Social Consequences of Black Death Plague in Medieval Europe

Social Consequences of Black Death Plague in Medieval Europe

Increased Persecution of the Jews. Jews were often targeted, since people were at a loss to explain the plague. Entire Jewish settlements were exterminated in some cases. Ethnic hatred was the underlying factor, flared by these frustrating times. Comparatively fewer Jews perished, so it was seen by many as a Jewish conspiracy, or a curse from God for allowing Jews into their lands. In reality, Jewish settlements were typically isolated, and Jews typically possessed better hygiene, due to religious practices. However, this was not understood at the time, since micro-organisms were yet to be discovered.

(Continued Below)

Peasant Revolts. Due to the inability of governments to solve the plague, peasant revolts became common. Monarchs & nobles compounded matters by instituting wage controls, despite the fact that wages should have increased due to a shortage of labor supply.

Papal Authority Weakens. The Church was powerless to stop the plague, since viruses were not yet understood by humanity. Black Death was seen as a curse instead. Promises and predictions were unfulfilled, while prayers and devotion to the church did nothing to even slow the rampant disease and death. This contributed to philosophical questioning and critical analysis of life, and the world.

Lower-Class Leverage & Enlightenment. During the initial years, when the death toll was at its worst, it was commonly believed that the world was literally coming to and end. This is very understandable, as modern people would feel the same way if half the population died over the course of a few years. However, survivors and their posterity would go on to actually thrive in the post-Black Death world, serving as a stark reminder that life marches on. Peasants would eventually benefit from higher wages due to the labor supply shortage. It would play a part in the Renaissance and Enlightenment, as people would dare question and challenge sacred institutions such as the Church and the King. People would seek academic knowledge in place of superstition, which proved useless during the plague.

Save up to 85% on over 1300 magazines at BlueDolphin.com

Comments (0)

Name

Comment

To prevent automated Bots form spamming, please enter the text you see in the image below in the appropriate input box. Your comment will only be submitted if the strings match. Please ensure that your browser supports and accepts cookies, or your comment cannot be verified correctly.

Genealogy Search:

Individual


First Name	Last Name

For females, use maiden name
(last name before marriage)

Father


First Name	Last Name

Mother


First Name	Last Name

Visit OneGreatFamily.com

Hundreds of News, Business, Political, Economic and Other Magazines.

Try any magazine for 3 months - risk free (cancel anytime).

Subscribe Now