Though many of the peasants were blatantly oppressed and taken advantage of, there was little to be done to reform their lifestyle, and there was hardly any means by which to protest against the status quo, before 1348, so the Black Death offered the opportunity for reform. The de-population of villages and towns due to the high mortality rate of the Black Death forced the land owners and nobles to reform their attitudes towards the surviving workers. The effect of the plague is described by one writer of the time: ‘So great was the universal pestilence that many corpses of poor people who had died of hunger or plague were to be found lying in the roadways, and a number of towns had general pits dug in the cemeteries….’ (2*) and in modern figures for Ragusa, analysts divided death figures into class: 170 counts, gentlemen, ladies and their children, 100 middle class and a striking 1000 workers. (3*) This evidence testifies the fact that many of the people most prone to die of the plague where the poor, as the plague and famine seemed to work together in wiping out those who were already under nourished and thus more susceptible to illness. Also, the peasantry lived in small overcrowded huts which helped the disease spread amongst them at a more rapid rate. The significant gap in the population left by the Black Death then worked to the benefit of the survivors. Suddenly, there were not enough people to collect harvest, and thousands of acres of untilled land were to become worthless. The Peasants seem to have been quick to realize the value of their services, and the landowners now having a much increased value on workers became more susceptible to conform to the demands of the peasants, most importantly in their requests for higher wages. This in effect reversed the relationship between workers and landowners, and as a result of these demands, there was an emergence of a new class that had not previously existed.
(2*) (3*) ‘The Great Pestilence’ By Gasquet (1893) – taken from Wyttenback and Muller
Whereas class distinctions were rather rigid prior to 1348, the epidemic instigated a social revolution among the poorer working classes, and the bailiff farming system was discontinued and farming on lease was adopted soon after the epidemic. There was an emergence of Yeomen who owned up to 100 acres of land and this marked the beginnings of a middle class, as these Yeomen and their new status, would soon encourage other workers that they too would have a chance for self improvement. It is no surprise that the Yeomen were a threat to the authority at the time, and laws such as the 1363 sumptuary law show how the leaders at the time felt about aspiring workers. These laws were an attempt to re establish the status quo that existed before the plague but seem to have had little effect on the social revolution that was occurring throughout Europe.
Another way the Black Death played an extremely important role in changing society was that it altered people’s attitudes towards the church and its authority, which dominated most aspects of medieval society, most importantly politics. Historians who see the oppressive nature of the church as a hindrance of development in the medieval ages, view the effect on the church in a positive light. Such was the power of the church (Roman Catholic) during that time that the pope was often seen as having more authority than the King, as is seen in the following extract taken from the Dictatus Papae (a blueprint for the Catholic Church): ‘…all princes should kiss the feet of the pope alone’ Despite the fact that the Black Death worked to increase dedication to the church as fanatic groups such as flagellants arose, and people who saw the plague as a judgment from God increased their commitment to the bible laws, when the pestilence struck, the church with all its power was rendered useless in the face of mass devastation. The loss of huge numbers of the clergy, reduced the membership of the church, and as historians studying the psychological effect of the Black Death such as John .H. Lienhard (4*)(Harvard University) conclude, the concept of dying at any moment ‘…left people less inclined to live wholesomely’.
(4*) ‘Engines of our ingenuity’ –John .H. Lienhard (2001)
The illusion that the church had divine power and control could only have been shattered by a force such as the Black Death. Additionally, the subsequent lack of respect for religious authority made people question their social status. In a way then, the new hedonism of the working classes could be seen as an indirect consequence of the demise of the church, which seems to be primarily brought about by the Black Death. Another thing worth considering was that whereas previously, priests had the monopoly on the majority who were illiterate in Latin, the death of the Latin speaking clergymen meant that there was an increasing need to have the Latin bibles translated to English, and about this time there was a revolution in medieval literature.
The political changes that were occurring during the fourteenth century also seem to have been effected by the demise in the church. A key example is that of Wycliffe John a reformist who rejected the Catholic pope, the likes of which were not heard of before the Black Death when the pope was followed without question. Riots caused by the defiance of this religious figure testify to the political upheaval of the time, and new boldness against authority.
The Black Death caused political worry amongst the elites, as the surviving peasants now were bolder and started to seek a change in their way of life. The first ‘Trade Unions’ sprung up amongst survivors, who needed more rigid organization when working than previously. Government tried to control rising wages and changing aspirations, the ‘Ordinance Of Laborers’ was promulgated through parliament in 1351 after legislation from the elites in 1349, this law shows the political threat that the laborers presented with their new freedoms. However, this was a vain attempt to subdue the movement appears to have failed, In Farnham for example, a carpenter on 3d pre 1346 was being paid 5d by 1367. (5*) The economic changes that were occurring in the form of higher wages for workers, also presented a threat to the ruling classes. The ordinance of Laborers was also passed due to landowners often using the raise in wages for laborers as an excuse for not meeting royal demands.
(5*) ‘Black Death Social and political changes’- Dr Mike Ibeji
The roots of the Peasants revolt in 1381 have been popularly traced by historians back to the political and social upheaval caused by the Black Death. The reign of Richard ii illustrates how crown and society changed during this time as the plague and his policies worked together to instigate the revolt. The most obvious way the Black Death was responsible in this event was that the passing of the ‘Poll Tax’ in 1380, which was a result of the rising prices of labor for the peasants and ambitious Yeomen. It was in response to this law that the peasants protested, but it is also worthwhile to consider that the new boldness and confidence of the workers can be stemmed back to the fact that the weakness of the ruling classes had been exposed during the epidemic.
In Conclusion the effect of the Black Death was significant both socially and politically, in that it offered an opportunity for the unrest of the long suffering working classes to come a head. Because the Plague was indiscriminate, and affected all the classes, it was the golden moment at which the existing powers were at their weakest and most vulnerable. The poor, who were used to suffering were now presented with a new opportunity for self betterment and sharply seem to have seized the moment. In this way, the Black Death revolutionized the existing social order successfully. The social changes were Positive for the most part, although many were still desperately poor but it was the physiological effect of the plague that was the most powerful, as it was more deep rooted and harder to control. Gradually, the change in social status for the workers, affected the authority of the status quo and began the seeds of change in the political aspects of Medieval Europe.
Bibliography:____________________________
Books:
Everyday Life – Christopher Dyer
Later Medieval Europe – Daniel Waley
(Published 1964)
The Black Death transformed – Samuel K Cohn, Jr.
(Published 2002)
The Great Pestilence – Francis Aidan Gasquet (D.D., O.S.B.)
(Published 1893)
Internet:
-‘The reign of Richard ii 1377-1399’ By Ian Bremner
-‘Engines of our ingenuity’ By John .H. Lienhard
- ‘The Effects of the Black Death on Medieval Europe’ By Brian Kelderhouse
- ‘Black Death- social and political changes’ By Mike Ibeji,
- ‘The Black Death’s lasting impact on British society’ By Professor Tom James
