Europe History - Black Death

Europe during the Black Death

Europe experienced a plague outbreak between the years of 1347 and 1351 that became known as the Black Death. The epidemic had a profound impact on every part of medieval Europeans’ lives. The fortunate survivors were left to struggle to restore order and produce food as the population of the nation was dramatically declining. For instance, Europe lacked the ability to supply enough labor to meet labor needs because of this depopulation and illness. While the societal stratification loosened, labor rates skyrocketed. In this essay, some of these fiscal and social problems will be discussed, along with how the Black Death affected them. Significance of impacts on the economic and cultural life of medieval Europe.

The Effects of the Black Death

As mentioned above, after the plague hit the social and economic order was adversely affected. The course of Europe would then be dictated by these effects. The Black Death led to deaths of over 60% of the country’s population between the years 1347 and 1350. The world population was also had hit as an estimated population of over 450 million was reduced less than 375 million. According to research, the Black Death coincided with a period whereby Europe was undergoing a population influx into urban areas. This movement had seen a rise in business, manufacturing, and innovation in various sectors including agriculture. This was a period between c. 1000 to c.1300; this period was then cut short by the ravaging Black Death that lasted all through to c. 1500 (Seifert et al., 2016). When the plague ended, Europe took another economic turn. This time saw an abundance of goods with reduced prices and high rates of job vacancies with raised wages. Some analysts actually believe that the standards of living became better. This was mainly because of the high wages and surplus jobs. These changes began the shift from feudalism and paved way for the Renaissance.

Social Impact of the Black Death

During the course of the pandemic, the social aspect of the country was largely affected. Artists such as Picasso made paintings that depicted the suffering and desperation the people faced. Throughout the 14th century, Europe was struggling with failed religion. There were stories and theories making rounds and the most common of them was that Black Death was the wrath of God. People felt abandoned given that the church was failing to remedy the disease. The doctors, on the other hand, were also perplexed and the society was left to believe that the disease was out to wipe out humanity. Given that no one knew how the disease was being transmitted, most people believed that the disease was controlled by a supernatural power. The act of flagellation became widespread as people opted to punish themselves to avoid the punishment through Black Death. The churches failed completely to control or protect the people. Church leaders lost power and influence as most of the people believed that there was something wrong with the church. Religion and faith began to be slowly restored after researchers discovered the cause and remedy of the disease (Freewalt & Thornton, 2016).

Conclusion

The plague was significantly devastating given that it appeared in more than one form. The people did not know what to do when it hit. At that time the economy of Europe’s economy was growing but not stable. Black Death worsened this state and along with it the drastic change in the social life within the continent. It is commendable how Europe and the rest of the world managed to rise after that.

References

Freewalt, J., & Thornton, H. (2016). After The Black Death, By George Huppert: An Annales School Analysis Of Early Modern Europe.

Seifert, L., Wiechmann, I., Harbeck, M., Thomas, A., Grupe, G., Projahn, M., ... & Riehm, J. M. (2016). Genotyping Yersinia pestis in Historical Plague: Evidence for Long-Term Persistence of Y. pestis in Europe from the 14th to the 17th Century. PLoS One, 11(1), e0145194.