Bread and the economic, social and cultural crisis of the Late Middle Ages
Lionidas Z. Bread and the economic, social and cultural crisis of the Late Middle Ages. The article deals with the role of Bread in the life of a medieval person, as well as the nature of the changes which happened to emerge during the Late Middle Ages concerning the grain production, the quantity, quality and the price of Bread. The article investigates the reasons and the main patterns of the crisis of the Late Middle Ages. It points out that the XIVth century turned out to be the hardest living period for the Europeans, as the Great Famine (1315-1317) was followed by the Black Death (1348-1349). The population number decreased dramatically, while the climate in Europe underwent drastic change. The Medieval Warm Period with its mild weathergave place to the Little Ice Age.The famine and the plague caused an economic, social and cultural crisis of the Late Middle Ages. The well-being of the population decreased in a drastic way and the said decrease needed a lengthy time to be overcome; and fi rst of all, it manifested itself in the continual growth of the price of bread - the most important product for the survival of the rural and the urban population. While the quantity of grain suffered constant decrease, the prices rose, reaching breathtaking levels in the most difficult years. The article comes to a conclusion that the Bread, together with the Bread Price, should be considered as the most important economic indicators of the said period.