The Plague And Its Impact On Medieval Culture

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Merchants began to increase their prices as stock was running low, there was shortages of many items, such as cheese, salt and cloth. However, as many skilled workers lost their lives to the disease this meant that replacement goods were not available. Which created a demand for more workers. Significantly, as the population was decreasing quickly, surviving peasants were able to take advantage of the crisis and demand higher wages, lower rents and more land. They were also able to move into better accommodation as the previous occupiers were deceased. This demand for a workforce saw landowners reducing rents or delaying rent collections for a year to encourage tenants to work on their estate. Therefore for those who were landless prior to the outbreak of the plague, could then …show more content…
In towns and cities, skilled workers, such as, clerks and craftsmen were also able to demand higher wages. This saw greater mobility within a feudalist society. Consequently, as workers acquired more independence, their confidence grew and they soon came to the realisation that they could work for themselves and not below someone else. This shift in society ultimately led to the fall of feudalism. Many changes took place in societies as a result of the plague and the heavy loss of life had a direct impact on medieval culture.
The plague had wiped out a large percentage of the population, which saw many generations of families dying. Family traditions were lost, heritages gone and with such a drastic loss, depression became widespread. Therefore this loss caused a cultural change in many societies. This change is evident in the work of artists and musicians. Before the Black Death arrived, music was regularly heard, it was cheerful and