The Late Middle Ages (C. 1300-C. 1453) was a train wreck.  The population of Europe had grown to its limits by the end of the High Middle Ages and there were many mouths to feed.  When the climate cooled and became rainy, crops began to fail.  This created a chain reaction with devastating consequences.

     First came great famines that swept across the continent, leading to starvation, and even cannabilism.  The malnourished population was susceptible to disease, and the bubonic plague (and other dreaded epidemics) hit Europe's population in cycles.  It's hard to know with certainty, but nearly half the people of Europe were lost to these factors.

     This cataclysm led to a questioning of everything in society.  The church had no answers for those questions and people began to look elsewhere for knowledge.  When all was said and done, the people of Europe recreated their culture by looking back to the days of Antiquity.