<OT> <TID> Re: Noteworthy News Item

[Lee]

Ronnie Gauthier wrote:
> 
> On the contrary, the 13th century was a good one. Trade flourished between the
> continents. The population of Europe continued it spiral upward until the mid
> 1300's then took a severe nose dive and within a few years fell to pre 1100
> levels. Ring around the rosey. a pocketful of posey. one, two, three and we
> all fall dead.
> 
> It was also the century that the church burned an Italian Monk by the name of Bruno for the heresy of believing that the earth revolved on its axis and circled the sun and that the lights in the night sky were really stars like our own. This marked start of religion's declaration of war on rational thought and science. There was one bright light about the century - the plague. The death of one third of the population of Europe created a tremendous labor shortage that broke the back of serfdom. The aristrocarcy was forced into biddings wars for the available labor. Lords of the Manor had to make concessions to their serfs to keep them on the land while others offered concessions and limits on heredity privilege to attract their neighbor's serfs. To make up for the shortfall of cash the aristocracy was forced to grant lands and charters to merchants for the the establishment of trading centers that evolved into town and cities. The disasters of the 13th century laid the root!
s to Europe's recovery from the fall of the Roman Empire.