The Black Death

The Black Death caused complete chaos across Europe. Most of the political leaders had either died because of the plague, or sick, or had locked themselves away to avoid getting infected. This led to unstable governments in many areas, as nobody knew what caused the plague, how it spread or how to treat it. In some regions like Milan, many plague victims were either killed or isolated from the rest of the society to prevent further spread. 

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The plague also had profound impact on the church, which exercised political power over the government. As the church lost many people, its political and social impact weakened. The church could also not explain the causes of the plague or suggest ways to cure it, which led to many people to question the church's opinion and turn to other religions or beliefs. The hierarchy of the church became very unstable during this era. The death of high ranking officials and popes resulted in low ranking peasants taking over the church.