Environmental World History Questions

Running head: IMPACTS OF THE BLACK PLAGUE ON EUROPEANS 1

IMPACTS OF THE BLACK PLAGUE ON EUROPEANS 10

Impacts of the Black Plague on Europeans

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Impacts of the Black Plague on Europeans

The Black Plague is still regarded as the worst natural disaster in human history. The Plague arrived in Europe in 1347 and ravaged the continent until 1352 CE (Jedwab, Johnson, & Koyama, 2019). The Plague spread across Europe and Asia, causing widespread hysteria and death. The Plague killed approximately 25 million people leading to severe depopulation, which disrupted the socio-economic feudal system that prevailed at the time. The experience of the Plague affected every aspect of people's lives at the time regardless of their social statuses. Even though pandemics were common in the Middle Ages, no pandemic with the severity of the Black Death had been experienced before (Jedwab et al., 2019). The Black Death had devastating effects to the point where individuals who survived could not go back to their previous way of life or living. The Plague changed the fundamental paradigm of European life in many different areas. It is therefore important to study the social, economic, and political impacts of the black Plague on Europeans.

The Social Economic Effects of the Black Plague

Before the emergence of the black Plague in Europe, the society, the feudal system had divided the people into a caste system with the rich and influential at the top while the rest at the bottom. The caste system had the King at the top. Wealthy merchants and nobles were directly below the King and they were followed peasants or serfs who were at the bottom of the system (Benedictow, 2019). The Catholic Church was seen as the highest authority when it came to spiritual matters and it had the power to influence the political and economic aspects of people's lives. Women were regarded as second class citizens while art and architecture was majorly based on the people's religious beliefs in a God who responded to prayers.

In the feudal system, the King owned all the land which he allocated to nobles and wealthy merchants. The nobles would then hire peasants or serfs who would work the land in exchange for a place to live. The nobles would then share a percentage of the profits that they had made with the King (DeWitte, 2014). The serfs were not paid. Instead, they were given food and a place to live as they worked the land. Because it was thought that the King owned all the land, he had the power to gift it to his friends and other noble people who had been helpful to him. As a result, every available piece of land was owned by nobles who had serfs working for them. By 1347 CE, Europe had experienced a population boom. However, the majority of the people were peasants and they did not have any property. As a result, they were forced to work as serfs in exchange for lodging and food (Fredona, 2018). Serfs would work from the time they were able to do minor chores to their death. Serfs, were therefore, considered to be slaves because they were not paid for the services they rendered to the nobility. The feudal system did not allow for upward mobility. Therefore, most people would be born as serfs and die as serfs while working at the same estate.

The arrival of the Plague however, led to widespread deaths. Many of the serfs, together with the nobles died from the Plague, leading to depopulation. Depopulation led to a reduction in the workforce, forcing serf labor to be an important and rare asset. The absence of serf labor meant that the lords could not till their own land. Therefore, they could not feed their families or pay tithes to the King (Alfani, 2013). A reduction in serf labor gave the surviving peasants a higher bargaining power since their services were badly needed by the nobles and the wealthy merchants. The increased demand for serf labor enabled them to negotiate for better pay and treatment. As the Plague continued, the lives of the lowest class of people within the caste system significantly improved since they were being paid for their labor (Alfani & Murphy, 2017). The peasants could now afford better living conditions, buy better clothing and afford luxury items

After the Plague had passed, the upper class felt challenged by the lower classes because they could afford better living conditions and clothes. Most of the nobles were worried that the serfs had forgotten about their place and that there was a need for them to be reminded of where they belonged. The period following the end of the Plague saw a drastic change in fashion as the nobles went for more expensive and extravagant clothing to distinguish themselves from the serfs who could also afford fine clothing than before (Welford & Bossak, 2009). There were instances where the nobles tried to return the serfs to their previous positions forcefully. However, the efforts did not yield any positive results as they led to several uprisings like the peasant revolt in France, which occurred in 1358 CE, the Peasants' Revolt of London in 1381 CE, and the guild revolts of 1378 CE (). The outbreaks of the Black Plague, therefore, contributed to the end of the caste system. However, class struggle would continue for generations to come.

