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The Black Death Essay

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HOW DID THE BLACK DEATH UNDERMINE THE PILLARS OF MEDIAEVAL STABILITY?

The Black Death, a pandemic that spread through Europe in the 14th Century, undermined the pillars of mediaeval stability through its overpowering impacts on demographics, society, and religion. The Black Death caused shattering events, transforming Europe's history from the Middle Ages to the early modern period and destroying demographics, social disturbances, and religious crises. The Black Death was the world's earliest epidemic of bubonic plague, which hit in the mid-1300s in Europe and parts of Asia. The Black Death was around from 1347 to 1351. The Plague originated in China or Central Asia and first entered Europe via trading ships transporting goods. The Black Death …show more content…

This weakened the manor structure and contributed to the decline of feudalism. Due to the plague's immense depopulation, there was a sudden rise in labour shortages in Europe, triggering the production and functionality of the feudal system. Fewer people were available for critical duties such as agriculture and construction. As a result of labour shortages, serfs and peasants could demand higher wages and better working conditions. This issue brought the established social order into question. The Black Death threatened the feudal system with worker shortages and power disruptions, leading to its demise and the emergence of new social institutions. The claim is predictably linked to the thesis since it underlines the Black Death's detrimental effects on population stability, worker shortages, power dynamics, and the feudal system. These disturbances, together with the broader consequences of social instability and religious crises, played a critical role in the Black Death's transformative …show more content…

Because lords could no longer rely on serfs to plough their land, the feudal system ended. The demise of the feudal system marked a watershed moment in European history, paving the way for the growth of the middle class and the creation of new forms of political and economic organisation. The demise of the manor system and the creation of new forms of political and economic organisation were direct repercussions of the Black Death's labour shortage—the collapse of feudalism's foundation system, the manor system, linked to labour shortages. Lords could no longer rely on serfs to farm their land, and many abandoned the system entirely. The Bubonic plague workforce shortages made it difficult for lords to rely on serfs to plough their land, resulting in the decline of the manor system. Accordingly, the manor system constituted the foundation of feudalism; its demise subsequently led to the shortage. The labour shortage caused by population loss resulted in grander salaries and more bargaining power for the peasantry, allowing them to demand better working conditions and more equitable treatment. The Black Death's labour scarcity made it impossible for lords to find enough labourers to farm their land. Thus, for more workers to be attracted, they were compelled to provide higher wages and improved working conditions. This shift in power relations between lords and labourers was a major cause

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Moreover, the Black Death caused a gastric drop in the economy. Workers died, prices rose, and lords pushed laws so peasants couldn't demand higher wages leading to many revolts and rebellions. Due to the death of so many people, there weren't enough people buying products so the prices rose tremendously. Since the plague started killing millions of workers, lords would try force the survivors to work. But, the surviving workers began to demand higher wages since there were higher prices in the sales market.

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The Black Death changed peasant’s lives and society drastically. In hope of them having more respect they want to be recognized for their hard work and labor. A Peasants lifestyle and atmosphere was very strict and harsh which led to poor health and wellbeing. Some areas had food shortages and no one could provide them with food to feed everyone. Causing that made the peasants poor as they were only selling small amounts of food for the same price which gradually made them poorer.

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All plagues strike by uprooting individual lives and society as a whole. Nevertheless, the particular circumstances regarding the government, and religious and cultural beliefs in the affected lands influence the specific results of the tragedy, as witnessed through the Black Death and smallpox. Although both diseases led to drastic economic changes, they caused different overturns of religious beliefs, and only the Black Death resulted in the creation of public health services and the marginalization of groups of people. A lack of labor precipitated alterations to the economy--the end of feudalism in the case of the Black Death and the creation of the Transatlantic Slave Trade in the case of smallpox.

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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.

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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.

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The effects of the Black Death were significant on Medieval society. The black death caused panic amongst communities and towns leaving unmaintained paddocks and scarce amounts of food. This is due to the plague's rapidly spreading nature, and the fact that many people died. The plague left Europe with a multitude of short and long-term effects and issues. These issues varied from flagellants whipping themselves, from town to town, to make up for sins against God to the loss of labourers to work the land.

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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.

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The lack of workers meant that labor would cost about five times more than before the Black Death came. This allowed poorer people to become wealthier with the large wages. Since land was abandoned, and rents was not being paid, tax revenue declined. This had a major impact on Europe’s health, thus making more people die. Higher wages and small manufacturing, caused high inflation.

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Specifically, the wage to rent ratio changed. Before the Plague, the the population was relatively high, and therefore had competition for jobs. This competition can be displayed using the simple idea of supply and demand. For instance, since there was an elevated amount of supply and a relatively low amount of demand, they did not need to be paid as much.

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The Black Death brought a period of growth to an end, and killed roughly a third of Europe’s population in just a few years. While the plague was present, a series of destructive wars were tearing apart trade and economy. Europe was repeatedly experiencing hard times and the Plague was when they just couldn't handle anything else (concourse). As more and more people died, it became much harder to find people to work fields, harvest crops, and produce other goods and services. Peasants began to demand higher wages.

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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

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The plague was fatal and spread rapidly in cities where people were close together. This was one of the worst outbreaks of a disease in history and drastically brought down the population. The Black Plague had an effect on the economy, religion, and culture in Europe during the Renaissance period. The Black Plague

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Since the beginning of civilization, all them have strived for a government system. For medieval Europe this government system was Feudalism. Feudalism was a working system for all aspects of the medieval life including culture and economy. The Black Death was a horrible disease that caused horrible symptoms and was responsible for the deaths of over one third of the population in Europe. The Black Death accelerated the fall of feudalism accelerated the fall of feudalism by completely disrupting its systems.

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Economic and Social Consequences of the Black Death The Black Death was no modest disease it swept all over Europe during the dark ages , had immense and annihilating effects and is in fact one of the most disastrous and destructive pandemics in human history. It rapidly spread through Medieval Europe during 1347-1351 killing more than one third of the population. In the midst of Italy’s overpopulated cities 50 to 60 percent of the population died while villages were completely swept of their people in England and Germany (Spielvogel World History and Geography 248-249). The Black did not only bring the tragedy of killing millions but it also came with many consequences such as economic inflation and extreme social distinction ("Social and Economic Effects of the Plague").After the intense shock of the Black Death, Europe’s economically declined, its internal affair were instable and its social systems

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Did the Black Death break the Malthusian Deadlock that was hanging over England in the 14th century? Did the people really create a better country after this horrendous plague? These exemplify some of the intriguing questions asked about the Black Death. The essay examined a variety of factors from population to the economic factors regarding the Black Death.

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