Black Death in The History Of European Society

The Black Death is historically renowned for devastating the European population by killing approximately a third of it. In the decades following the plague however, there were some positive consequences for European society through the significant social, religious, economic, and scientific changes. The Black Death remains to this day as one of the most catastrophic pandemics Europe has faced with the plague reaching European soil via newly explored and expanded trade routes with Asia. This essay will explore the ways in which the Black death caused a transformation of European society through the religious, economic, and social effects it had.

The first way in which European society was transformed was through economic shift in the value of both goods and land. As a result of the heavy death toll of workers, landowners faced new difficulties in producing supplies. Obtaining imports and exports or simply even goods from trade markets also became complicated as the fear of contracting the disease stopped people from meeting and exchanging. Equally, the value of land collapsed. For a long period before the plague, the value and pricing of land steadily rose meaning owning land was associated to people of higher classes however, after a vast number of landowners died due to the disease, land became abundant and the price quickly plummeted. These newly dropped prices resulted in people from lower classes, and previously unable to afford land, were now landowners.

As a consequence of the Black Death, peasants were inspired to explore revolutionary and progressive ideas leading to the establishment of poor laws. Giovanni Boccaccio in his Decameron explained how peasants had died in huge quantities: ‘The plight of the lower and most of the middle classes was even more pitiful to behold. Most of them remained in their houses, either through poverty or in hopes of safety, and fell sick by the thousands. Since they received no care and attention, almost all of them died.’

With the supply of labour being so short, peasants started to demand higher prices from the lords and elites. With an increase in wage, the peasants were on the path to close the class divide. In an attempt to suppress these demands, King Edward III of England issued the ordinance of labours in 1349, which was later, in 1351 passed as the statute of labours. This required all able bodies who were unemployed and younger than sixty to work for a fixed wage or face the possibility of a fine or imprisonment. This however, did not suppress the demands of the peasants, as Henry Knighton noted: ‘The workers, nevertheless, were so elated and contrary that they did not heed the mandate of the king [prohibiting higher wages] but if anyone wanted to hire them, he had to give them as the desired; either lose their crops and fruit or grant the selfish and lofty wishes of the workers.’

Consequent to an increase in wages, peasants felt empowered which in turn caused serfdom to expire across numerous places. Thus, a decline of manorialism was triggered. Serfs no longer belonged to one specific landlord and would regularly move to others who would hire them if the price was right. The lack of continuous and guaranteed work lead to the collapse of many previously self-sufficient manors. The need for merchants was increased and caused re-urbanisation due to the fact that cities were able to provides for their citizens without the need for serfdom.

Another way in which the Black death transformed European society was through the progress and advancements made in medical practice and health procedures. Medical practice and treatments at the time were prohibited for individuals not associated with the church, however after the pandemic, people began to turn to private doctors. This allowed for investigations into medicines and treatments expanding outside Church doctrine. Governments across Europe began to do the same in forming effective public health practices. Understanding and knowledge of disease and treatment also developed as a result of the plague, early ideas of quarantine were established; infected bodied were advised to isolate and were refused from entering cities.

Unfortunately for the Catholic Church, the effects of the Black Death were not as positive as they had been for peasants. A distrust in the church and in God developed as people began to release that their religion had not helped them or their families in avoiding the plague. Numerous priests also perished due to the disease and in turn, church services across Europe simply ended. Furthermore, people who donated regularly and generously to the church were aggravated that they too were not saved from God’s punishment and many of these donations stopped. Some individuals turned to public self-flagellation in order to take control of their own religion. It was believed by many that confession and apologising for their sins would protect them from the disease.

Another group that did not fare so well as a result of the Black Death was Jewish populations. Jews across Europe were regularly targeted as scapegoats, accused of black magic and poisoning drinking water in wells. They were accused of this predominantly due to their mortality rates being significantly lower, with hindsight, modern historians have attributed this statistic to the Jewish laws regarding hygiene.

An additional transformation to European society was the devastation of European culture. With the inevitability of death, no matter your age, sex, or class coming to the forefront of society’s realisation, art and culture in the subsequent years after the pandemic demonstrated and characterised this realisation. A new dark genre: The Dance of Death became a coping mechanism for artists. This genre used metaphors in order to represent the newly understood realisations that regardless of one’s journey through life, in the end, everyone will dance the same dance of death.

To conclude, the Black Death transformed European society in several ways, both positively and negatively. From the decrease in value of land and goods and the subsequent increase in peasant wages, wealth inequality quickly declined caused the weakening of feudalism and the manorial system. Public opinion of the church was damaged and with it came a lack of church control over society. Undoubtedly, the Black Death shook the foundations of European society. This allowed new societal developments and discoveries in fields such as science and medicine as well as new religions thus transforming European society.