Effects of Plague

Effects of Plague

1. Overview

   • Plague effectively finished in 1351
     • Lots of fornication at this time - celebrating survival
       • Life improved vastly for survivors
         • Clothing, Housing, food all improves
           • Food prices fall dramatically
             • Peasants had access to high quality food much more often
               • Birth rate rose immediately after plague

2. Plague Returns

   • 1361 Pestis Secunda
     • Hit children born after first plague very hard
       • Had no previous resistance
     • Adults who survives 1st one seem fine
       • Immune in some way
     • 25% death rate appox
     • Dies away within a year
   • 1369 Pestis Tertiary
     • Mainly in the summer
       • Then recurrent plagues every summer til 17th Century
         • Royals + Parliament always move away in summer to avoid it
           • Last Major outbreak in 1665
     • Particularly countryside not towns

3. Statistics

   • Population levels
     • it's thought that if plague was only in 1348-50 - population wouldve recovered by 1360
       • Due to recurring plagues and low birth rates, didn't actually recover til late 16th Century
         • After Original Plague, third die, 5 mil down to 3.5 mil approx
   • Life expectancy
     • 13th/14th Century - L.E is 35-40
       • Late 14 Century - down to 20 - due to a lot of child deaths
         • 1400 gets back up approx 30
         • 14th century, if you make it past 12, could expect to live til 50, child deaths skew figures

4. Wages + Prices

   • Wages rise
     • Less people around to do work, have to pay peasants more
       • Most peasants were serfs - belonged to Lord - would be returned if ran away
         • Changed - travelling serfs would be accepted by Lords,
           • Less people around, needed workers
             • Lords wanted as many workers as possible, would promote serfs to freemen/offer higher wages to gain/keep workers
               • Prices fell
                 • Lords paying higher wages and receiving less money for goods
   • Laws
     • Ordinance of Labourers 1349 - issued by King Edward II
       • 1351 Statute of Labourers - issued by parliament
         • Both laws stated that wages have to be paid at pre black death rate
           • Laws were not effective, shows us Lords didn't like what was happening
     • Sumptuary Laws 1363
       • Outlined what peasants were not allowed to wear
         • Silver buckles, silk, fur coats, purple/blue
           • Nobels were worried about gap between rich and poor narrowing
             • Punishment was a fine
               • However richest peasant just chose to pay fine
                 • Helped peasants to gain status
                   • law completely backfires
   • Case study
     • Farnham Caprenter
       • 1346 earning 3d a year
       • 1364 earning 5d a year

5. Agriculture

   • Stop using 3 field crop rotation
     • Instead use only decent fields
       • crop yield increases = more food = lower prices
   • Heriot Tax
     • Land changed hands often due to plague
       • tax had to paid, usually your best cow
         • Lords had a lot of cows
           • Kept them and farmed them
             • Good because it requires less people to look after them
               • First introduction of hedges, keep cows in fields, make ownership more clear

6. Women

   • Lots of men with important jobs had died
     • Bakers, blacksmith etc
       • Would've been assisted by family
     • Females take over male roles
       • Women weavers, higher positions within trade
   • Effect
     • Women better able to provide for selves
     • no longer need to marry young for financial support
     • Woman can marry who they want due to having money - not Father's choice
       • Leads to women marrying later
     • Decreases birth rate
   • Case study
     • 1379 Sheffield
       • 2 women blacksmiths
         • unheard of

7. Religion

   • People started to question beliefs
     • Church said plague was God's punishment
       • yet many priests died
         • People still believe in God - no choice
           • Just start to ignore priests, shown as useless
     • People wanted more personal relationship with God
       • Rich enough people hired chantry priests to live with them
         • very well paid - only one service a morning
           • Appealing option to priests at the time
   • Age at what you could become a priest fell 25-20
     • Get many young + old widowed men becoming priests
       • Due to not being able to get married
         • End up with many illiterate priests
           • Increases lack of faith in them
             • Leads to protestantism and scientific reasoning
           • Education of priests 1348-1362
             • 4 new colleges built and opened in Cambridge
               • 2 in Oxford

8. Specific case study

   • Taylor worked for lord William Leen
     • 1374 - entered negotiations over wages
       • Leen's offer non high enough, Taylor declines
         • Tayleor goes to work for self as ploughman
           • 1374, August + September hired himself out
             • In those 2 months, earned 15 shillings, same as Leen's offer for a years work
               • SHOWS - changing status, could negotiate with Lord
                 • Also shows there is a lot of money to be made for peasants at the time