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The Black Death Plague In The Medieval Period

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Dukes and kings were forced to bargain with their laborers about working conditions. Moreover, the lower classes could demand for better pay for their services. In some areas, wages rose, doubling within a period of just one year. At the same time, prices of commodities fell because fewer people bought the commodities. Therefore, the middle class lords were entangled between falling revenue and rising production costs. This prompted them to force a price-squeeze, and when they failed, most of them surrendered and sold their properties, including estates. The outcome was a social upheaval, which accelerated the social evolution trend. To be specific, the Black Death took a toll on the society, effectively ending the feudal system in Europe. …show more content…

The direct consequence was immense population reduction. Additionally, trade declined as individuals avoided trading goods with a previously plague infested nation. All these aspects contributed to the reduction of Europe’s prosperity. In the medieval period, the plague was seen as an all-destroying. Through the loss of one-third of Europe’s population, a tiny pathogen toppled the region’s socio-economic framework, altering the medieval society forever. Although the negative effects of the pandemic are greater than the positive effects, it is argued that the disease balanced Europe’s population for the future. The disease portrayed the might of European continent, including its will to withstand a crisis. To this end, it could be hard to believe but there were also some positive consequences associated with the Black Death. As it appears, manpower was of great value than it was before. Suddenly, peasants were not available in large numbers and the nobles could not secure the required workforce to plant their seeds and harvest their crops. Therefore, the medieval peasant was plunged in a state of unprecedented and unexpected demand, a change that over shook Europe’s society to its

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Although the Black Death could be considered a transformative force in the Middle Ages due to the way peasants’ wealth increased, the plague should be seen as

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The plague then started to infect thousands and thousands until 35% of Europe’s population was deceased. This reduced the world population in total to seventy-five to one hundred million people. Massive loss of life was caused. For a short time war stopped and trade declined. Many of the serfs died, so the remaining ones demanded higher wages.

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It led to labor shortages, higher wages, higher prices, a decline in food production, a shift in power relations, and a decline in the demand for jewelry, and clothing. These effects were felt not just in Europe, but all over society, and the market took a very long time to fully bounce back. The impact of the Black Death on the market provides a unique insight into how pandemics can shape societies and economies. The Black Death shows how a pandemic can drastically shift the daily life of the

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The Silk Road was a network of trade routes that reached from China to Europe, connecting the West and the East. The route would begin in China, then head west towards India, then it would go through the Middle East, then to Africa, and finally from Africa they would sail to Europe. This route is most widely known for circulating goods and cultures between these countries, but it is less known for its spread of disease, the Black Death. The Black Death, a plague caused by the Yersinia pestis bacteria, originated in China or Central Asia and was spread to Europe by fleas and rats that resided on ships and along the Silk Road. The Black Death killed millions in China, India, Persia (Iran), the Middle East, the Caucasus, and North Africa.

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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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Trade and trade routes were a major part of the spread of the Black Death but was not the only significant factor to its spread. Trade and trade routes become a major part of the spread allowing the infected rats, fleas and people to travel to uninfected lands. Other major factors that helped the black death spread was the growing population of the villages and the horrible living conditions of their villages. There were more than one significant factor that helped the Black Death spread. Trade and trade routes become a significant factor towards the spread of the Black Death at the time.

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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

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During the mid-fourteenth century, a plague hit Europe. Initially spreading through rats and subsequently fleas, it killed at least one-third of the population of Europe and continued intermittently until the 18th century. There was no known cure at the time, and the bacteria spread very quickly and would kill an infected person within two days, which led to structural public policies, religious, and medical changes in Europe. The plague had an enormous social effect, killing much of the population and encouraging new health reforms, it also had religious effects by attracting the attention of the Catholic Church, and lastly, it affected the trade around Europe, limiting the transportation of goods. As a response to the plague that took place

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According to Ole J. Benedictow “Inevitably [the Black Plague] had an enormous impact on European society and greatly affected the dynamics of change and development from the medieval to Early Modern period. A historical turning point, as well as a vast human tragedy, the Black Death of 1346-53 is unparalleled in human history.” It was one of the most devastating diseases in history

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It is a common belief that all of Europe was gravely affected by the Black Death in the 14th century, but greater parts of some areas were significantly less affected compared to others. In my essay, I will research why Poland was less gravely affected by the plague compared to England, and based on this the research question is formulated as followed: Why was Poland less gravely affected by the Black Death in the 14th century compared to England? The preliminary essay title is The Limited Spreading of the Plague in 14th Century Poland. The preliminary thesis statement proposed is that Poland wasn’t as gravely affected by the Black Death as England because of differences in the extension of their trade network, with England having a much more widespread trade network compared than Poland.

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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.

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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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The Positive Effects of the Black Death The Black Death was the fear-inducing disease that struck medieval Europe. Nevertheless, positive effects can emerge from what is described as nothing but a catastrophe. The Black Death was the most fatal plague in history and forever changed the course of Europe's society. Before the epidemic, the Roman Catholic Church was seen as all-powerful and was obeyed by most citizens.

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A When the Black Death strikes Europe, this continent was at a time of economic downturn, following a frank feudal system in descent and a economy in very poor condition as a result of frequent crop failures and significant overcrowding. The Bubonic plague or black Death, native pest of China, reaches Europe via Italy by the year 1343, in a fleet of Italian commercial ships. Some consequences of The Black Death include economic, social and political issues. The economy went bad as a result of the reduction of the workforce and the massive reduction of crops. the european society was destroyed but but for the crown there was a high income.

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Not only had Mother Nature turned on man yet man in their most sinister, immoral essence turned on their fellow man having felt that their divine being (God) had truly forsaken them as some type of apocalypse was unleased upon them. The Medieval society was therefore fundamentally changed post the plague and truly exposed the mortal qualities of the Christian Church thereby forever transforming religious attitudes; which in latter periods ushered in other religious attitudes and sects. While recovery from the Black Death took over a century for the population levels to recuperate, there were major economic and cultural - human shifts in Europe. The serfdom system simply collapsed. The loss of massive quantities of people living in close and crowded quarters or proximities changed for a while as people opted for more privacy.

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