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The black death research paper
Social consequences of the black death
Social consequences of the black death
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The high middle ages from the eleventh to the fourteenth century saw the reemergence of urban life, the revival of long distance commerce, innovation, maturation of manorial agriculture, and a burgeoning population. Consequently, the fourteenth century spawned war, famine, disease and economic decay, leading to what many historians believe to be the end of the Middle Ages. Although there were many contributing factors such as famine, collapsing institutions and war. Many historians believe the arrival of the Black Death to England in 1348 was the final straw, and the most impactful agent of change in that area. In a letter to his brother, Petrarch wrote, “When has any such thing been even heard or seen; in what annals has it ever been read that houses were left vacant, cities deserted, the country neglected, the fields too small for the dead and a fearful and universal solitude over the whole earth?” The crowded, bustling city of London had poor sanitation and filthy living conditions, which led to a rapid spread of the disease to the rest of England. The plague did not discriminate, as it knocked down anyone in its path, but it affected the oldest, the youngest and the poorest most dramatically as it wiped out an estimated thirty to forty percent of England. Many will argue that due to a lack of key pieces of information and being surrounded by other factors such as the Great Famine and the Hundred Years War, it is hard to be certain on the level of impact the plague had as a standalone catastrophe, but there is enough evidence to realize it played a significant role in shaping the landscape of England’s economy. The depopulation of England is a factor around every economic effect either directly or indirectly. The two la...
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Thrisk, Joan, Alternative Agriculture : A History From the Black Death to the Present Day Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1997.
Wilson, Norman J., World Eras: The European Renaissance and Reformation (1350-1600), Detroit, Mich: Gale Group, 2001.
One effect that the Black Death had on Medieval Europe was that the economy had fallen. (FELL)The economy had taken a blow because of the fact that most of the workers had either died, or ran away from their lords and manors. One piece of evidence stated, “As the plague kept occurring in the late 1300s, the European economy sank to a new low (Document 9).” Another piece of evidence states,” In the second half of the 14th century, a man could simply up and leave a manor, secure in the knowledge that
The Black Death struck Europe in a time of great despair. "Although a `Great Famine' struck northern Europe between 1315 and 1322, nothing prepared Europeans for the horrendous onslaught of the Black Death" (Aberth, 2). The famine had caused a massive hunger shortage from which Europe had yet to recove...
"The Black Death." World Eras. Ed. Norman J. Wilson. Vol. 1: European Renaissance and Reformation, 1350-1600. Detroit: Gale Group, 2001. 435-438. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 26 Mar. 2014.
In the midst of the chaos it created, the Black Death weakened the archaic system of manorialism by causing an increase in the incomes of peasants. Manorialism was an economic system where a large class of serfs worked in the fields of the nobles in exchange for a small share of the crops. Due to the outbreak of the plague, however, there were not enough serfs for this approach to remain viable. The death of many serfs due to the Black Death meant that the ones who remained were able to ask for larger shares of the crops since their services were rare and thus more valuable. Further adding to the increase, many peasants whose requests were denied would often s...
"From the Brink of the Apocalypse: Confronting Famine, War, Plague, and Death in the Later Middle Ages." Medievalists.net. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Dec. 2013.
In the 1340’s, an epidemic named the Black Death, erupted through Europe, killing nearly ⅓ of its population. The Black Death originated in China, rapidly spreading to western Asia and Europe. It killed about 30 million people in Europe plummeting its population. A lot of these people were peasants. This was because they had the least money, therefore putting them in the worst living conditions. There were so many of them that no individual could make a substantial amount of money. When the plague hit, the peasants were strongly affected. A huge population of them were killed. After the epidemic, the population of peasants was far less than before. This provided them with a chance to really improve their lives. The Black Death caused a change
Ibeji, Mike. “Black Death: Political and Social Changes.” BBC News. BBC, 17 Feb. 2011. SIRS
The Effects of The Black Death on the Economic and Social Life of Europe The Black Death is the name later given to the epidemic of plague that ravaged Europe between 1347 and 1351. The disaster affected all aspects of life. Depopulation and shortage of labor hastened changes already inherent in the rural economy; the substitution of wages for labor services was accelerated, and social stratification became less rigid. Psychological morbidity affected the arts; in religion, the lack of educated personnel among the clergy gravely reduced the intellectual vigor of the church.
