Social And Economic Effects Of The Black Death

The Black Death caused many positive and negative changes in medieval society. Since the Black Death caused such a vast amount of humans to die in a short period, there was a large surplus of food however a shortage of peasants to work the land. This labour shortage meant that serfs were no longer tied to the land and could leave to find higher wages, as said in Chronicle of the Black Death 'such a shortage of workers... scarcely be persuaded to serve the eminent unless for triple wages'. Secondly, because of the upwards mobility and lack of structure that came from the Black Death and the fact that serfs could ask for more pay, feudalism became a lot less prominent in many places and was eventually replaced with other systems, such as capitalism.

The Black Death did not just cause death; it caused panic and destroyed the economy, the family structure, and so much more. The Black Death traveled as an invisible invader across waters. In 1346, travelers reported millions of deaths across China, central Asia and the Middle East (Worlds, 418). Just like the travelers who carried it, the disease moved with them “by fleas to city rats and other animals, including humans” as it spread (Worlds, 418). The Black Death killed so many people in some cities that more than half the population fell victim to this epidemic (Worlds, 418).

The Black Death was so devastating to Europe because of the population change and the effects it had on people. The Black Death changed many people’s lives. For example, most of the population decreased, which is sad because their lives are gone. It affected Spain, France, and Italy in 1348; Barbaria, and England in 1349; and Poland in 1350.

This disease also brought about changes for the people in the affected areas. The Black Death caused large changes in the population of Europe during the Middle Ages. In the article Depopulation, Rebellion and Social Progress it states, “It has been roughly estimated that a third of England died from the Black Death of 1348-49, and perhaps this figure in not far from the losses suffered in other areas of Europe…” The number of losses suffered in this time makes the Black

Many factors played a key role in the extensive spread of the Black Death, or Bubonic plague, like insect bites or rodents, but the progressive trade networks were the most impactful. It started in Asia, in the 1300’s, but the new trade routes allowed it to spread across the Indian Ocean. Many people from many different backgrounds were negatively affected by this disease, and many didn’t know that they were exposed to the disease until it was too late. The Black Death had a variety of clinical forms, but no matter which type a person had, they were guaranteed death. This disease completely changed the medieval world and affected religions as well as many other ways of life or cultures.

The historical pandemic of the Black Death (1347-1352), which killed 25 million people, greatly impacted the European history of the Middle Ages. Originating from China and Inner Asia, the infection of the bacterium Yersinia pestis had widely spread, rapidly infecting those who encounter the infected. The main cause of the spread derived from flea-infected rats on boats or the fleas on the bodies and clothes of the travellers. People at the time had limited understanding of the world, so they believed that the Black Death had an association with supernatural forces such as God’s punishment for sin and demonic acts, along with performing medical procedures that were futile for the disease. The era was highly affected by the plague,

The short term effects includes immediate effects of the death rates and a huge decline in population. Throughout the Black Death there were many social changes these include changes to medicine, sanitation to public health, religion, changes in the social class structure, language and growth in middle class. There were

The Black Death, also known as the Plague, was caused by an epidemic of the bacterium called “Yersinia Pestis”. The pandemic struck Europe in the late-1340s and wiped out nearly a third of Europe’s population. However, this tragedy also transformed European society positively because it created an opportunity for economic benefits and the growth of Humanism. According to the scholars, “the Black Death first took place in Mongolia in the late 1320s and spread to China and other parts of the Asia.

During the Middle Ages, there were many events that impacted the development of society, such as the Crusades, the Hundred Years’ War, and the Black Death. Some of these events impacted the society in a negative way and others, in a positive way. The Black Death, specifically, was a contagious disease that traveled through Europe, Eurasia and North Africa through trade routes and on its way, killed 30 to 50% of the European population in a span of five years . This epidemic impacted the European society positively in the long term with women’s rights, even if it led to some negative short-term problems such as a loss of labour and inflation, and a loss of faith in the Church, which later turned into positive long-term changes.

In Europe alone, it wiped out at least one third or two third of the population. (Economic) The Black Death finally ended in relatively 1350, and deep economic changes turned up. Worldwide trade dropped, and wars in Europe suspended during. People had abandoned farms and villages during the plague.

The Black Death was caused by various reasons, non-religious and religious. The disease in Europe, was said to be caused by, miasma (impure air) carried by warm southern winds, the March 20, 1345, conjunction of Saturn, Jupiter, and Mars, excessive clothing or outrageous fashion, and in the near east, caused by, miasma due to wind carrying the stench of Mongol bodies from Crimea,

The Black Death led to social change because it diminished the power of the Catholic church with an increase in heresy, worsened the position of the Jews, and increased social mobility for the lower classes. The pandemic spread through Europe for about 5 years (1347-1352) and it claimed the lives of 25-30 million people. Life over these years changed significantly. One example that was not favorable to many was how the peasants were being treated. They were treated as slaves, and had no rights to demand better even though the agricultural and living conditions were unfair.

During the 1340s and 1350s, the art, literature, and music that was composed in Europe took a dark turn. The art from that time period was full of depictions of the “Angel of Death,” the “Kiss of Death,” destruction, and sadness (“Cultural and Economic Effects of the Black Death”). Drawings and paintings also depicted ghost towns in which there were no people because they had all died from the Bubonic Plague (“Cultural and Economic Effects of the Black Death”). The literature that was written during the time that the Black Death was adamant in Europe was also had an exceedingly somber tone. After many of the people began to fall due to sickness, the funerals soon became short;that is, if there was even a funeral held (“Social and Economic Effects of the Plague”).

The Black Death was a disease that had a catastrophic impact on Europe. Reaching Europe in 1347, the plague killed an estimation of one-third of the population in the first wave. Each document varies with its reasons for the cause of the plague and how to deal with it. The first document Ordinances against the Spread of Plague seemed to blame Pisa and Lucca for the plague and thus, began to forbid contact with those places. It was forbidden for citizens of Pistoia to go to, or have contact with anyone or anything from Pisa or Lucca.

It was the Spring of 1348, and the citizens of Europe were malnourished due to limited food supplies for such a large population. This made them more susceptible to the outbreak of the Black Death. The Black Death originated in Asia, then moved westward into Sicily. From Sicily, the plague crept its way up through Europe infecting millions of people, in total killing more than one third of Europe’s population. In fact, over fifty percent of the population of Siena died, along with fifty percent of Paris, eighty percent of Florence, and over two thirds of Venice.