The Black Death ‘pandemic’ decimated the populations of Europe in the Middle Ages, Striking fear into the populations of towns and cities across Europe.
The Black Death struck at the heart of every family and brought great fear and misery to most of Europe.
The Black Death raged from the time it was first reported in 1346 and it tore across Europe until around the year 1353.
As strange as it may seem, some very Interesting and even positive things also came from the Black Death epidemic!
The Black Plague and Rats
The Black Death is said to have been one of the factors leading up to the European and English Renaissance periods.
In the wake of the plague, artistic forms tended towards more realism.
Given the limited availability of labor, new and modern farming techniques were developed in England. This led to an increase in total agricultural produce.
During the Period of the ‘Black Death’ perfumes were invented and introduced including Eau du Cologne, possibly due to smell of people who had not bathed.
The period of Black Death also caused widespread disillusionment with the power of the Catholic Church. This may have been one of the major reasons in paving the way for Reformation and Protestantism in England.
The lack of labor and resources to cultivate lands after the Black Death led to the reforestation of vast tracts of land which had previously been cultivated. This regenerated the growth of many natural flora and fauna.
During the Period of the ‘Black Death’ perfumes were invented and introduced including Eau du Cologne, possibly due to smell of people who had not bathed
Surprisingly the plague worked out well for peasants because of a shortage of labor due to the massive culling of the population, which meant that they could demand better wages and working conditions
The Black Death also helped to create a fairer society that was more balanced as it destroyed the might of the feudal system due to a lack of peasant workers.
The plague led to the culminated of the 1381 the Peasants Revolt.
The epidemic had a strong impact on art and culture. European art, music and literature turned morbid and darker themes of pessimism were expressed in the works from the era.
The only reigning monarch to have died of Black Death was King Alfonso XI of Castile and Leon.
There was a very cold snap ‘and it is believed that this cold weather eventually killed off the rats and led to the end of the great plague.