The Consequences Of The Plague In The Middle Ages

The Consequences of the Plague in Middle Ages

The Middle Ages were without a doubt a significant part of human history. One of the most tragic, yet influential happenings during said time was the Plague, also known as the Black Death. The incredibly large numbers of deaths due to the illness had a great effect on the survivors and it sparked changes in the way people perceived the world as well as themselves. Therefore, the most important consequences of the Black Death could be seen in three major spheres: social, religious and cultural.
First of all, the Plague affected the social sphere of people’s lives. Generally, the majority of the remaining population started to behave more recklessly due to the shock of witnessing the horrors of the Black Death. People no longer saw the reasons to treat others with respect or worry about their own fates, because they did not understand why their God had inflicted such a tragedy upon them. As a result, there was a dramatic increase in violence, fraud, vandalism, prostitution and other criminal activity after the time of the Plague.
The Church was the most influential institution during the Middle Age period, however, after the Black Death survivors suffered what is called a communal crisis of faith. This means that instead of thanking and praising their God for surviving the deadly illness, people started having doubts, as the Church could not give them any answers in regards to the Plague or offer help. Consequently, the people did not deem the Church and religion itself as trustworthy as they did before the