Many historians note that the fourteenth century was an era that saw many natural and man-made catastrophes. The Black Death and the Great Famine were two of the natural disasters that caused the deaths of millions of people and demonstrated the impact of the vulnerabilities in the Western part of the European society. At the start of the fourteenth century, the population in Europe grew to the extent that the land provided resources that could support the region under the most excellent conditions. In fact, there was no margin for the failure of crops or the shortfalls in the harvest. Additionally, the Western European climatic conditions started to undergo minor changes due to the wetter and cooler summers and earlier storms in autumn. The conditions were no longer most favorable for agriculture purposes. The previous famines did not do as much harm as that of the fourteenth century. Nonetheless, each caused millions of deaths, and showed the dramatic form of the presence of the new vulnerabilities in that existed in the Western parts of the European society. The Black Death and the Great Famine subjected the entire population in medieval Europe and caused tremendous pressure that led many individuals to challenge the old ways and question the traditional values. The ensuing calamities of both events changed the direction of the European society and its development in a number of ways.
In the wet spring of 1315, it was impossible to cultivate fields that were ripe for cultivation. The incessant rains rotted much of the seed grain long before they could germinate. In fact, the harvest became smaller that before and, for many families, food reserves quickly ran out. Individuals gathered the food they could garner by way of the forests. These foods included plants, nuts, edible roots, grasses, and bark. Nevertheless, a number of people became weaker as they suffered from malnutrition, but historical data suggests that only a few died from the malnutrition that stormed Western Europe. Historians recorded the Summer and Spring of 1316 as the coldest and wettest period. Consequently, peasant families had less vigor or energy to plough the land that was necessary for the harvest period and that would replenish the loss of the previous season. The Spring of 1317 brought suffering to every social class in the society and the lower classes of the people suffered the most. As a result, people slaughtered draft animals, ate seed grain, and families abandoned infants and younger children. In many cases, the elderly willingly starved themselves to death in order to feed the younger members so that they may work the fields.
Ancient history examiner Don Keko writes “during the Medieval Warm Period, Europe enjoyed bountiful harvests and beneficial weather,” (Keko, par. 1). Nevertheless, the era ended in the middle of the thirteenth century as the climate became cooler, wetter, and the poor crops died out. Keko adds “the agricultural problems culminated in 1315 with the Great Famine,” (Keko, par. 1) as “crop failures continued for two years leading to mass starvation and the beginning of a change in European culture away from the church,” (Keko, par. 1). In fact, “throughout the fourteenth century, Europe experienced a number of famines leading to mass starvation,” (Keko, par. 2). The changes in the climate demolished the crops and left people with little or nothing to eat. Keko reiterates the conditions of Europe and the way “Europe’s population burgeoned in prior centuries leaving less food for more people,” (Keko, par. 2).
Historical records show that “colder weather led to longer winters and wetter summers,” (Keko, par. 3) and led to the decline the production of crops and food. The spring of 1315, saw constant rainfall and this continued throughout the summer as it maintained cool temperatures. The crops failed, and as a result there was limited hay or straw for the animals to feed. The scarcity of these valuable items led to a hike in the prices of food. In fact, the prices of wheat increased by approximately three hundred percent in many parts of Europe and made it impossible for people to afford to purchase the goods. Naturally, people started to starve to death, and with these deaths the “life expectancy dropped from 35 to 30 years,” (Keko, par. 4). Conversely, the food crisis impacted individuals at all levels of the society. Consequently, the peasants faced the greatest challenge as they did not have the “resources or reserves to draw from,” (Keko, par. 5). Additionally, a number of people resorted to eating their seeds, animals, each other, and grass in order to survive.
Similarly, the Great Famine brought on diseases that shock Western Europe at its very core. Tuberculosis and pneumonia created one of the biggest challenges and the “survivors weakened to such an extent that they struggled to work their fields,” (Keko, par. 6). In addition, it was difficult to restore the balance in agriculture after the famine as the people ate the seeds that they needed to reproduce the fields. The estimated deaths of the feminine were twenty-five percent of the population, but historians cannot place a true numerical figure on the number of deaths. During the horrifying era, people sought refuge from the church, but the church itself was powerless against the terrible weather conditions. The survivors questioned the role of the church as many individuals re-examine the role of the church in the society. Despite the fact that Rome maintained absolute power, the disaster of the great famine created the first bombardment against the powers of the church. Similarly, the Black Death added to the questions of the role of the church and “further undermined the church,” (Keko, par. 6).
