A Century Born in Conflict

The 14th century dawned on a Europe already tearing itself apart through dynastic struggles and territorial ambitions. In Sweden, King Birger II’s execution of two potential royal rivals in 1318 plunged the kingdom into a decade-long civil war that would set the tone for the catastrophic century to come. Meanwhile, Denmark and Poland formed an unlikely alliance in 1316, invading Brandenburg lands to check German expansion into the Baltic region.

The Holy Roman Empire fared no better. The 1314 imperial election produced two rival claimants – Ludwig of Bavaria and Frederick of Austria – whose subsequent war devastated German lands for ten years. Though Ludwig eventually prevailed, the conflict left the empire economically stagnant and politically fractured. Along Europe’s periphery, border wars raged between England and Scotland, France and Flanders, while the larger Anglo-French conflict simmered beneath the surface.

The Theology of Disaster

What makes the 14th century particularly fascinating is how contemporaries interpreted their suffering through a theological lens. Medieval rulers and commoners alike viewed natural disasters like the Great Famine (1315-1322) and the Black Death as divine punishment for human sin. This shared belief system created a paradox where warring factions each claimed to be God’s instruments.

Kings justified their conflicts as righteous wars against evil, believing that defeating “wicked” opponents would appease God’s wrath. The logic was circular but compelling: to refrain from war would be sinful negligence of their sacred duty to protect Christendom. Even violent revolts were framed in religious terms, with rebels claiming to act on behalf of their “beloved” kings against corrupt royal advisors – often compared to the biblical traitor Achitophel.

The Scottish Crucible

Nowhere was this destructive logic more apparent than in the Anglo-Scottish wars. England’s persistent claims of overlordship met fierce resistance, culminating in Robert the Bruce’s decisive victory at Bannockburn in 1314. The battle’s aftermath saw Scotland open a second front by invading Ireland, hoping to spark rebellion against English rule. Though ultimately unsuccessful, these campaigns created a militarized borderland where endemic warfare persisted for decades.

The human cost was staggering. As one chronicler noted, when the Great Famine struck these war-torn regions, their economies “almost completely collapsed.” Starving populations faced not just nature’s cruelty but continued military predation from all sides. The wars created a self-perpetuating cycle of violence that left northern Britain particularly vulnerable to the century’s coming catastrophes.

The Flemish Revolt: When the World Turned Upside Down

Flanders became another flashpoint, with its wealthy cities resisting French overlordship. The 1302 Battle of the Golden Spurs saw Flemish militia humiliate French knights, taking 700 golden spurs as trophies. This shocking victory emboldened decades of resistance against French domination.

When famine struck, long-simmering class tensions exploded. The 1323-1328 peasant revolt began as protest against war reparations and noble exactions but quickly escalated into revolutionary violence. Rebels established “governments of the weavers” in cities like Bruges and Ypres, targeting aristocratic privilege with terrifying fervor. One account describes nobles being forced to kill their own family members – a symbolic inversion of the medieval social order.

The French crown eventually crushed the revolt at the 1328 Battle of Cassel, where at least 3,185 rebels died. The aftermath saw brutal reprisals that permanently altered Flemish society. Traditional bonds of trust between classes dissolved, creating a more adversarial social landscape that presaged later popular uprisings across Europe.

The Personal Becomes Political

Nowhere was the entanglement of personal drama and high politics more apparent than in England. The marriage of Edward II to Isabella of France – intended to cement Anglo-French peace – instead became a disaster that helped spark the Hundred Years’ War. Edward’s disastrous reign, marked by military defeats and favoritism, ended with his deposition and gruesome murder orchestrated by Isabella and her lover Roger Mortimer.

The subsequent succession crisis in France, where all three of Isabella’s brothers died without male heirs, allowed Edward III to press his claim to the French throne through his mother. This dynastic dispute, combined with longstanding economic tensions, ignited the Hundred Years’ War in 1337 – a conflict that would redefine both nations.

The Shepherd’s Crusade: Apocalypse Now

Even popular religious movements turned violent. The 1320 Shepherd’s Crusade began as an outpouring of enthusiasm when Philip V proposed a crusade to the Holy Land. Thousands of poor “crusaders,” many shepherds, gathered in northern France seeking divine favor during the famine. But their movement quickly degenerated into anti-Semitic pogroms and attacks on royal officials before being crushed.

This episode reveals the apocalyptic mindset of the era. Faced with unrelenting disaster, many sought radical solutions – whether through holy war, social revolution, or scapegoating minorities. The boundaries between religious fervor and social rebellion became dangerously blurred.

The Legacy of a Violent Century

The 14th century’s crises reshaped Europe in profound ways. The Hundred Years’ War fostered nascent nationalism in England and France. Popular revolts like the Flemish uprising and the later Jacquerie challenged feudal hierarchies. The Church’s inability to explain or prevent disaster undermined its authority.

Perhaps most significantly, the century’s traumas forced Europeans to reconsider their relationship with divine authority. If kings truly ruled by God’s grace, why did their wars bring only suffering? If disaster was divine punishment, why did repentance bring no relief? These questions would echo through the Renaissance and Reformation, ultimately helping to birth the modern world.

The 14th century stands as a cautionary tale about the dangers of ideological certainty in times of crisis. Rulers and rebels alike, convinced of their own righteousness, unleashed horrors they believed would please God. Their tragic legacy reminds us that the road to hell is often paved with the best of intentions.