Did the Black Death hamper the rise of literacy?

Question

Did the Black Death hamper the rise of literacy?

Answer 1

As terrible as it may seem the Black Death actually helped Europe in the long run, it seems like once a terrible tragedy like that ends life seems to improve over what it was before which some say is the reason for the Renaissance.

Answer 2

No, it probably improved literacy.

The Black Death was a period in which normal social structures broke down. The feudal rulers could not come into contact physically with their people, armies would avoid marching for fear of contagion, laws were disobeyed because there was no one to enforce them.

Ages of greater FREEDOM like this are always times when learning expands.  In this case too, a plague would cause a labor shortage.

So, someone who otherwise couldn't be considered might be taken on to be trained as a clerk, monk, artist, etc.

With more chances to learn, literacy would increase.

Answer 3

Ya, because of the black death, an educated elite middle class emerged. Workers could now charge their services since feudal lords evicted their expensive serfs.

Answer 4

Actually I think it is safe to assume that the black death created a jump in literacy.  The black death could have influnced many people to right and read about it.  And Shakespear wrote during the plague, as well as Nostradamus.

Answer 5

It did not. This is a very interesting question, which leads to a very interesting answer, actually:

The Plague wiped out half of Medieval Euope. The end of the Plague brought the Pleasants Revolt, which soon led to the Ranaissance.

Basically, the peasants all across Europe rebelled against the nobles because of their living conditions and unfair wages. This brought feaudalism in England and in some other parts of Europe to an all-time-low, as the nobles had no choice but to give in to the peasants. So, the peasants bargaining power suddenly skyrocketed. Why did the nobles give in to the peasants all across Europe though? Because the peasants would leave the manors and other villages' all across Europe, and then how would the nobles survive with no agricultural production?

As the peasants received more bargaining power, they eventually won their rights :P The end of the Peasants Revolt brought the end of the Middle Ages, which brought the Renaissance. We all know the Renaissance was a time of rebirth across Europe, not only in the fields of medicine however in art and architecture (Da Vinci, etc) too. People became more curious about cures to diseases and anatomy. All this study led to a new way of learning. And of course people had to read, write, communicate and spell. People began questioning the Church's views and beliefs. It was a whole new era across Europe.

So the Black Death did not hamper the rise of literacy. It improved it.

Hope this helped!

-Tim :]