HIS243H1 Midterm: exam 1 notes
Document Summary
History exam1 notes: composite monarchies, three estates: Work: sumptuary laws - laws restraining luxury and extravagance - inordinate spending on food, clothes. Laws that regulated and reinforced social hierarchies and morals through restrictions on your rank, permitting what clothing/food/luxury you could buy/wear/show off. Easy way to identify rank and social privilege. Prevented commoners from imitating the appearance of upper classes: very thinly populated, crop yields were minimal, most were working the land, trade and commercial centers were italian city-states. Little ice age: occurred after the medieval warm period between 14th-19th century temperatures dropped: high infant mortality, short life spans, married at younger age. Black death: 1350 - one of the most devastating pandemics in human history. Disease spread from asia to europe by fleas on black rats that were regular passengers on merchant ships. Killed 30-60% of the european population: life was organized around church - holidays, charity, health care all done at the church.
