of the Empire they realized this and began to demand for more power so they drafted the Golden Bull which made the Holy Roman Emperor be an elected office and gave them the power to be the ones electing the position. These events would be the foundation of the end of feudalism and the beginning of the Modern Era. By the end of the 15th Century the monarchs of England, Spain, France and the Netherlands had destroyed all that remained of political feudalism. With capitalism I believe is also the rise of true business’s and professions with the discovery of money and the payment of goods and services instead trading. The rise of monarchs was truly the death of the medieval era and the start of the modern life we know and love today.