The Black Death had a big and troubling effect on the end of feudalism in England. It showed how weak the social order could be.
Worker Shortages: When about one-third of the population died, there weren't enough workers on the farms. Because so many people were gone, peasants began to ask for higher pay and better working conditions. The feudal system had a hard time keeping up with these new demands.
Economic Trouble: With fewer workers, farms produced less food. This led to food shortages and higher prices. Lords struggled to take care of their lands and meet the usual feudal duties they had to follow.
Social Changes: Some serfs saw this worker shortage as an opportunity. They used the need for labor to earn more freedom for themselves. But this change caused tension between the social classes, weakening the strict class system that feudalism relied on.
Long-Term Effects: The struggles that followed the plague made things worse and resulted in social unrest. One example is the Peasants' Revolt of 1381, which showed how unstable the feudal system was.
To fix these problems, changes were needed. These reforms created chances for a more flexible economy and helped move society toward a more modern setup, slowly reducing the feudal systems.
The Black Death had a big and troubling effect on the end of feudalism in England. It showed how weak the social order could be.
Worker Shortages: When about one-third of the population died, there weren't enough workers on the farms. Because so many people were gone, peasants began to ask for higher pay and better working conditions. The feudal system had a hard time keeping up with these new demands.
Economic Trouble: With fewer workers, farms produced less food. This led to food shortages and higher prices. Lords struggled to take care of their lands and meet the usual feudal duties they had to follow.
Social Changes: Some serfs saw this worker shortage as an opportunity. They used the need for labor to earn more freedom for themselves. But this change caused tension between the social classes, weakening the strict class system that feudalism relied on.
Long-Term Effects: The struggles that followed the plague made things worse and resulted in social unrest. One example is the Peasants' Revolt of 1381, which showed how unstable the feudal system was.
To fix these problems, changes were needed. These reforms created chances for a more flexible economy and helped move society toward a more modern setup, slowly reducing the feudal systems.