Just at the turn of the “1300 those warm summers began to get a little less warm, and a little less predictable,” (The Black Death and the Later Middle Ages, par. 3). The reduction in the “overall temperature shortened growing seasons,” (The Black Death and the Later Middle Ages, par. 3) and “caused very unpredictable weather,” (The Black Death and the Later Middle Ages, par. 3). The torrential rains between 1315 and 1317 “destroyed most of the harvests in northern Europe,” (The Black Death and the Later Middle Ages, par. 3) and caused “severe shortage of food, hunger, and severe starvation,” (The Black Death and the Later Middle Ages, par. 3). Historians note that many fourteenth century saw “the long processions of starving people, many looking like walking skeletons, wandering from town to town in search of food,” (The Black Death and the Later Middle Ages, par. 3). Conversely, this primary disaster created the ideal start for the greater disaster to would follow: the Black Death.
Historical data shows that even as the famine shook the foundations of the “church’s armor, it also marked the end of European population expansion,” (Keko, par. 6). Nonetheless, the period after a cold period during the Dark Ages, the Earth returned to its warmth, and the populations soared for nearly two centuries. In fact, the expansion stopped the famine and ultimately reversed the events of the Black Death, (Keko, par. 7), but “Europe did not recover for over 500 years,” (Keko, par. 7). Conversely, the period marked as The Little Ice Age started the hard times throughout the world and this period led to the Great Famine in 1315. The famine sparked the end of the growth in the population the start of the Papal authority. Nonetheless, Europe had not fully recovered from the effects of the famine before the Black Death stormed the continent and scarred the people for centuries.
The Black Death of 1347 – 1351 came about after the Great Famine. After the Justinian's attempted to re-conquer the territories in the Western Empire, Europe became isolated and the population diminishes. The communication between the villagers disintegrated and the continent separated as they were quarantined. Even though there were a number of diseases that were endemic, the communicable diseases did not broaden easily. Nonetheless, the migration of people across Europe brought with it contagious diseases as well as financial gains. The housing situation and the diet of the people were poor and the shortage of wood that was used for fuel made it difficult for many people to afford hot water. As a result, personal hygiene was seen as substandard practice and this led to the increase in the contagious diseases.
Nelson writes that “contrary to popular belief, medieval people actually liked to wash,” (Nelson, par. 4). Additionally, these individuals “enjoyed soaking in hot tubs and, as late as the mid- thirteenth century, most towns and even villages had public bath houses,” (Nelson, par. 4). However, with the destruction of “the forest into arable land,” (Nelson, par. 4), there was a reduction in “the supply of wood and the bath houses began to shut down because of the expense of heating the water,” (Nelson, par. 4). The citizens attempted to use coal, but the hazardous fumes caused the immediate abandonment of the idea. The mid-fourteenth century saw only the rich being able to bathe during the winter months.
Historians believe that the Black Death surfaced somewhere across the Asian continent and came to Europe through the trades of the Genoese trading posts in the Black Sea. Based on popular myths, the Mongols besieged Kaffa and a “sickness broke out among their forces and compelled them to abandon the siege,” (Nelson, par.4). In parting, the commander of the Mongol troops “loaded a few of the plague victims onto his catapults and hurled them into the town,” (Nelson, par. 4). Whether or not the story is true, history shows that some of the merchants departed from Kaffa and headed into Constantinople immediately after the departure of the Mongols. These merchants brought with them the plague and as a result, it effects spread across the trade routes and caused tremendous deaths in its wake.
Notably, the disease spread mainly through rats and fleas. Nelson writes: “The stomachs of the fleas were infected with bacteria known as Y. Pestis” (Nelson, par. 5) and this “bacteria would block the "throat" of an infected flea so that no blood could reach its stomach, and it grew ravenous since it was starving to death,” (Nelson, par. 5). The most horrifying aspect of the plague is the “attempt to suck up blood from its victim, only to disgorge it back into its prey's bloodstreams,” (Nelson, par. 5). Conversely, the blood goes back into the body and intertwined with Y. Pestis. The infected fleas then infected rats in this manner. The disease then multiplied in other rats that were infected by other fleas and the cycle continued. Historians noted that with the deaths of the rodent hosts, the fleas latched onto human bodies and the infections occurred in a similar manner to the rodents. Nelson points out that the disease surfaced in three different ways: “bubonic [infection of the lymph system -- 60% fatal], pneumonic [respiratory infection -- about 100% fatal], and septicaemic [infection of the blood and probably 100% fatal], (Nelson, par. 6).
