England during the black death?

Answer 1

The pandemic known to history as the Black Death entered England in 1348, and caused the death of between a third and more than half of the nation's inhabitants. The Black Death was the first and most severe manifestation of the Second Pandemic, probably caused by the Yersinia pestis bacteria. Originating in Central Asia, it arrived on the British Isles from the English province of Gascony. Its first point of entry was the port of Weymouth, where it was first reported in June 1348. It reached London in the autumn of that year, and by the next summer it had covered the entire country. By December 1349 the outbreak was mostly over. Though accurate estimates of mortality are difficult to make, the recent trend has been to adjust the estimates upwards. This is the result of recent scholarship's focus on the peasant society – which made up around 90% of the population – rather than the greater landowners and the clergy. While it was previously assumed that one third or less of the population died, today a number around half is generally accepted, though some have suggested an even higher mortality.

The Black Death struck a prosperous and internationally ascendant nation. Though the loss of life was great, the English government handled the crisis well. The most immediate consequence was a halt to the campaigns of the Hundred Years' War. Neither did England experience the extreme forms of religious fervour that were seen on the Continent, such as flagellants, and persecution of Jews. In the long term the plague would have great social consequences though. The fall in population caused a shortage of labour, with subsequent rise in wages. The landowning classes tried to curb this development through legislation and punitive measure, leading to deep resentment among the lower classes. The Peasants' Revolt of 1381 was largely a result of this resentment, and even though the rebellion was suppressed, in the long term serfdom was ended in England. The Black Death also affected artistic and cultural efforts, and may have helped advance the use of the vernacular.

In 1361–62 the plague returned to England, this time causing the death of around 20% of the population. After this the plague continued to return intermittently throughout the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, in local or national outbreaks. From this point on its impact became less severe, much due to conscious government efforts. One of the last outbreaks of the plague in England was the Great Plague of London in 1665-66.