Black Death In Fourteenth Century Europe
Discuss the extent to which the Black Death had a negative impact on the 14th Century Europe.
The Black Death was an outbreak of a bubonic plague that was pandemic across Asia, Africa and Europe. It was believed that the plague was spread from merchants coming from Asia to Europe. The Black Death had pessimistic consequences in the 14th Century Europe. The copious consequences were the decrease of population which lead to labour shortages and economic rise. Another consequence was the collapse of the feudal system and the fabricated hatred towards a religion.
The diminishing of the population had a pessimistic impact during the 14th Century Europe. The Black Death alone took out “25 million people” that is 1/3 of Europe’s population. It …show more content…
impacted the world harshly but its main cause was in Europe. The low rate of numbers in the remained society of the 14th Century meant that they were low labour shortages. The normal hard workers from farmers to shoemakers all died in the plague and this adverse impact left Europe with few skilled people who were able to work for high wages. “(1) a normal peasant who would get hardly anything from the lord would now could threaten the lord to for high wages.”Furthermore the decrease in population meant that there was a high rise in the economic and annihilated the population through food deficiencies. The authorities were concerned from the plague so they prohibited exports of foodstuffs, condemned black market speculators, set price controls on grain, and outlawed large-scale fishing. Peasants found it hard to buy food and other livestock so (1) “10 percent of the population died because of food deficiencies.” Furthermore most of Europe was over populated because of women exorbitant fertility rates which contributed in food shortages. The detrimental effect on the Black Death was the diminishing of population which lead to labour shortages and economic rise.
Another abrogate impact of the Black Death in the 14th Century Europe was the breakdown of the feudal system.
The hierarchical system that was in place in the ancient society for hundreds of years was collapsed during the Black Death. The feudal system was a system of landownership based on different groups of people for service. Since the Black Death killed anyone it weakened the feudal system when the lord died. So peasants could now refuse orders from other groups of people. They could go work for their own and earn their own pay so this lead to peasant uprising and revolts. Peasants attested for higher wages, food and land due to lack of competition from other districts. If the peasants didn’t receive what they wanted they would leave and kings and rulers and they would lose their power. Furthermore, with the arrival of the Black Death however, European's began to see that perhaps the church was not as almighty as they had once thought it to be. The people of Europe were desperately looking for a reason as to why this plague had been brought upon them, and they turned to the church for answers and guidance, but the men of the church were not spared the fate of the plague and the citizens began to see that even the church could not help them. This realization led to the people distancing themselves from the church in favour of creating their own personal relationship with god. (2) “This led to a decline in the church's authority which had previously been the bottom line for European citizens.” The Black Death had pessimistic consequences during the 14th Century
Europe.
A final deleterious impact to the 14th Century that the Black Death brought was religious favour that the European society had. The church thought that it was god’s punishment because you had sinned. Strange groups of people began to form in order to survive. They were the flagellants who whipped themselves to remove their sins. Since the disgraced church had no other reason that caused the plague other than god they blamed it on the Jews. (3) “The Jews must be getting poison from the devil and pouring down the wells of Christians to kill them all of.” So the Catholic society began their hatred of the Jews. When the situations got worse the persecution of the Jews began all around Europe. (4) “By authority of Amadeus VI, Count of Savoy, a number of the Jews who lived on the shores of Lake Geneva, having been arrested and put to the torture, naturally confessed anything their inquisitors suggested.” This is how the Jews were treated. The delinquent consequence of the Black Death in 14th Century Europe assisted the persecution of the Jews and to the benefit of the Catholic Church.
The negative consequences the Black Death brought were the diminishing of population which took Europe 150 years to recover, a breakdown of a classical system and the discrimination of a religious society that occurred in the 14th Century Europe.
