England in the aftermath of Black Death Flashcards
who wrote the article that you read about the aftermath of the Black Death?
Jean Hatcher
how much of the population was wiped-out in the first stroke of the B.D.? And when was it?
1/3 of the population - 1347 to 1351
what does Frederick Seebohm believe?
B.D. precipitated a “great social revolution”
what does Thorold Rodgers believe?
despite disputing Seebohm’s opinion on the precise nature of the B.D.’s effects, he agrees that the B.D. introduced “a complete revolution in the occupation of land”
what does Eileen Power believe?
B.D. was a gentle accelerator of pre-existing tendencies - she believed that the world was already changing
what did M.M. Postan believe?
the remorseless growth of the population before the first wave meant that the B.D. had no real affect on the working population - within a few years of 1350, the land had all been re-occupied and rents were similar to what they had been formally - 6 million believed to be inhabiting the country on the eve of the B.D., 90% would have been in the agrarian sector
what was the status on wages?
they did not change rapidly and assimilate with the changes of numbers caused by the plague - average wage for a common labourer on a landholder’s farm (per day):
1290 - 4.55 d
1350 - 5.38 d
1380 - 7.77 d
what is the problem with only analysing wages?
to work around labour legislation, landowners would entice labourers with non-monetary ‘perks’ such as clothes, food, accomodation
what did the introduction of perks allow for?
disposable income, independence, an increase in self-esteem which Hatcher believes led to a rise in questioning authority and tradition that resulted in the peasant uprising in 1381 - the War Tyler revolt over increase in poll tax - first proper rebellion in English history
