Agriculture was actually fairly advanced by the late medieval period and could support a lot of people.
If Europe had had only had 20 million people, there's no way it would have withstood the onslaught of Islam. 20 million people is Australian style population density. Also, if Europe had had only 20 million people, there is no way all those Gothic cathedrals would have got built. It wasn't just the sheer number of craftsmen and labourers involved, but the whole economy and infrastructure supporting them.
It wasn't just the first stage of the Black Plague that did a lot of damage. It kept returning (albeit in less severe forms) for hundreds of years.
^ That's mad. Three and a quarter centuries of plague!
There were also events such as the 30 Years' War (and the greater 80 Years' War of which it was a part) and many other wars that really knocked the stuffing out of Europe between the medieval and modern periods. The 30 Years' War alone claimed one third of the population of what is modern Germany.
If Europe had had only had 20 million people, there's no way it would have withstood the onslaught of Islam. 20 million people is Australian style population density. Also, if Europe had had only 20 million people, there is no way all those Gothic cathedrals would have got built. It wasn't just the sheer number of craftsmen and labourers involved, but the whole economy and infrastructure supporting them.
It wasn't just the first stage of the Black Plague that did a lot of damage. It kept returning (albeit in less severe forms) for hundreds of years.
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According to Biraben, plague was present somewhere in Europe in every year between 1346 and 1671.
^ That's mad. Three and a quarter centuries of plague!
There were also events such as the 30 Years' War (and the greater 80 Years' War of which it was a part) and many other wars that really knocked the stuffing out of Europe between the medieval and modern periods. The 30 Years' War alone claimed one third of the population of what is modern Germany.