Economic effects of Black Death and Hundred Years of War

Economic effects of Black Death and Hundred Years of War

Introduction

The series of wars and conflicts that began in the early 13th century and went late into the 14th century is termed as 100 years of War. The conflict original initiated between France and England but with the passage of time, some of the allies of both countries became the part of the conflict. The actual reason of the war was the constant shuffle and struggle of power between these two countries as they wanted the succession of the French Throne.

Looking at the way war unfolded, it can be seen that in the initial years of war, France was dominated by the English forces and they were in the driving seat, but with the passage of the time, there was lot of see saw for power struggle and all of these conflicts were centered on one objective, and that was to get the much coveted French Throne.

Discussion

One of the reasons for the Hundred Years of War was the ever increasing economic conflict that increased with the passage of the time. There was this deliberate attempt by the French Monarchy to levy some new taxes in the Northern Europe as there was this perception that trade and cloth making was really flourishing over there. These towns were supported by the Englishmen and they were supported by Edward III.

Impact of War on French Taxation

As the war carried on for the better part of 100 years, the economy of France was severely battered by these wars. The main reason for this apparent economic decline of the France was that the official of the English Armies caused lot of damage and massacre to the city. Not only the French were undermined to a certain extent by these attacks, it was seen that they have been left France in a really precarious position as far as economy is concerned. The cities of France were really massacred and the fields were really damaged. One of the more severe economic steps that were taken by France was the taxes to be raised. This was a significant step and due to it, the worsening economic situation further depleted. The basic rationale behind raising the taxes was to make sure that the ever growing army expenditures were taken care of.

This trend pretty much continued for the much of decade and even thought, during the earlier years, it was being felt that surge in taxation was done occasionally; afterwards it became more or less a precedent in the French Economy. Thus one can see that the fiscal policy of France changed after these wars. Thus one can see that there was much panic in the way France reacted to the war.

Impact of War on English Taxation

On the other hand, it can be seen that Englishmen were more organized in their approach. The reason for this apparent success was that there was lot of accountability in the English system was ...