Social And Economic Changes During The Black Death

The Black Death was a deadly disease that wiped out almost half of Europe’s population during the 14th century. Also known as the bubonic plague, the sickness emerged from the bacteria yersinia pestis that was carried by fleas on rats and was brought to Europe by merchant ships. It swept through Europe and racked up an immense number of fatalities, anywhere from 20 to 50 million. The Black Death significantly impacted Europe and caused major cultural, economic, religious, and social changes. Because the Black Death killed millions of people, it greatly affected the economy by creating labor shortages, changes in social structure, and extensive inflation

Due to the death toll of the Black Death, labor shortages greatly impacted Europe.

Before

Some historians estimate anywhere from 20 to 50 million casualties.

There was so much death during the black death, in return this made labor shortages a major issue.

Workers were in high demand and landowners needed laborers. They were willing to supply free tools just to encourage people to work for them.

Wage increases were a direct result of labor shortages. The few workers that remained were able to demand higher wages because the employers were desperate for help.

The wage increases caused by the black death are the main reason for changes in social structure during this time.

The peasant class went through the most changes during and after the black death. Since wages were being increased because of labor shortages, peasants were gaining more wealth from the jobs they did.

Peasants began experiencing more freedom than they had ever had before. They had more money and there were fewer limits on social mobility. The nobility did not want peasants to have these privileges and passed laws to keep the lower class people from rising into the higher classes. These laws were called sumptuary laws and they controlled what clothes peasants were allowed to wear so they couldn’t act a higher