Famine And The Black Death Analysis

The fourteenth century can be characterized as a period of complete devastation for European countries. Two unpredictable natural disasters destroyed societies: the famine and the Black Death. These disasters killed millions of people, as well as affected how they spent their daily lives. Famine and the Black Death impacted society by increasing mass starvation, decreasing population, reacting with unusual behaviors, and causing lasting economic and social consequences. A combination of these disasters caused tremendous strain, leading people to question their values, and change European development for many years following. The thirteenth century was a time of prosperity and a major rise in population, but it soon came to a halt when …show more content…
The consequences consisted of working conditions, class conflict, revolts started by peasants. With the increase of deaths in the European society peasants gained more privileges, which caused the lords to become angry. The decline in population caused an increase in the price of the labor, and stable or falling prices of output, as a result peasants were worth more during this time period. Peasants were also able to convert labor services to rent, freeing them from obligations of servile tenure, and weakening the system of manorialism. A lower standard of living and the lords experiencing a difficult time was caused by them paying more for labor and rents or incoming declining. The lords eventually tried to impose wage restrictions and reinstate old form of labor services; as a result revolts broke out all over Europe. The Jacquerie revolt in Northern France was caused by the destruction of order, and the economic dislocation from the Black Death. Growing social classes made people angry. Landed nobles wanted to hang on to their political position and were threatened when the new post plague world had increased wages and decreased prices. The English peasant revolt was caused by rising expectations. After the Black Death, English peasants enjoyed their greater freedom and higher wages or lower rents, but the landlords fought back with legislation to decrease wages and reinstate old feudal dues. The monarchy’s tried to raise revenues by imposing a poll tax on each member in society. This led to the rebellion of both peasants and townspeople led by Wat Tyler and John Ball. Eventually the poll tax was eliminated, and most of the rebels were pardoned. The last revolts erupted in cities because commercial and industrial activity suffered by having oversupply in goods, while having a decrease in demand and trade, and restricting