During the period of the Middle Ages, Europe experienced great ruin during the 5th and 15th centuries. Europe has faced blows from both sides of the spectrum. For example, one of the most fatal blows was the Hundred Years' War. The war not only caused famine and starvation throughout Europe, but also left an estimated 20 million people dead. About a third of the population was wiped out. Countless cities across Europe have lost more than 40% of their population. In fact, Paris lost half of its inhabitants and Venice, Hamburg and Bremen are expected to have lost at least 60% of their population. A popular belief at that time was that the devastation was a punishment from God. With little hope, people desperately turned to the church for help. However, because the Church could not waste the explanations the dying population needed, the influence of the Catholic Church quickly deteriorated. The influence and reputation soon began to fade, for in desperate times the Church only added to the confusion of the times. Overall, the Church has not been able to keep its promises over hundreds of years of teaching. The Church was not able to save all the helpless dying souls with prayer and rituals, on which it once relied heavily. During this time, the Church provided no explanation or cure for the plague, and people began looking elsewhere for answers. The questioning of long-practiced ideas and traditions was the root of reform in the process. As at that time the Church was clearly not keeping its promises, the people revolted and turned away. The questioning of church-based foundations quickly grew into a growing movement. This movement...... middle of paper ......5. “The Black Death.” The Black Death. Np, and Web. April 12, 2014. “The Black Death.” About.com Medieval history. Np, and Web. April 11, 2014. “The Italian Renaissance Period [FULL VIDEO].” YouTube. YouTube, December 16, 2013. Web. April 12, 2014. “Renaissance Humanists.” Renaissance humanists. Np, and Web. April 7, 2014. “Definition – Africa (Petrarch).” Africa (Petrarch): definition of Africa (Petrarch) and synonyms of Africa (Petrarch) (English). Np, and Web. April 11, 2014. .MLA formatting by BibMe.org.