Plague and Social Unrest

The Great Famine (1314-1322)

- Population had outstripped
resources
- Resources drained bad soil
- Lack of technological
Development
- Thenthe Famine!!

2. The Black Death

1.
by rats
2.
sneezes
3.
ways
4.

Bubonic - transferred by fleas carried

Pneumonic - transferred by human
Septicemic attacks bloodstream both
Enteric - not present in Middle Ages
- Why in the 14th century?

Image of the
danse
macabres
(dance of
death)

Approx.
Death rates:
Bohemia 10%
Siena 40-50%
Orvieto 50%
Florence 45-70%
England 40-50%
- How did people explain the Black Death?
- How did people respond to it? (see Boccaccio
reading)

Miniature of the flagellants,

1349

Results:
Population decline
Disrupted harvests and
manufacturing
Shortage of supply or
shortage of labor?
Standard of living rises
Specialization
Increase in trade
Migration

3. Social Revolt
poll taxes (1377,1379, 1381) head tax of equal
amount on everyone
English Peasants Revolt (1381) led by Wat Tyler
against Richard II

Thereupon the said Walter rehearsed the points which were to

be demanded; and he asked that there should be no law
within the realm save the law of Winchester, and that from
henceforth there should be no outlawry in any process of law,
and that no lord should have lordship save civilly, and that
there should be equality among all people save only the King,
and that the goods of Holy Church should not remain in the
hands of the religious, nor of parsons and vicars, and other
churchmen; but that clergy already in possession should have
a sufficient sustenance from the endowments, and the rest of
the goods should be divided among the people of the parish.
And he demanded that there should be only one bishop in
England and only one prelate, and all the lands and
tenements now held by them should be confiscated, and
divided among the commons, only reserving for them a
reasonable sustenance. And he demanded that there should
be no more villeins in England, and no serfdom or villeinage,
but that all men should be free and of one condition.
(Anonimalle Chronicle)