1377

1371 1372 1373 1374 1375 1376 1377 1378 1379 1380

political events

England's Edward III dies of gonorrhea at Sheen, in Surrey, June 21 at age 64 shortly after a new parliament has reversed the acts of last year's "Good Parliament." Among other things, the new parliament has allowed the return of the king's mistress Alice Perrers, but when she tries once again to pervert justice she is tried by the House of Lords and banished. Edward is not widely mourned, but France's Charles V holds a requiem for him at Sainte-Chapel. Laws of succession being unclear, Edward has named his 10-year-old grandson Richard, son of the late Black Prince of Wales, as his successor in preference to any of his surviving sons: John of Gaunt, duke of Lancaster; Edmund of Langley, earl of Cambridge, now 36; or Thomas of Woodstock, 22, who is named earl of Buckingham. Lancaster and Buckingham will administer the government until Richard attains his majority, and he will reign until 1399 as Richard II, but Gaunt has alienated the Church by supporting John Wycliffe in his criticism of the Church's power and wealth.

Papal legate Robert of Geneva orders mercenary Sir John Hawkwood to seize and kill all the people of Cesena (see 1375). Already rich from the spoils of war and from payments made by Florence, Hawkwood accepts the cardinal's money but after killing 5,000 men, women, and children he allows 1,000 women and some men to escape, and in May he joins the anti-papal league. He then marries an illegitimate daughter of Milan's tyrant Bernabo Visconti (but see 1378).

Sicily's Federico III dies, leaving his realm to his daughter Maria, but Aragon's Pedro IV claims that females are excluded from succession and that his status as the late Federico's closest male relation makes him the rightful heir (see 1380).

The son of the Byzantine emperor John V Palaeologus has himself crowned at Constantinople October 12 and will reign until 1379 as Andronicus IV Palaeologus (see 1376).

commerce

Parliament levies an English poll tax to pay for the Hundred Years' War with France; the tax will incite rural unrest (see 1380).

John Wycliffe's Reform party loses control of London to victualers headed by William Walworth. They raise food prices in the city.

The Hanseatic League retains its privileges in England and will keep them for nearly 2 centuries despite growing resentment against the League.

religion

The Babylonian Exile of the papacy that began in 1306 ends January 17 with the entry into Rome of Pope Gregory XI, who left Avignon in September of last year.

Papal forces under the command of papal legate Robert of Geneva pillage Cesena and massacre some 4,000 anti-papal rebels (see 1378).

Bulls promulgated by Pope Gregory XI accuse John Wycliffe of heresy; he is summoned before the bishop of London at St. Paul's to answer the charge but escapes trial as general rioting in the streets of London ends the session of the ecclesiastical court.

population

Population estimates based on the new English poll tax suggest that the nation's population is little more than 2 million, down from at least 3.5 million and possibly 5 million before the Black Death (see 1546).

1371 1372 1373 1374 1375 1376 1377 1378 1379 1380