Chapter 12: Crisis of the end of the Middle AgesWhat were the causes of the demographic decline that began at the beginning of the 14th century?The significant decline in population that began in the early 14th century was caused mainly by the "Great Famine" and the Black Death. Beginning in 1315, the Great Famine brought seven years of famine and vulnerability to Northern Europe. The winter of 1315 was considered a "little ice age", which obviously led to the death of crops. Crops and grains were the main source of food. Europeans therefore had difficulty finding food substitutes that affected them physically, especially during the cold winter months. The Black Death began at a difficult time for Europe due to the Great Famine which made the plague even more disastrous. Rats and fleas started the plague by traveling from region to region, spreading its deadly disease through ships. The disease was momentous because the pathogen was transmitted through coughing and sneezing. What was the origin of the bubonic plague and why did it spread so quickly in Europe? The source of the bubonic plague was primarily rats and ultimately fleas. Venetian and Genoese merchant ships believed that sailing in search of food was beneficial to fighting famine in Europe, but it backfired. Rats traveled by cargo on ships that eventually reached a wide swath of Europe. The fleas would inject the bacterial disease into the rats. When the rats died, their next host was humans. The Bubonic Plague, also known as the Black Death, spread so quickly throughout Europe mainly because the pathogen was transmitted through the simple act of coughing, sneezing, talking, etc. What impact did the plague have on wages and demand for labor? What happened to land values... middle of paper ....... The men appreciated this atmosphere because it allowed them to bond through their many resentments toward the economy. Describe and explain the increase in ethnic and racial tensions in Europe's borderlands during the late Middle Ages. In the 12th and 13th centuries, migration was popular in Europe, which led to the colonization of border countries, which meant that different ethnicities had families and shared their lives together. Many different races loved each other, except the English and the Irish. In the 14th century, the economy collapsed, creating more hatred between ethnicities due to competition for jobs. Purity of blood was extremely important when seeking employment, hence the Statute of Kilkenny stipulating that English and Irish people could not marry, thus ensuring greater racial purity. With increased immigration, a greater variety of vernacular literature was created throughout Europe..