1302 -- The Unam Sanctam was letter or "papal bull" written by Boniface~VIII to assert his authority to control taxation of the clergy. Boniface wrote that "if earthly power errs, it shall be judged by spiritual power," with the obvious implication that Popes supersede kings in all matters.

The Jacquerie was a French peasant revolt which broke out in 1358. The peasants were frustrated with the turmoil that resulted from the Black Death and the Hundred Years' War. The peasants were persecuted by both Merchants, who lived off of peasant lands as they traveled, and the military who …

The Estates-General or French Parliament was a political organization in the fourteenth century. The Estates-General was made up of representatives from clergy, nobility and the common people. The Estates-General did not hold significant power, and was mostly subordinate to the rule of the king. Since the burden of taxation weighted …

The Black Death, 1350, was a devastating illness that spread rapidly through Europe resulting in millions of dead. The Black Death is estimated to have eliminated 25 to 50 percent of the European population. The natural result was a economic, social, political and cultural calamity.

The Kievan Rus state became formally Christian in 987 and prospered afterward. The Kievan society was dominated by a noble class of landowners. The noble population was made up of the Scandinavians, also known as the Rus, and the chiefs of the old Slavic Tribes. The Kievan Rus were free …

The Teutonic Knights were established in the end of the twelfth century to protect the Christian Holy Land. These knights later used their military power to gain wealth by raiding and pillaging the Slavic nations in eastern Europe. The Teutonic Knights waged war on the Slavic peoples for thirty years …