1361

1361 was a year in the 14th century that fell within the late Middle Ages. In Europe, political life generally revolved around the ongoing Hundred Years' War and the broader consequences of the Black Death, which continued to influence demographic and economic conditions. The Papacy remained seated in Avignon, shaping ecclesiastical politics across Western Europe during the period known as the Avignon Papacy.

Across the continent, regional conflicts, feudal politics, and cooperation against common threats defined many states. In the Iberian Peninsula, Christian and Muslim polities vied for borderlands as the Reconquista persisted. The English and French crowns engaged in campaigns and diplomatic maneuvers that would influence territory and allegiance for years, while various principalities and cities navigated shifting loyalties and governance.

In Asia, the Yuan dynasty in China confronted internal uprisings and external pressures as the Red Turban movement continued toward the eventual rise of the Ming dynasty in the latter part of the decade. In broader South and Southeast Asia, merchants and rulers navigated extensive trade networks that linked economies across the region. In Africa, West African empires such as Mali remained influential in trans-Saharan trade, while coastal city-states engaged in long-distance commerce with Mediterranean and Atlantic powers.

Culturally, life in many regions continued to be shaped by urban growth, manuscript production, and religious and scholarly activities that persisted despite political upheavals. The year’s global history reflects the interconnected nature of medieval societies, where regional conflicts and developments fed into wider medieval dynamics.