The Ordinance of Laborers is one of the major political effects of the Black Plague on Europe. The depopulation caused by the Black Plague led to a shortage of labor provided by the serfs. The value of livestock also decreased due to the pandemic (Gascuel et al., 2013). Such conditions gave the serfs more bargaining powers when it came to salary negotiations and the pursuit of better paying opportunities. Seeing that they were losing control of the peasants, the wealthy classes came up with laws meant to contain the peasants in their positions. For example, the wealthy class drafted the Ordinance of Laborers in June 1349 (Gascuel et al., 2013). The Ordinance of Laborers prevented peasants from searching for employment due to the desire to get better pay. The law further required the serfs to offer their services under the same conditions they would have offered six years before the inflation (Jedwab et al., 2019). The ordinance further demanded that peasants who demand higher pay be imprisoned. The enactment of such laws led to conflict between the political and social classes at the time.

The black Plague also introduced religious conflict in Europe. Since individuals had tried all remedies in vain, they started to look for people to blame for their situation. For example, the mass hysteria caused by the Plague led to physical and verbal attacks on the Catholic Church and the King. Most people believed that leapers and the Jews were responsible for the spread of the Plague. It was widely believed that the Jews had poisoned the water and air, contributing to the disease's spread (Benedictow, 2019). Since the church and the crown were dedicated to protecting all people, including the Jews and leapers, they received physical and verbal attacks. King's men would be frequently attacked as they tried to uphold the laws of the land. The protection of the Jews did not help matters as the Jews were seen as the King's property, leading to increased persecution of the Jews.

The Black Death almost led to the collapse of most administrative units in Europe. The Black Death claimed the lives of many government officials and influential political figures all over Europe. As more and more government officials got infected, they isolated themselves in their homes until their deaths. The gap left by the affected government officials and political figures led to political instability, mostly since very few people could replace the dead (DeWitte, 2014). Governments were also overwhelmed by the Plague because they did not have a solid strategy to contain it. No one knew the source of the Plague at the time, making it hard for governments to come up with an effective response. Physicians also fled the pandemic leaving state heads to suffer (Fredona, 2018. Such factors led to the collapse of many administrative units in Europe, giving way to foreign powers, which capitalized on the situation to claim power by creating nation-states which controlled Europe during the Renaissance.

From the analysis, it is evident that the black Plague changed Europe both socially and politically. The Plague brought the caste system to an end and ushered in a new era of class conflict. The living standards of the majority of the poor improved since the Plague enabled them to bargain for better wages and working conditions.

Economic Impacts of the Black Plague

One of the major economic effects of the Black Plague was evident in agriculture. The arrival of the black Plague greatly affected European agriculture, which was the main economic activity. Before the Plague, Europe was a thriving agricultural economy founded on the feudal system and the cast economy (Alfani, 2013). However, the arrival of the Plague led to the deaths of millions of people, most of who worked on farms. With almost two-thirds of Europe's population eliminated by the Plague, there was a labor shortage since the serfs were not available to work on the farms. The reduction in the supply of farm labor led to a drastic decrease in the continent's agricultural output. The Plague also increased the demand for farm labor, giving the surviving serfs an upper hand in wage negotiations (Alfani, 2013). Most serfs looked for better employment opportunities, a factor which would not be possible during the time before the Plague. Most of the lords agreed to the demands of the serfs and started offering better pay and living conditions. However, as the Plague ravaged, other lords could not find the labor required to sustain their production. As a result, they turned to other farming methods. Since the growth and harvesting of grain were labor-intensive and expensive, most lords decided to shift to the rearing of sheep (Welford & Bossak, 2009). Rearing sheep was better than grain farming because it was less costly and did not require a lot of labor. The demand for meat and woolen clothing also made sheep rearing a profitable venture during a tough period. As the incomes of both the serfs and the lords increased, the demand for fruits and vegetables also increased. Increased demand for these products led to increased production (Gascuel et al., 2013). Soon, most serfs could become stable and move away from their lords' estates, with some buying their land.