It cannot be argued that the Black Plague was detrimental to every aspect of Europe’s communities. It was a powerful epidemic that wiped out a third of the continent’s population. Out of the midst of all its terror, however, positive after effects presented themselves. Some of these effects included revolutions in the church and society, eventually leading to the separation of church and state. Feudalism was also challenged as peasants demanded wages and revolted. Along with social changes came technological innovations, new inventions, and an attention to hygiene and the beginning of modern medicine. The plague may have devastated Europe, but it also gave way to a new era.
No other epidemic reaches the level of the Black Death which took place from 1348 to 1350. The epidemic, better regarded as a pandemic, shook Europe, Asia, and North Africa; therefore it deems as the one of the most devastating events in world history. In The Black Death: The Great Mortality of 1348-1350, John Aberth, compiles primary sources in order to examine the origins and outcomes of this deadly disease. The author, a history professor and associate academic dean at Vermont’s Castleton State College, specializes in medieval history and the Black Death. He wrote the book in order to provide multiple perspectives of the plague’s impact. Primarily, pathogens started the whole phenomenon; however, geological, economic, and social conditions
In order to learn how societies were impacted by the Black Death, it is significant to note the situation prior to the epidemic. Britain and France had been at war since 1337, by August 1347 France was devastated. Many of the French people were left without homes, food or livestock, they were about to face a harsh winter and were unsure if they had enough seeds to plant crops the following year. The climatic changes that occurred over Europe had drastic consequences for agriculture, resulting in malnutrition which pre-disposed the populaces to disease. Inflation increased and famine soon spread across Europe, resulting in many deaths. Around 1339, Europe’s population began to increase, this growth began to surpass the capacity of the land to feed its populace. Therefore a severe economic...
Gottfried, Robert S. The Black Death: Natural and Human Disaster in Medieval Europe. New York:
Spencer, Colin. The Heretic's Feast: A History of Vegetarianism. Hanover, NH: U of New England, 1996. Print.
...lted in the decline of businesses. "The labor shortage was very severe and consequently wages rose. Because of the mortality, there was an oversupply of goods and prices dropped. Between the two trends, the standard of living rose, for those still living. Farms or entire villages died out or were abandoned as the few survivors decided not to stay on" (Knox). "The once positive outlook people had on the life of the thirteenth century had perished along with the many lives the plague took along with it" (Rowling, 188).
A period of mass hunger struck Europe in the years 1305-1314. This problem continued to grow into a period of famine succeeding in the years 1315-1322 (“Late”). In 1315, tragedy continued to strike, as spring and summer floods would lead to crop failures and eliminate any surplus grain to sell at the market (“Late”). Aside from crops, epizootics created a small extinction among the livestock of this time (“Late”). This period of hunger and famine took a large hit on the population of Europe. Ten percent of the population died of famine and other epidemics during the period of 1315-1316 (“Late”). However, the continent continued to be overpopulated (“Late”). Once again, another layer of disaster would attack Europe. The Black Death engulfed Europe in 1347 (“Late”). Known as The Plague, it began among the Mongolian rats and fleas in 1300, spreading through the trade routes into Western and Central Europe (“Late”). While the Middle Ages was known as a time of crisis on the economic and health related spectrum, another issue arose that engulfed a century: the Hundred Years War. The Hundred Years War took place from 1337 to 1453 and continued to aggravate the agricultural decline (“Late”). The war took place completely in France and was a dispute over the royalty of France (“Late”). While war was raging in the secular parts of medieval society, there was another issue arising in the non secular society: corruption in the