How Did The Black Death Affect European Society

POLITICAL - shortly after the economic surge, peasants and workers across Europe resorted to rebellion, fearful that rising taxes would negate their significant raise of wages. By the end of the 15th century the monarchs of England, France and Spain put an end to the state of unrest by forming state administrations to control sectors of the country, as an extension of the throne. The bubonic plague’s devastating effects on the Native Americans may have helped Spain conquer and colonize the New World by reducing the native’s numbers significantly. SOCIAL - the economic improvement incited what is referred to as the Renaissance in Europe, or an increase of interest and funding for the arts. The Black Death in the New World had the opposite effect,

There were attempts by the rich to put the peasants back in their previous condition however it was unsuccessful and multiple revolts happened as a result. The peasants still struggled but they could now live better lives and there was less authority over them.

Nobility allowed unqualified people to obtain positions that should not have been available to them. The nobility did provide a sort of moral boost for everyone though because they were looked up to by most because they were supposed to be the best of the best. Along with the idea of nobility, everyone in this period had a social status. The only thing with this system was that people could not increase in rank, like in Hank’s time. People were stuck where they were at.

From 1450 to 1700 the economy of Europe began to majorly change. Mercantilism was on the uprise which meant Europe began to focus more on their trade and commerce. This lead to many individuals to having a hard time gaining wealth because the government was doing everthing on a large scale. Many Europeans were just barely getting by. Then the poor would have to go to the extremes and beg and steal to make money for themselves.

The Black Death impacted the economic and social balance of several monarchies. First, the people of Europe flogged themselves to renounce their sins and to achieve holiness. Secondly, the people disregarded the social balance, spiritual and secular laws. The Black Death not only broke up families, as the Romans

The Black Death or Black Plague was one of the most devastating pandemics in human history. Before the Black Death came to England grew more rapidly than agricultural production. They were getting better in their economy. Many people lived only at subsistent level. They were not living lavish or anything just alright.

The epidemic affected Europe culturally, as the citizens developed an excessive reliance on religion as an answer for their tragedy. Additionally, the Black Death shifted the people’s social perspectives; they lost compassion for the sick and indulged in selfish desires. Finally, the pestilence altered the Europeans’ mental state, as their appreciation of life itself diminished, since the rapid spread of the plague caused torrential death rates across Europe. In response to the Black Death, the people of Europe became passionately pious, for they viewed their misfortune as a punishment from God and, thus, believed the only way to bring about continental happiness was through religion.

During the late 1340s the standards of living for the peasants began to increase. According to Routt, many peasants were able to afford things that they were not able to before due to the surplus and the plummet of the prices of goods. Since many of the workers died because of the Black Death, many employers were left without workers. These employers grudgingly employed the peasants since they were the only people left who were not infected and who did not have jobs. The Black Death had a profound effect agriculture.

The Black Death changed the lives of peasants in many ways. After going through all the pain and suffering, the peasants gained more freedom, rights and respect. The revolt against the government may have been unsuccessful but it still changed the feudal system, creating a better society. Workers became scarce when the Black Death striked. The peasants used this to their advantage against the lords.

The Black Death had a big impact on European religion. Because people could not understand the plague, they strongly believed that the plague was a punishment sent by God. The church claimed that God was punishing people because of the sins they have committed. They organized religious marches and told people to pray to get rid of the horrible disease. However, around 1348, Christians started accusing the Jews of bringing and spreading the plague to Europe.

Peasants realized they could move from village to village, constantly switching to whichever proprietor offered them the best deal. This greatly changed the traditional feudal system, which served to confine peasants to a certain piece of land. In response to this, the government passed the Statute of Labourers in 1351 that forced peasants to remain in their homelands and did not allow lords to change their wages from what they were in 1346. This infuriated the peasants and led to the Peasants’ Revolt in 1381. Survivors of the Black Death felt that they were special, chosen specifically by God to be saved (Trueman), and after this the lower class began to demand more economic and social equality.

This was profitable both for the new merchants in the growing towns and for the farmers who chose to raise sheep instead of planting crop. The peasants were thrown away from the patches of land they were renting, as the owners set up fencing, and they had to move to the city. But these unskilled laborers only managed to get poorly paid work or no work at all. As the nobles and the merchant class bathed in extravagance, the people suffered greatly. Most decades of the Elizabethan Age, there was an increase in the poverty rate.

The 16th century wasn’t one of the brightest for the people of the Elizabethan Era. The Black Plague can be at fault for this horrific tragedy. The Black Plague was one of the worst diseases to be ever known to the people in the Elizabethan Era. The main culprit of the spread was the poor hygiene, however, the real species that are the cause of this potential wipeout, are the rats and other infected rodents that resided in the area. In the year of 1563 alone, 20,000 people had died in London, essentially wiping out over two-thirds of its population in a single year.

The Black Death caused people to question authority, which led to the breakdown of the political, economic, and religious spheres of traditional society in Europe and the introduction

The nobles enriched themselves through hard work and taxes of the commoners, which made the feudal system. It wasn’t common for the commoners to move from the Third Estate to the Second Estate, even if they had just as money as the nobles. One of the only ways they could move up in class was through marriage or buying their