Alfani and Murphy et al. (2017) state that even though the Black Death was one of the greatest tragedies in humankind's history, it led to depopulation, which in turn increased wages and standards of living. The Plague gave peasants more income, improved standards of living, and more freedom. Although the black Plague generally improved the living standards of people at the time, it had adverse economic effects on the continent's economy. The Plague claimed the lives of nearly 25 million people, most of whom were non-disabled individuals in their most productive years (Fredona, 2018). The deaths of millions of people affected Europe's economy since productivity dropped to an all-time low. There were no people to work on the farms and also carry out other economic activities. The continent could also not trade due to the barriers erected by the Plague. Most of the merchants that traveled to different continents for trade were affected by the Plague and, as a result, could not trade (Fredona, 2018). Many of them lost their jobs because the Plague had prevented them from moving from one place to another. It would take the continent many years to recover from the effects of the Plague.

In summation, it is evident that the black Plague had significant social, economic, and political impacts on Europe. The arrival of the Plague, however, led to widespread deaths. Many of the serfs, together with the nobles, died from the Plague, leading to depopulation. Depopulation led to a reduction in the workforce, forcing serf labor to be an important and rare asset. The absence of serf labor meant that the lords could not till their land. The increased demand for serf labor enabled them to negotiate for better pay and treatment. As the Plague continued, the lives of the lowest class of people within the caste system significantly improved since they were being paid for their labor. The peasants could now afford better-living conditions, buy better clothing, and afford luxury items. Seeing that they were losing control of the peasants, the wealthy classes came up with laws meant to contain the peasants in their positions. For example, the wealthy class drafted the Ordinance of Laborers in June 1349. The Ordinance of Laborers prevented peasants from searching for employment due to the desire to get better pay. The law further required the serfs to offer their services under the same conditions they would have offered six years before the inflation. The ordinance further demanded that peasants who demand higher pay be imprisoned. The enactment of such laws led to conflict between the political and social classes at the time. The black Plague also affected Europe's economy. The agricultural sector, which was the major income earner, almost collapsed. The continent also lost its most productive individuals to the Plague, further affecting productivity.

References

Alfani, G. (2013). Plague in seventeenth-century Europe and the decline of Italy: An epidemiological hypothesis. European Review of Economic History, 17(4), 408-430. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/ereh/het013

Alfani, G., & Murphy, T. E. (2017). Plague and lethal epidemics in the pre-industrial world. The Journal of Economic History, 77(1), 314-343. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0022050717000092

Benedictow, O. J. (2019). Epidemiology of Plague: Problems with the use of mathematical epidemiological models in plague research and the question of transmission by human fleas and lice. The Canadian Journal of Infectious Diseases & Medical Microbiology, 2019, 20. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2019/1542024

DeWitte, S. N. (2014). Mortality risk and survival in the aftermath of the medieval black death. PLoS One, 9(5) doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0096513

Fredona, R. (2018). 0RW1S34RfeSDcfkexd09rT2William caferro1RW1S34RfeSDcfkexd09rT2, Petrarch's war: Florence and the black death in context. Business History Review, 92(4), 749-753. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0007680518001022

Gascuel, F., Choisy, M., Duplantier, J., Débarre, F., & Brouat, C. (2013). Host resistance, population structure and the long-term persistence of bubonic Plague: Contributions of a modeling approach in the Malagasy focus: E1003039. PLoS Computational Biology, 9(5), e1003039. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1003039

Jedwab, R., Johnson, N. D., & Koyama, M. (2019). Negative shocks and mass persecutions: Evidence from the Black Death. Journal of Economic Growth, 24(4), 345-395. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10887-019-09167-1

Welford, M. R., & Bossak, B. H. (2009). Validation of inverse seasonal peak mortality in medieval plagues, including the black death, in comparison to modern yersinia pestis- variant diseases. PLoS One, 4(12) doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0008401