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.[1]
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. [2]
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.[3] 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.[4] 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.[5]
Population impact. The virus and the plague have caused a decline in society in terms of the number of deaths and the economic loss in this world. For example, the Black Plague destroyed one quarter of the European population and is called one of the most significant diseases in history. Between 1348 and 1351, more than one million men, women, and children died in England. This was over one third of England's population dead due to this deadly virus
Working conditions. As large numbers of peasants die from the Black Death rents are no longer paid, there is a shortage of labour and serfs are no longer readily available to be called up into regional military forces in times of need.
As a result of the labour shortages caused by the Black Death the landed aristocracy begin to lose much of their power and status.