ABSTRACT
The plight of the peasantry was exacerbated by the extremely low level of technology that pervaded the medieval European world. The period that preceded the European Middle Ages was one of great political oscillation. Despite ephemeral success in consolidating political authority, prior to the late Middle Ages Europe was unable to sustain the limited momentum that, on occasion, it was able to generate. Decentralization, characterized by the extreme fragmentation of political authority, became the order of the day in the period that succeeded the era of external invasion. As the various segments that composed the social and political framework sought to manipulate process to their own advantage, there developed patterns of shifting alliances among the contestants for power. Although the results of this multifaceted struggle would still be indecisive as Europe approached its early-modern period, by 1500 the balance of power had shifted considerably from its medieval origins.
