Cavallini probably contributes to the frescoes in…

Brandenburg’s Ascanian dynasty, established by Albert the Bear, becomes extinct in 1320 with the death of Margrave Henry II.

Henry's parents were Margrave Henry I of Brandenburg-Stendal and Agnes, a daughter of the Wittelsbach duke Louis II of Bavaria.

Henry II has three older sisters.

In 1319, at the age of eleven, Henry II was to succeed his cousin, Margrave Waldemar, who had died childless.

The Pomeranian duke Wartislaw IV had taken the occasion to set himself up as regent and uses this position to promote his own interests in the longtime Brandenburg–Pomeranian conflict.

In turn, Henry's Ascanian relative, Duke Rudolph I of Saxe-Wittenberg, intervenes and tries to take over the regency.

King Louis IV, half-brother of Henry's mother Agnes, finally declares him an adult, though he does not enfeoff him with Brandenburg.

Henry's early death in 1320 prevents him from acting independently, moreover, it also meas the end of the Brandenburg line of the Ascanian dynasty.

As a completed fief, the Margraviate falls back to the Wittelsbach king Louis IV, who will enfeoff his eldest son Louis V (called "the Brandenburger") with Brandenburg in 1323.

Kraków, situated on the Vistula River about one hundred and sixty miles (two hundred and sixty kilometers) south of Warsaw becomes, in 1320, the capital of Poland on the crowning here of fifty-nine-year-old Piast monarch Wladyslaw I, under whom Poland, following the long period of feudal disintegration, is reunited and the government centralized.

The Knights win another victory in the next year over a Turkish fleet poised to invade Rhodes.

Pope John XXII rewards Schwarzburg by restoring him to half the post of grand preceptor of Cyprus, whence he had been dismissed two years earlier (the other half going to Maurice of Pagnac) for ten years, and promised the commandery of Kos, if he can capture it.

The victory at Chios is all the more significant, according to the historian Mike Carr, because it had been achieved at the initiative of the Hospitallers and the Zaccarias, without any support or funding by other Western powers, most notably the Papacy, which is still embroiled in plans to launch a Crusade to the Holy Land.

It nevertheless influences the strategic calculations of Western powers, and efforts begin to form a Christian naval league to counter Turkish piracy.

The defeat off Chios cannot halt the rise of Aydinid power in the immediate future, however.

The Zaccarias will soon after be forced to surrender their mainland outpost of Smyrna to Mehmed's son Umur Beg, under whose leadership Aydinid fleets will roam the Aegean for the next two decades, until the Smyrniote crusades (1343–1351) break the Aydinid emirate's power.

Pope John XXII formalizes the persecution of witchcraft in 1320 when he authorizes the Inquisition to prosecute sorcery, which has come to be associated with heresy and apostasy.

Among Europe’s Catholics, Protestants, and secular leaders of the age to follow, fears regarding witchcraft will rise to fever pitch, and sometimes lead to large-scale witch-hunts.

Throughout this time, it is increasingly believed that Christianity is engaged in an apocalyptic battle against the Devil and his secret army of witches, who have entered into diabolical pact.

In total, tens or hundreds of thousands of people will be executed, and others imprisoned, tortured, banished, and suffer the confiscation of lands and possessions.

The majority of those accused will be women, though in some regions the majority will be men.

Accusations of witchcraft are frequently combined with other charges of heresy against such groups as the Cathars and Waldensians.

Philippe de Vitry and the Ars Nova (c. 1320): The Birth of Isorhythmic Music

Around 1320, the musical treatise Ars Nova (The New Art) was written, most likely by the French composer and theorist Philippe de Vitry. This influential work laid the foundation for the isorhythmic motet, a groundbreaking musical form in which rhythmic patterns (talea) are repeated independently of melodic sequences (color) in some or all voices.

The Innovations of Ars Nova

• Ars Nova introduced greater rhythmic complexity and flexibility compared to the earlier Ars Antiqua style of the 13th century.
• It formalized the concept of mensural notation, allowing for more precise rhythmic values and syncopation.
• It established the isorhythmic motet, a new style where rhythmic and melodic structures operated independently, creating intricate, layered textures in polyphonic music.

Impact on Medieval and Renaissance Music

• The Ars Nova movement enabled greater musical expressiveness, influencing composers across France and Italy.
• Philippe de Vitry’s isorhythmic techniques were later developed by Guillaume de Machaut and became a dominant feature of late medieval motets.
• The notation system pioneered in Ars Nova laid the groundwork for Western musical notation, influencing composition for centuries.

Philippe de Vitry’s Ars Nova revolutionized medieval music, marking the transition from rigid rhythmic structures to more fluid and complex forms, shaping the evolution of polyphony and Western musical tradition.

 

Philip V and the Reconciliation with Flanders (1320)

During the reign of Philip V of France ("Philip the Tall"), a political settlement was finally reached with Flanders, ending decades of conflict and rebellion. The peace of June 1320 secured French suzerainty over Flanders while granting the Flemish count a degree of autonomy, though it also laid the groundwork for future unrest.

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Background: French-Flemish Tensions and Conflict

• Flanders, one of the wealthiest and most autonomous regions of medieval Europe, remained only nominally under French suzerainty.
• The Flemish rebellion against France had culminated in the Battle of the Golden Spurs (1302), where Philip IV suffered a humiliating defeat.
• Despite a French victory at Mons-en-Pévèle (1304), Count Robert III of Flanders continued resisting French control, though by Philip V’s accession (1316), he had become increasingly isolated in Flanders itself.