The plague ran for approximately a year in each area, still about a third of a population in the district died as a result of the plague. Of course, individuals attempted to safeguard themselves from the plague, but the bags with “the crushed herbs and flowers over their noses,” (Nelson, par. 6) had little or no effect on the plague. The individuals who became infected by the bubonic experienced great physical discomfort as they had great swellings in the lymph glands and found comfort in resting. Others who experienced the septicaemic round of the plague died long before any apparent symptoms appeared. Additionally, individuals who had trouble with respiratory system died quickly after they developed clear symptoms of “a sudden fever that turned the face a dark rose color, a sudden attack of sneezing, followed by coughing, coughing up blood, and death,” (Nelson, par. 6).
History records the outbreak of the Bubonic Plague as the Black Death. The plague stormed much of Europe and there was no controlling the deadly effects of it wings. Between 1347 and 1351, the Bubonic plague strengthened with resurfacing of trading. The Sicilians found that instead of the spices and silks that they anticipated, they received the deadly “high fever, swollen lymph nodes (called buboes), aching joints, bleeding under the skin that caused dark blotches, and, eventually, death, (The Black Death and the Later Middle Ages, par. 6). The pneumonic form of the plague was even more deadly that any diseases Europe ever knew as it “was spread from person to person as the victim coughed up the blood that rapidly filled his lungs, (The Black Death and the Later Middle Ages, par. 6). One of the greatest problems rested in “the overcrowded conditions in Italian cities, combined with generally poor sanitation, caused the plague to travel swiftly up the Italian boot,” (The Black Death and the Later Middle Ages, par. 6). In fact, the most horrifying aspect of the plague was its ability to travel with great speed from one place to another place to another. However, neither the physician’s medical advice nor the medications at the time could cure the deadly disease.
The effect of the Black Plague and the Great Famine impacted much of Europe and caused widespread disaster to all aspects of the society. For one, the shortage of labor and the increase in depopulation quickened the inherent changes in the economy of the rural society. Additionally, the substitution in labor for wages increased and the social stratification became less severe. In fact, the psychological morbidity of the times impacted on art, religion, and the decrease in educated personnel within the church. Historical data suggests that the disease created clear path of destruction in the four years that it ran throughout Europe. Despite the brief pause, the plague persisted across the English Channel and spread into Ireland and Spain. The horror continued as countries in the far North succumbed to cruel hands of the plague. Frighteningly, the plague impacted on the entire European society at the time.
With the increase in the number of death, the economic and social structures of the society unraveled and the structure of the society crumbled. The absence of a strong labor force increased the wages and the value of land holdings decreased significantly. Historians show that for the first time, wealthy landlords had less bargaining power than the peasants. The fact is that the absence of the masons, architects, and artisans, the pride of European castles and cathedrals fell into ruins for centuries. Additionally, the government failed in their attempts to maintain order in the ensuing chaos. The attitude of the churches changed as the people lost morality and could find no Divine explanation for the nightmare that lasted for four years. In fact, the discontent within the church led to the thrust to reorganization the movements that ultimately divided the harmony in the Catholic Church. By and large, the plague was disastrous, but the timing was even more imperfect as the European economy was in shambles and heading into depression. Clearly, the poor economic and religious structure of Europe increased the negative impact of the plague and created more widespread problems in Europe.
In concluding, The Black Death brought many changes to the European demography. In addition to the deaths, there was a reduction in the birth rate and by the 1400s, Europe’s population declined by half. The financial structure of the continent suffered greatly as the cities faced terrible devastation. Many creditors could not claim their debts as the borrowers died from the plague. Additionally, the labor forces faced a severe setback and wages increased. Many historians believed that the Black Death only increased the inevitable changes of medieval Europe. The most instantaneous impact of the Black Death was undoubtedly the decline in the labor market as land no one was there to cultivate the land. The nobles no longer allowed peasants to buy their freedom. Although the governments attempted to improve the wage conditions, the previous famine made it difficult for Europe to recover. The harsh reality is that Europe after the plague was one that increased the opportunities for many capable individuals, but the Black Death destroyed the lives and livelihood of the medieval society as it introduces the industrialized consumer social order.
Works Cited
Keko, Don, (2012, May, 20) “The Great Famine (1315-1317)” Web Accessed December 15,
2014
Nelson, Lynn Harry (n.d) “The Black Plague” Medieval History, The University of Kansas,
Lawrence, Kansas. Web Accessed December 15, 2014
The Black Death and the Later Middle Ages (2013, July 25) Web. Accessed December 15, 2014
