Effects of the Plague
The Effects of The Plague on the Economic and Social Life of Europe The Black Death is the name later given to the Epidemic of plague that took over Europe between 1347 and 1351. The disease affected all areas of life. It caused chaos wherever it was spread. Depopulation and shortage of labor didn't help the wealthy; a society once based on your amount of wealth (land) was now turning into a battle between the social classes. Wealthy had to pay workers more because there were fewer workers, and workers demanded more money for their work. In less than four years the plague had a path of death through Asia, Italy, France, North Africa, Spain and Normandy, it even made its way over the Alps into Switzerland, and continued eastward into Hungary the plague continued by crossing the channel into England, Scotland, and Ireland, and eventually made its way into the northern countries of Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland and even as far north as Greenland. With more than one form during the same epidemic, allowed it to
None of these rebellions were successful. They thought God brought on the plague. Financial business, like credit unions, was now in big trouble; either the debtors had died along with their families, or the creditors had died along with their families. Between those two things, the standard of living rose. Europe's population was half what it had been in 1345. But those survivors would end up abandoning their village, to try to avoid the plague. The nobles quickly rejected hopes for a better life; many commoners then rose in rebellion. People lost all faith in religion, not even their prayers saved them from the plague. Without architects, masons, and artisans, great cathedrals and castles remained unfinished for hundreds of years. For the first time in history the tides turned against wealthy landlords as peasants and serfs gained more power. Workers were taking advantage of the labor shortage by demanding better terms from their landlords. Lack of peasants and laborers made wages increase, and the value of land decreased dramatically. If the landlords would not agree with the terms, the serfs would flee to areas where wages were higher or land renting was lower. Hundreds of Jews were accused of poisoning wells and burned. Some villages were completely wiped out or left with only a handful of survivors.
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