Question
Why did Medieval Europe suffer a devastating drop in population during the late-thirteenth and early-fourteenth centuries?
a.Many knights were killed during the Crusades and the Hundred Years’ War.
b.A period of bad weather led to a time of famine, which was almost immediately followed by the Bubonic plague.
c.The Inquisition put many people to death for heresy.
d.As anti-Semitism became prevalent, thousands of Jews were killed or expelled from Europe.
a.Many knights were killed during the Crusades and the Hundred Years’ War.
b.A period of bad weather led to a time of famine, which was almost immediately followed by the Bubonic plague.
c.The Inquisition put many people to death for heresy.
d.As anti-Semitism became prevalent, thousands of Jews were killed or expelled from Europe.
Answers
GPT-5 mini
Answer: b.
Explanation: A period of unusually bad weather (early 14th-century cooling and the Great Famine of 1315–17) caused widespread crop failures and malnutrition, which weakened populations — then the Black Death (bubonic plague, mid-14th century) killed a very large share of Europeans. The other causes listed (Crusader/Hundred Years’ War deaths, the Inquisition, anti‑Jewish violence/expulsions) were real but far too limited to account for the continent‑wide demographic collapse.
Explanation: A period of unusually bad weather (early 14th-century cooling and the Great Famine of 1315–17) caused widespread crop failures and malnutrition, which weakened populations — then the Black Death (bubonic plague, mid-14th century) killed a very large share of Europeans. The other causes listed (Crusader/Hundred Years’ War deaths, the Inquisition, anti‑Jewish violence/expulsions) were real but far too limited to account for the continent‑wide demographic collapse.