Consequences of the Black Death Population Consequences Urban
Consequences of the Black Death
Population Consequences • Urban populations recovered quickly • Rural populations recovered slowly • Pre-plague populations were reached in the 1500 s or 1600 s
Economic Consequences • Shortage of laborers rising wages for peasants & artisans • Demand for workers standard of living rose! • Decrease in financial distinctions increase in social distinctions • Difficulty & danger of obtaining goods extreme inflation (increase in prices) • The oppressed demanded fairer treatment • Landlords stopped freeing their serfs revolted & left the land
Social Consequences • Lack of sufficient law enforcement personnel promoted anarchy BUT…. • A growth in higher education & appreciation for health, medicine
Religious Consequences • Promised cures, treatment, & explanations that they couldn’t give • Church lost prestige, authority, & leadership • Revolts against the church • Severe shortage of clergy – functioned as nurses and consequently died. • The church targeted the Jews for persecution
Religious • Persecutions of the Jews – scapegoats • Massacres and burnings • By 1351, 60 major & 150 smaller Jewish communities had been exterminated • Lepers were also targeted • Jews expelled, moved to Poland & Lithuania
Music and Art • Culture turned morbid (dark) • Fascinated by death • Death was impending & inevitable • Death is a game, like chess! • Danse Macabre = the dance of death: skeletons mingling with the living • Shocking comparisons
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