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Economic Strain and Internal Pressure

• Under Louis X (1314–1316), economic restrictions had worsened the situation:
  • In 1315, Louis prohibited grain and material exports to Flanders, leading to a profitable smuggling industry that further weakened legal trade with the French Crown.
  • To maintain a wartime footing, Louis had to directly requisition food for his troops, causing widespread complaints from local lords and the Church.
• Philip V, recognizing the instability, began reinstating a compensation system in 1317, but tensions remained high.

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Robert III’s Weakening Position and the Turn to Diplomacy

• By 1319, when Robert III of Flanders marched on Lille, his Ghent militia refused to cross the Leie River, signaling declining support for military action.
• His grandson, Louis I of Nevers, who had been raised in France and held pro-French sympathies, pressured Robert to seek peace.
• In 1320, Robert traveled to Paris to renew his feudal bond with the French king, marking a turning point in Franco-Flemish relations.

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The Political Settlement of 1320

• Robert and Philip agreed to a political compromise, abandoning military conflict:
  • Robert III formally named his grandson, Louis I of Nevers, as his heir, securing French support for his succession.
  • In exchange, Louis was pledged in marriage to Philip V’s second daughter, Margaret, further strengthening French ties to the Flemish ruling house.
  • Louis, raised in Nevers and at the French court, was effectively a French prince, ensuring continued Capetian influence in Flanders.

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Philip V’s Domestic Reforms in Flanders

• To stabilize the region, Philip V:
  • Established local militias in the Flemish towns, weakening the baronial elite.
  • Checked fiscal abuses, ensuring greater royal control over taxation and governance.

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Long-Term Consequences

• The 1320 agreement was a diplomatic success for Philip V, securing French influence in Flanders without further war.
• However, Louis I of Nevers’ French upbringing alienated many Flemish nobles and commoners, leading to later political unrest and peasant revolts.
• This settlement temporarily restored peace, but Flanders remained a flashpoint in Franco-Flemish and Anglo-French relations for decades to come.

Philip V’s negotiated peace with Flanders in 1320 represented a significant diplomatic victory, consolidating French influence while defusing immediate tensions, though resentment over French dominance would eventually resurface.

Philip V and Edward II: The Gascon Homage Dispute (1319–1320)

Philip V of France, like his predecessors, faced ongoing tensions with England over Gascony, where Edward II of England, as Duke of Aquitaine, was technically a vassal of the French king. However, Edward, as a sovereign monarch in his own right, was reluctant to submit fully to French overlordship.

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Edward II’s Resistance to Homage

• Unlike previous English monarchs, Edward II had not given homage to Philip’s brother, Louis X, and initially refused to do so for Philip V, despite Philip’s reputation for being more accommodating to England.
• By 1319, Philip allowed Edward to pay homage by proxy, which was considered an honor, recognizing Edward’s royal status.
• However, Philip expected personal homage in 1320, signaling his intent to assert greater French control over Gascony.

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The 1320 Homage at Amiens

• Edward traveled to Amiens in 1320 to perform the traditional homage required of him as Duke of Aquitaine.
• Upon arrival, however, Philip V demanded that Edward also swear personal fealty—a stronger and more binding act than normal feudal homage.
• Homage traditionally recognized the feudal relationship between lord and vassal, while fealty implied a deeper personal loyalty and obedience beyond feudal duties.
• Edward gave homage as expected but refused to swear fealty, recognizing that this would compromise his authority as an independent monarch.

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Increased French Pressure on England Over Gascony

• Although Edward technically fulfilled his vassal obligations, Philip’s additional demand for fealty reflected growing French pressure on England’s rule in Gascony.
• The situation remained tense, as France sought to tighten control over the duchy, leading to further conflicts in the coming decades.
• This episode foreshadowed the longer-term Anglo-French struggles over Gascony, which would later contribute to the Hundred Years' War (1337–1453).

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Legacy

Philip V’s attempt to extract an oath of fealty from Edward II in 1320 marked an escalation in French claims over Gascony, reinforcing France’s efforts to reduce English autonomy in the region. Though diplomatic relations were maintained, the episode deepened tensions that would resurface in later Anglo-French conflicts.

William of Occam, or Ockham, after joining the Franciscans, studies at Oxford, where he encounters the thought of the late John Duns Scotus and where, from about 1319 to 1320, he writes a commentary on the “Sentences” of Peter Lombard.

Emperor Andronikos II Palaiologos has unwisely taken sides in the war between the Italian city-states of Venice and Genoa, favoring Genoa; Constantinople has suffered the wrath of the greatly superior Venetian navy.

Internally, Andronikos' reign is marked by a steady disintegration of centralized authority and increasing economic difficulties, but he has sponsored a revival of Greek art and culture and championed the independence of the Eastern Orthodox Church.

During his reign, the great monastery complex at Mt.

Athos in Greece enjoys its golden age.

Andronikos Palaiologos is the grandson of the emperor Andronikos, but his youthful excesses had cost him the favor of his grandfather, and, after he accidentally caused the death of his brother in 1320, the Emperor had excluded him from the succession, purely for family reasons.

In 1321, the twenty-five-year-old Andronikos rebels with the support of powerful Greek nobles chafing under high taxes.

The rebels assembly an army and successfully battle imperial forces.

The extensive mosaic and fresco decoration of the Church of Saint Savior in the Chora in Constantinople—begun in the eleventh century and rebuilt in the twelfth—has been extensively reconstructed from 1315 to 1321 under the sponsorship of Theodore Metochites, a scholar, poet, and high official in the imperial court.

These works, which are of the highest quality, represent the largest (surviving) program of Late Byzantine painting.

The mosaic schemes also feature brilliant color, graceful forms, and decorative richness.