John Wycliffe Issue 3 | 1983 Purchase this issue

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John Wycliffe was born into a century when the medieval world was coming to an end while a new world was not yet born. The Church, which had brought civilization and order to Europe, had grown in wealth, property, power … and corruption. The Crusades had ended, but France and England now turned on each other in extened combat. Kinghts in armor would fall to archer. Genghis Kahn was dead but his decendant, Tamerlane, would devastate the Asian continent. Even greater devasteion would plague Europe when the Black Death would kill 75 million by the end of the century. Exotic gifts from the Orient and mysterious tales from African empires south of the Sahara were shared by traders and explorers. Still unknown to Wycliffe’s Europe were the cultures already thriving on continents yet to be discovered in the century ahead.

Wycliffe

England

The Church

World Events

1291

Sacreans (Muslims) capture Accre [Sacreans (Muslims) capture Accre ] , last Christian stronghold in Palestine; end of Crusades after 200 years

1294

Kublai Khan dies after 35-year reign establishing Ming dynasty

1295

England’s Model Parliament—Edward I summons bishops, knights, and burgesses from all parishes for first representative parliament

1296

A Genoese prisoner, Marco Polo, writes about his travels to Orient

1302

“Unam Sanctam,” papal bull of Pope Boniface VIII, asserts papal supremacy over every human being

King Philip IV of France convenes first Estates-General (Parliament) with all estates represented

(1303–1304)

Pope Benedict XI [Pope Benedict XI ]

(1305–1314)

Pope Clement V [Pope Clement V ]

1306

England expels 100,000 Jews who remained after Edward expulsion order of 1290

1307

Dante Alighieri [Dante Alighieri ] , Italian poet, begins writing The Divine Comedy

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Edward ...