(1): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consequences_of_the_Black_Death
(2): http://voices.yahoo.com/the-effects-black-death-medieval-european-5828354.html
(3): http://www.simpletoremember.com/articles/a/the_black_death/
(4): http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/jewish/1348-jewsblackdeath.asp
The Black Death was an outbreak of a bubonic plague that was pandemic across Asia, Africa and Europe. It was believed that the plague was spread from merchants coming from Asia to Europe. The Black Death had pessimistic consequences in the 14th Century Europe. The copious consequences were the decrease of population which lead to labour shortages and economic rise. Another consequence was the collapse of the feudal system and the fabricated hatred towards a religion.
The diminishing of the population had a pessimistic impact during the 14th Century Europe. The Black Death alone took out “25 million people” that is 1/3 of Europe’s population. It …show more content…
impacted the world harshly but its main cause was in Europe. The low rate of numbers in the remained society of the 14th Century meant that they were low labour shortages. The normal hard workers from farmers to shoemakers all died in the plague and this adverse impact left Europe with few skilled people who were able to work for high wages. “(1) a normal peasant who would get hardly anything from the lord would now could threaten the lord to for high wages.”Furthermore the decrease in population meant that there was a high rise in the economic and annihilated the population through food deficiencies. The authorities were concerned from the plague so they prohibited exports of foodstuffs, condemned black market speculators, set price controls on grain, and outlawed large-scale fishing. Peasants found it hard to buy food and other livestock so (1) “10 percent of the population died because of food deficiencies.” Furthermore most of Europe was over populated because of women exorbitant fertility rates which contributed in food shortages. The detrimental effect on the Black Death was the diminishing of population which lead to labour shortages and economic rise.
Another abrogate impact of the Black Death in the 14th Century Europe was the breakdown of the feudal system.
The hierarchical system that was in place in the ancient society for hundreds of years was collapsed during the Black Death. The feudal system was a system of landownership based on different groups of people for service. Since the Black Death killed anyone it weakened the feudal system when the lord died. So peasants could now refuse orders from other groups of people. They could go work for their own and earn their own pay so this lead to peasant uprising and revolts. Peasants attested for higher wages, food and land due to lack of competition from other districts. If the peasants didn’t receive what they wanted they would leave and kings and rulers and they would lose their power. Furthermore, with the arrival of the Black Death however, European's began to see that perhaps the church was not as almighty as they had once thought it to be. The people of Europe were desperately looking for a reason as to why this plague had been brought upon them, and they turned to the church for answers and guidance, but the men of the church were not spared the fate of the plague and the citizens began to see that even the church could not help them. This realization led to the people distancing themselves from the church in favour of creating their own personal relationship with god. (2) “This led to a decline in the church's authority which had previously been the bottom line for European citizens.” The Black Death had pessimistic consequences during the 14th Century
Europe.
A final deleterious impact to the 14th Century that the Black Death brought was religious favour that the European society had. The church thought that it was god’s punishment because you had sinned. Strange groups of people began to form in order to survive. They were the flagellants who whipped themselves to remove their sins. Since the disgraced church had no other reason that caused the plague other than god they blamed it on the Jews. (3) “The Jews must be getting poison from the devil and pouring down the wells of Christians to kill them all of.” So the Catholic society began their hatred of the Jews. When the situations got worse the persecution of the Jews began all around Europe. (4) “By authority of Amadeus VI, Count of Savoy, a number of the Jews who lived on the shores of Lake Geneva, having been arrested and put to the torture, naturally confessed anything their inquisitors suggested.” This is how the Jews were treated. The delinquent consequence of the Black Death in 14th Century Europe assisted the persecution of the Jews and to the benefit of the Catholic Church.
The negative consequences the Black Death brought were the diminishing of population which took Europe 150 years to recover, a breakdown of a classical system and the discrimination of a religious society that occurred in the 14th Century Europe.
(1): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consequences_of_the_Black_Death
(2): http://voices.yahoo.com/the-effects-black-death-medieval-european-5828354.html
(3): http://www.simpletoremember.com/articles/a/the_black_death/
(4): http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/jewish/1348-jewsblackdeath.asp