The Black Death produced one tithe that was of far-reaching importance. L ing labor scarce, it raised laborers' in:. gave an opportunity to secure rights denied them. Toward the end of the :n Wat Tyler, that is Walter the tiler, la surrection in Kent, while Jack Strag similar movement in Essex. John had been preaching in the open air, the being denied denied to him, against the laxurr rich and their oppression of the poor, r produced wide discontent. Wat Tyler men to London and London Bridge stt against them, but they threatened to to city and were admitted. Tyler met the king, Richard II, then only 15 years of a retinue of only some 60 horsemen. his demands, one of which was that the should cut off the heads of all the lase England. When Tyler became insert was struck down by Sir William Walwor: Mayor of London, and the young king Inp: stretched hands rode toward the mob who were justpreparing to send a 6.7 arrows, and said, aTyler was a traitor. your King. I will be your Captain' ended the dangerous riot. The Joie the mob were punished, John Ball Wa death, but the movement which they had 0, foot continued to make itself felt and end of another century, many of the rL abuses they complained of had been corri It takes blood to bring about social of any importance; the first martyrs cause, or even their generation reap Dm the benefits.
The political history of the 14tb cerr if possible even more full of tunnel f: usual. The emperors chosen were no special significance, until it auk realized that the empire itself had lost r and that the man elected to the have considerablq 4ontinians of -les IV, the king of Bohemia, made a good but a poor emperor, and is remembered his Golden Bull by which the election of emperor was regulated but which lessened imperial powers in favor of the Princes. English and French became deeply occu with the Hundred Years' War, not of ac fighting but without lasting peace. The fish took Calais and won the battles of (1346) and Pointiers (1356). King John Bohemia was killed at Crecy; King John France was taken prisoner at Poitiers, and ime the companion in captivity of David, g of the Scots, the son of Robert Bruce, in prisoner in 1346. King Edward of Eng took the title of King of France borne by the kings of England down to 1800.
The century is famous as the scene of many ional legends and heroes whose names have n famous at least among their own people r since, though modern historians have sadly finished the authenticity of their exploits. lliam Wallace, the Scottish chief, was be ded in 1303, but his brave effort against his intry's enemies probably encouraged Bruce the great enterprise of freeing Scotland. out the same time William Tell inspired thy riss with a renewal of that love of freedom Lich has ever since kept their little country lependent in the midst of warring Europe.
nold Winkelried may not have gathered all Austrian spears into his single devoted east at the battle of Sempach (1385), but his fry has proved a real source of courage. enzi, the' "Last of the Tribunes," (1347) at npted to restore the Roman Republic while rtevelde (died 1382) led the revolt of the emings for freedom. Apart from these, glo pus if sometimes mythical deeds, political story of the time is a dreary period of wars destruction, political jealousy, dynastic ri ilry and corrupt practices. Dante wrote his -eat poem in exile, and Italy was rent by thz ruggle of the Guelphs and Ghibefiines, though nnehow in spite of the disturbances, men nind not only the time but the freedom of firit for the pursuit of great literature and ne scholarship. The Popes left Rome be ause of political disturbances and transferred teir See to Avignon in France. For 70 years, ometimes called the "modern Babylonian Cap ivity," the Popes were out of Rome, and it as given over to violent political dissension %.n earthquake occurred to further disturb the ity, and at one time of this century it is said hat Rome contained scarcely 10,000 inhab tants.
The end of the century saw the rise of a treat conqueror in the East, Tamerlane, who .rom Tartary set out to conquer the world. -Ie invaded Persia, took Ispahan, and made a Pyramid of human skulls of his victims, de feated the Russians and sacked Moscow, in vaded India successfully and took Bajazet the Sultan of the Turks prisoner after a great bat tle just as the next century opened (1402).
The 14th century witnessed the serious division of Christianity known as the Great Schism. This developed after the return of Pope Gregory XI to Rome from Avignon and his death, when Avignon and Rome had claim ants to the Papacy. Urban VI was elected at Rome and Robert of Geneva who took the name of Clement VII, elected at Naples, by disaffected Cardinals was driven from there and took up his residence at Avignon. Even the saints of the time were divided in their ad hesion. Saint Catherine of Siena and Cathe rine of Sweden, as well as Blessed Peter of Aragon and Gerard de Groote, the great founder of the Brethren of the Common Life, acknowledged Urban as Pope, while Saint Vin cent Ferrar and Saint Collette recognized Clement. Rome and Avignon Popes continued to be elected regularly until the end of the cen tury. A third claimant to the Papacy was elected in Pisa, and it was not until the Coun cil of Constance (1415) deposed one Pope, re ceived the abdication of another, and dismissed a third, that the Schism was ended by the elec tion of Pope Martin V. There are church the ologians who argue that none of the claimants of this period were really popes, and that there was a long interregnum such as occurs for brief intervals at the death of every pope.