Black Death -- a Significant Essay

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This suffering was not exclusive to the lower classes with all social groups being affected. Outbreaks of bubonic plague were a regular feature of the Medieval Period though never as severe. Those who survived the plague were compelled to adjust to a new social and economic reality. Such a multitude of people had perished that a severe shortage of labor ensued which improved wages and living conditions for urban and rural workers. While these economic changes were permanent in some regions, in other areas the nobility and landowners successfully maintain the status quo. For example, in England when peasants attempted to take advantage of the favorable new conditions for workers after the plague, an assortment of peasants forces the King Richard II to meet with the rebels and agree to their stipulations. Yet, as soon as he was strong enough, Richard went back on his word and the peasant rebellions leaders were executed. Despite these setbacks, no monarch could stem the changes for long which resulted from the plague and tenured serfdom in England was abolished in the next century. Beyond its impact on serfdom, the drop in population due to the plague produced an increase in per capita wealth as defined by land ownership. A new type of consumer known as burghers started to reside in both the towns and the countryside. Outside of this class, regular people who could not be sure if they would be alive the next week due to the Black Death spent their money pumping new money into the economy. Furthermore, nobles and wealthy merchants commissioned churches and religious paintings, to express their thanks for surviving the epidemic.

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Scholars agree that the artistic styles which developed in the Medieval period were tremendously influential in the proceeding Renaissance.[footnoteRef:10] [10: Collins, R. 1999. Early Medieval Europe: 300 -- 1000 (2nd ed.). New York: St. Martin's Press. pp. 142-211.]

The tremendous influence of Christianity, the unprecedented architecture and terrible contagions that ravaged across Europe all shaped the history of the Medieval Epoch. In concert, they contributed to shaping one of the most influentional periods of history which laid the groundwork for all later European civilization. The centuries defined as the "Middle Ages" will should be understood as a time of tremendous change and struggles. Any visitor to Europe still marvels at this period's innovations in architecture, while the literary works are studied and remain fundamental to the Western cannon. The incredible political, cultural and religious changes Medieval Age influenced one another and in turn influenced all those who followed. The High Middle Ages and the whole age in general might be looked at as backward, however the changes it inspired need only be seen in the vibrant modern world that would follow.

Endnotes:

Artz, F. 1980. The Mind of the Middle Ages: An Historical Survey (3rd ed). Chicago: University of Chicago Press. pp 67-83.

Bishop, M. 2001. The Middle Ages. London: Mariner Books. pp. 32-44.

Cantor, N. 1994. The Civilization of the Middle Ages. New York: Harper Perennial. Chapter 2.

Collins, R. 1999. Early Medieval Europe: 300 -- 1000 (2nd ed.). New York: St. Martin's Press. pp. 142-211.

Holmes, G. 1992. The Oxford History of Medieval Europe. London: Oxford University Press. Chapters 8, 11 and.....

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