Black Death and European Culture

During and after the Black Death, Europe experienced turmoil in their society most evident in the economics social hierarchy, and religious beliefs of the European people.

A tremendous amount of people lost their lives to the disease, and the economy of Europe was left reeling. Masters who owned a great deal of servants lost all but a few of their workmen. They were in great need of help if they wanted to stay with their wealth. The people that had not been able to have jobs before the plague struck we now being begged by nobles to work for them. Seeing an opportunity for money, the people demanded higher wages. If they were refused, they turned and walked, not settling for less than they bargained for. An ordinance had to be drawn up to keep order in the economy. Almost every man was forced under the new laws to work and for as much as the master had set; no more, no less. The working men were also brought under this new economics system, in that they were not allowed to sell their goods for reasonable prices. The Black plague transformed the economy of Europe in a tremendous way.

Possibly the most important outcome of the Black Plague in Europe was social upheavals. This is none more evident than in the peasant rebellion of in 1358. There was no true order at the time, and no one could easily be forced under the king's command when the plague was at its worst. Serfs and commoners, in an attempt to shed themselves of their pitiful place in the social hierarchy, revolted. Groups of these people stole away to houses of knights and nobles. They tortured and killed them and their families, molested their womenfolk, and committed horrible acts. These devastating events all occurred because the townspeople felt they had been wronged by their society and found the opportunity presented to them by the Black Death.

In history it has become a pattern that, when society was at its worst, the easy scapegoat is the Jewish population. This holds startlingly true during the Black Plague. Jews suffered terrible bigotry during the plague, being accused of poisoning the drinking water and causing the deaths of entire cities. They were tried and sentenced, no matter what evidence was shown in their defense. The Christean population accused and threatened Jews so often that many confessed to causing the plague, even though it is impossible for them to have done so. Religion was even more so affected by the plague than persecution: when it came that the Jews were to be burned, a thousand of them told officials that they would accept baptism, and small children were ripped from their parents and baptized. Conversion of religions became common practice, which before rarely happened. The Black Plague put the religious aspect of society to the test, and Europe broke under the pressure.