The European society changed drastically during the fourteenth through the sixteenth centuries. The European society underwent crises of religion, social class, and economic status during the late medieval period. European citizens faced tragedies of the Black Plague, war, slavery, economic declination, and separation of social class. However, where there was tragedy, people benefitted from the outcome. Europeans gained the opportunity to improve their standard of living, population increased, and the economy flourished. The late medieval period consisted of the black plague of the 14th century, the discovery of the New World of the 15th century, and the Price Revolution of the 16th century, which all affected the society of Europeans. The…show more content… After the war, most of Western Europe, such as England and France, “became centralized monarchies” or they created a new source of power in which they exercised on their citizens (Text, 436). An example of the way governments looked into the life of their citizens was “the Florentine catasto” (Text, 444). The Florentine catasto was an inventory of households “made for the purposes of taxation” (Text, 444). Surveys were used to determine who had land and “revealed the levels of Florentine society” (Text, 444). The survey revealed an enormous separation between the wealthy and the poor, with the wealthy controlling the state. This difference in social class occurred throughout Europe. In Eastern Europe, the Ottoman Empire replaced the Byzantine Empire, which brought Muslims and Christians together and caused the outbursts of persecution of Muslims and Jews in other powerful states. For instance, European king and queen of Spain, Ferdinand and Isabella, forced Muslims and Jews to choose to either convert to Christianity or leave the country. Their desire to spread Christianity began the discovery of the New World. Christopher Columbus “dreamed of finding a new route to the East’s gold and spices” and wanted to circulate Christianity (Text, 454). Columbus’s voyage allowed for improvement of the sailing ship for longer