As feudalism altered, it changed many other aspects of change and social standing. A historian notes, "As you move away from feudalism, the lord stops eating with everybody and goes to a private chamber and eats with his family, creating the beginnings of family life as opposed to courtly life. And houses change to reflect that the halls shrink and eventually disappear" (Sargent 2007, 114). There were slightly greater opportunities for women after the epidemic, too. There was such a shortage of labor; many women began working, mostly in the textile and beer brewing areas. Therefore, everything from the size of housing, to family life also altered after the plague, and eventually that would lead society from feudalism to capitalism, one of the biggest changes of all.
Because of the Black Death, the prices of goods were higher and food prices lower, the nobles were making less money. They wanted sanctions from the government to fix prices and increase their profits. Around Europe, the governments complied, and peasant revolts began to take place. Author Backman states, "All across northern Europe, peasants were resentful that what they had hoped would be their gain from the epidemic -- decreased rents for tenants and increased wages for rural laborers -- turned instead into increased dependence on the landlords" (Backman 2003, 379). As word of the revolts spread, more peasants began to demand their rights, and one of the largest revolts, called the English Peasant Revolt of 1381, showed that feudalism was a dying cause.
The English Peasant Revolt of 1381 came about because of the government's issuance of statutes that taxed the peasants and limited the amount of wages they could be paid. Historian Kreis notes, "In 1380, the English government issued a new poll tax, the third in just four years. Meanwhile, landlords were constantly increasing rents on their land, and to which the peasants was now tied by the Statute of Labourers" (Kreis 2006). The poll tax taxed everyone just because they existed, and it was the last straw for the peasants. Another historian notes, "While these conferences were going forward, there happened in England great commotions among the lower ranks of the people, by which England was near ruined without resource" (Muhlberger 2010). Sixty-thousand...
Black Death and its impact on Western Civilization Black Death and Religion The Black Death adversely impacted the reputation of the Catholic Church since its own adherents (including clergy) were ill and dying and the Church proved impotent to cure them. This feeling of disillusionment towards the church was reinforced by oen of the theories of its transmission that speculated that it was disseminated through the air by way of "miasma'
Black Death and Religion in Western Europe The Black Death is perhaps considered as the most devastating pandemic that has happened to humanity in the previous to the present century. The disease was transmitted from Asia into and through Europe. The disease set feet in Europe by the sea in October of 1347 when trading ships belonging to Genoese set their dock at the Silician Port of Messina when it
As a result of the death in the church, written language suffered greatly. Carvings, previously mostly of religious scenes or icons, began to reflect the death of the time. Coffin lids were carved with representations of the deceased within. Sculptures reflected the rotting disease, and the consumption of the dead by insects. Paintings reflected the death through depictions of people socializing with skeletons. Previous to the plague, art was
Due to a shortage in labor supply, the demand for the working class increased exponentially. As such, the peasants were no longer at the bottom of the hierarchy in terms of the social and the economic class -- they were suddenly a highly desirable commodity that began charging fees to provide ti. The following quotation corroborates this fact. Labour had become scarce and expensive and labourers well-off. Thos who survived
Medieval Life was perilous for those who lived during this period. There were a number of issues that made life particularly difficult. Low literacy rates meant that people had little access to information. Because travel was difficult and dangerous, they also had little access to information that would help them improve their lives. In addition, their lives were almost completely under the control of the Roman Catholic Church, which was
The Black Death and RenaissanceThe Black Death swept across Europe from 1347 to 1351, leading to an estimated death of 75-200 million people, or approximately 30-60% of Europe\\\'s total population at that time (Gottfried, 2010). It was believed to be caused by the Bubonic plague, a deadly infection carried by fleas on black rats, and it resulted in severe social, economic, and cultural impacts. The Renaissance, on the other hand,
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now