By Margaret Burstow
To put the Avignon Papacy into its historical context, it is
necessary to look at what was happening throughout Europe as the 14th century
began. During the 13th century, European society had become more institutionalised
and regulated, and the kings, nobles, wealthy, and Church had exercised an
increasing control over the population at large. In addition, there were
continual power struggles between the Papacy and the heads of several European
countries, as the Church sought to exert its influence throughout the Christian
western world. In the early and mid-14th century there were two particular natural
disasters that threatened to upset the delicate balance. The first, the Great Famine
(1315-17), was caused by a mini ice-age which resulted in very poor harvests.
The growing population of Europe outstripped the capacity of the land to
support it, leading to widespread famine. The second was the Black Death
(1346-53) which was caused by increased contact with the great civilisations of
the East. Such events did not come about because of any conscious human policy,
but their effects were magnified and prolonged, by a general failure of European
leadership to take any constructive action to cushion the effects of these calamities.
When those holding power did not provide leadership during these disasters,
there was a vacuum that no one was in a position to even attempt to fill. The
first of the governing elites to lose its power to lead effectively was the
Church.
