The+Black+Death+-+Social+Effects

__**The Black Death - Social Effects**__ The Black Death, also known as the Bubonic Plague, was the tragic end for most of the people of Europe in the 1300s. This disease killed all people, regardless of their age, social group, ethnicity, or believes. The loss of so many people, including the church leaders and bishops, brought despair amongst the ones who had survived. They would question God, wondering how He could bring such tragedy to the people, and how even the people who had worshiped Him for so long could not avoid this terrible death.

As the disease affected more and more people, civilians got mad. They made many accusations of who they believed brought the illness over to Europe, and violence increased as time went on. Groups like the Jews were easy to blame, accused of manipulating sources of water and practicing witchcraft. The Europeans believed this was the reason for the Black Death, and persecuted the Jews, in hopes of ending the plague. Even with some villages setting authorities to protect them, the Jewish people could not escape the hatred and violence from the rest of the population. They fled Europe, and never returned. Contrary to Europeans’ beliefs, getting rid of the Jews did not end the deaths.

The plague was the end of not only men, but animals and harvest too. As men died from the disease, no one was there to take care of their fiefs, killing the animals and crops on it. Because of this, starvation fell upon villages and towns, and men lost their manpower and were not able to work. Basic needs, like bread, were short on supply, leading to inflation. This rise of prices in the economy was hard on the poor, and they could not keep up with it. Peasants that had survived the Black Death were convinced they were special, and that God had protected them from death. This changed peasants’ outlook on life, as they tried to find better wages, and even demanding so if a lord was desperate. This went against the Feudal System, and therefor caused for the government’s fury. Then, in 1351, the Law of Laborers was passed to try and suppress the peasant’s attempts in getting more money than they had before. The law stated that “No peasants could be paid more than the wages paid in 1346. No lord or master should offer more wages than paid in 1346. No peasants could leave the village they belonged to.” The peasants got even angrier with this law, because it wasn’t helping anyone - the peasants didn’t get the money they needed to survive, and the lords didn’t get the work they needed done. Although they knew going against this law would result in trouble, some peasants disobeyed it. In 1381, the peasants were so angry, they led revolts.

[|The Black Death of 1348 to 1350] Peasants' Revolt In June 1381, a man by the name of Wat Tyler from Kent led a group of angered peasants into London, England, and ran a revolt. They were unhappy about the amount of tax that the government had made them pay, and with the extent of work they were forced to do for the Church with no pay. The peasants could not support their families this way, and were ready to fight the government to get what they deserve. The infuriated people burned down buildings, destroyed housing, and killed people who they thought to be associated with taxes. After a while, some got frustrated and lazy, getting drunk frequently. Those who had lost discipline murdered foreigners, and later would murder the archbishop and Treasurer of London by cutting off their heads from the top of the Tower of London. Richard II, The king of London at the time, had met with the protesters twice. In both gatherings, he had given the peasants what they asked for, in hopes that they would leave London in peace. It was only after Wat Tyler was murdered at the second meeting that they agreed to leave London alone.

[|Peasants Revolt]

The Black Death is a serious disease that affected all of Europe. It caused people to get tumors all over their body. After the Black Death, the social structure of the medieval ages changed dramatically. Many things in society changed during this time. These changes affected daily life and caused major disruptions in all of Europe. Nearly one third of all the population died from this terrible disease.

 The Black Death raged in England from 1348 to 1350.Not only did the plague kill many people, it also impacted the social structure of many European countries. In England, the Black Death led to the Peasants Revolt of June 1381. After the plague many peasants and serfs realized that they could receive better pay for their labor. To stop this, the government created a law called the statute of Labourers, that said that peasants could not receive more pay than they did in 1346 and that no lord should offer them more than that. It also stated that peasants could not leave their village. Peasants knew that not following these laws would result in serious consequences. This caused the peasants to revolt in 1381. Another cause for the revolt was that many peasants had to work for the church for no pay. This stopped them from growing their own crops and caring for their own land and families. Also, the peasants needed to pay very high taxes that they could not afford. An army of peasants marched into London and captured the Tower of London. Many people were killed. King Richard II was the king during the revolt. He was only fourteen during this time, but he was able to compromise with the peasants.

 A key person during this time was King Edward III. He was the king of England during the plague. The Black Death caused a great disruption in his court. Everyone was getting sick, including government officials. Even the king’s daughter, Joan, got the disease while traveling through France. She died on September 2, 1348. During this time, he tried to enforce the statute of Labourers to create less movement of the peasants, but was unsuccessful.

 The Black Plague caused many disturbances in the social structure of many countries, and was a terrible tragidy to those living during this time.

[|King Edward III] [|Black Death] [|How Many People Died]