The Middle Ages, often called the Dark Ages, were considered a time of despair, disease, and death. Just as the name “Dark Ages” suggests, this period of European history seemed to be surrounded by darkness and desperation. Unfortunately, most people only see this side of the Middle Ages when, in reality, the Middle Ages were a much more important era. Especially during the late Middle Ages, one can find a change in the Orthodox social structure, a political instability mainly concerning the succession to the throne, and economic changes and how such changes went hand in hand with the change in society. After some demographic changes and turning points such as the Hundred Years' War, Europe began to transform drastically, thus threatening traditional Europe. Therefore, contrary to popular belief, the late Middle Ages were a period in which absolute monarchy began to die and in which the social structure seemed to be turning upside down due to drastic changes in economic practices. Politics in the late Middle Ages is best described as unstable due to competition for succession and power. The most significant event of this period was the Hundred Years' War, basically a territorial conflict and succession competition between the king of England and the king of France after the collapse of the Capetian monarchy. (Spielvogel 281) After the Hundred Years War, Europe went through a period of adversity in terms of political stability. In England, “Parliament increased in importance” and even the king came to “rely on Parliament to impose new taxes.” (Spielvogel 285) The English monarch no longer had absolute power; it had a "undertaking not to impose any direct tax without the consent of Parliament". (Spielvogel 285) In France, absolu...... middle of paper ......became very popular during the Renaissance period. Although many people consider the Middle Ages only as a historical period where time seemed to stop and all progress seemed to be suspended, it proves to be a vital piece of European history. The outcomes of the Hundred Years' War and other territorial or succession disputes collapsed the centralized monarchy and gave rise to political administrations that can still be seen today, such as Parliament. Furthermore, the Black Death brought population and labor shortages, thus allowing peasants to increase in value and lords to lose importance. Economic models began to change direction and encouraged peasants to continue climbing the social ladder as the lords no longer had the power to do what they wanted. As a result, the late Middle Ages proved to be a turning point towards modern Europe.