Black Death - 1579 Words

The most immediate effect of the plague was that it led to higher wages for the poor. Prior to the Black Death, Europe was in a state of overpopulation, and famines were a frequent occurrence (Herlihy 39). After the arrival of the first outbreak of plague, however, Europes population dropped somewhere between twenty-five and forty-five percent (Gottfried 77). Not only that, but, repeated occurrences of plague kept Europes population lowered, and it did not regain its pre-plague levels until the mid-sixteenth century (Gottfried 134). That overwhelming loss of so many lives turned the situation around, and suddenly Europe was facing a labor shortage. That gave laborers an advantage over their employers. With the lack of workers able†¦show more content†¦Even more striking is that of 672 new members from 1348 to 1368, only 222 had a familial relation to anyone in the trade (Herlihy 44). This is evidence that many more people were being trained in professional trades by t he guilds, and that many of them were the first members of their families to receive any type of formal training in a craft. Again, the poor were able to benefit from the tragic events of the plague. Not only were they able to receive higher wages, but they were also able to move up into a higher social class, and reap the benefits that came along with that. The plague also led to a higher standard of living. This was caused not only by the higher wages and upward mobility of the poor, but also by the low cost of food. With the reduced population of Europe, the food supply needed to feed less people, and prices dropped (Gottfried 98). The combined raise in wages and lower food costs meant that people had more money to spend and lived better than they ever had before. As an example, Robert S. Gottfried, a Professor of History at Rutgers University points out that an average person in Syria had a diet of around 1154 calories, which rose to 1930 calories by the middle of the fifteenth century (Gottfried 138). Another benefit of having moreShow MoreRelatedThe Black Of Black Death939 Words   |  4 Pageshistory few events seem as cataclysmic as the Black Death. The Black Death was actually one of the most deadly pandemics in human history. This awful pandemics most devastating time in Europe was between 1348 and 1350. According to some estimates it wiped out at least two-thirds of Europe’s population. A Malmesbury monk from Wiltshire wrote that, â€Å"Over England as a whole a fifth og men, women and children were carried to the grave.† (James â€Å"Black Death: The lasting impact†) Many epidemiologists stillRead MoreThe Death Of The Black Death1148 Words   |  5 PagesThe Black Death, one of the greatest natural disaster to hit Europe thus causing the death of many people in the most horrific manner and cause the end of feudalism. This was a disaster that affected one third of the European continent and also one that no one was prepared to face. It killed more people than during a war and it impacted simple lives of people, their culture, religion and the economy as a whole. The origin of The Black Death has several explanations. Some people said The Black DeathRead MoreThe Death Of The Black Death905 Words   |  4 Pagesgrew were dying. On the wake of these seven distressing years of weather and famine was the greatest plague of all times, The Black Death. In 1347 AD, The Black Death began spreading throughout Western Europe. Over the time span of three years, the widespread epidemic killed one third of the population in Europe with pretty near twenty five million people dead. The Black Death killed many more Europeans than any other endemic or war up to that time, vastly impacting the Church, the people, and the economyRead MoreThe Death Of The Black Death1380 Words   |  6 PagesThe Black Death was a very important time in history and, while devastating, it led to many advances in medicine due to the mass spread of a new deadly disease. The 14th Century encompassed the time period of January 1, 1301 to December 31, 1400. When this disease struc k, Ole J. Benedictow calculates that it killed about 50 million people in Europe alone, which was about 60% of Europe’s population at the time. That being said, the Black Death, often referred to as the Bubonic Plague, clocked inRead MoreThe Death Of The Black Death2017 Words   |  9 PagesThe Black Death The pandemic known to history as the Black Death was one of the world’s worst natural disasters in history. It was a critical time for many as the plague hit Europe and â€Å"devastated the Western world from 1347 to 1351, killing 25%-50% of Europe’s population and causing or accelerating marked political, economic, social, and cultural changes.† The plague made an unforgettable impact on the history of the West. It is believed to have originated somewhere in the steppes of central AsiaRead MoreThe Black Death1386 Words   |  6 Pagesatrocious and it made the perfect place for Yersinia Pestis to thrive. Yersinia Pestis is the virus responsible for the Black Death, a deadly disease that rapidly powered through Europe, killing nearly all of the people in its way. The Black Death had a lot of gruesome and terrifying symptoms that made bystanders sick just watching. Certain people were more likely to acquire the Black Death than others. Since peasants had worse l iving conditions than the nobility, they were far more likely to catch theRead MoreThe Black Death1386 Words   |  6 Pagesatrocious and it made the perfect place for Yersinia Pestis to thrive. Yersinia Pestis is the virus responsible for the Black Death, a deadly disease that rapidly powered through Europe, killing nearly all of the people in its way. The Black Death had a lot of gruesome and terrifying symptoms that made bystanders sick just watching. Certain people were more likely to acquire the Black Death than others. Since peasants had worse living conditions than the nobility, they were far more likely to catch theRead MoreThe Black Death1349 Words   |  6 Pagesatrocious and it made the perfect place for Yersinia Pestis to thrive. Yersinia Pestis is the virus responsible for the Black Death, a deadly disease that rapidly powered through Europe, killing nearly all of the people in its way. The Black Death had a lot of gruesome and scary symptoms that made bystanders sick just watching. Certain people were more likely to acquire the Black Death than others. Since peasants had worse living conditions than the nobility, they were far more likely to catch the PlagueRead MoreThe Black Death831 Words   |  4 PagesTHE BLACK DEATH! What Is The Black Death? The Black Death is a disease that went on for over 5 years. It also spread around a wide range of places! It killled and harmed thousands upon thousands of people and had no mercy. If you were to sadly catch the Black Death, you would DEFINITELY die and there was many cures and causes however none of the causes actually worked also all of causes were thought to be a punishment from God. Once you knew you had the Black DeathRead MoreThe Black Death1203 Words   |  5 PagesWhat were the short term and long term impacts of the Black Death on Medieval society? The Black Death is one of the most fatal diseases in human history and took its peak in Europe from 1348 to 1350. Half of Europe’s population was wiped out due to this disease and the short and long term impacts greatly affected the structure of Medieval Society. The Black Death or otherwise known as the plague was thought to have begun in Central Asia, which spread down the Silk Road and eventually to Europe