Enter the fourteenth century, and Europe is flying high, with two centuries of economic prosperity and population growth.
However, a change in climate and overpopulation lead to decreasing crop yields and a series of famines: Millions die, malnourishment increases (leading to an increase in health problems all across Europe), productivity falls, food prices increase, crime increases, and political tensions intensify, leading to an increase in conflicts both between and within states.
Just when it couldn't get any worse, Europe is struck with a deadly new pandemic that kills tens of millions.
Medieval governments, including the church, were unable to do anything to address the plight of the masses; indeed, government-imposed price controls on foodstuffs and export bans only worked to deepen the famine
As a result, confidence in authority decreased, and as a further result peasant militancy increased and heresies challenged the authority of the church.
Now, my question is: Was the CotLMA inevitable? What if parts of it (the Black Death in particular) are averted? How do technological development and European fortunes change with an averted or less severe CotLMA?