Medieval World- The Black Death/ the Plague

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  • Created by: Heather
  • Created on: 24-04-17 18:52
When did the Black Death spread across Europe?
In the 1340s
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What was it seen by contemporaries as?
The end of the world in which God would leave some deserving people to continue the human race
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How many people died in the region of Padua, also differing from what?
1/3, -Also suffered from famine, devestation
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How did the chronicle describe the cities of Padua?
"Cities and settlements were left desolate"
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How did the Irish Chronicle describe the plague in Ireland in 1349?
"I, seeing these many ills, and that the whole word is encompassed by evil, waiting among the dead for death to come... I leave parchment for continuing the work, in case anyone should still be alive in the future"
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What did William Dene show about burying the dead?
"the stench of death"- THere weren't enough living to bury the dead
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What is the debate about figures for those who died?
Some writers say 1/10 survived, other say 1/5 died, whereas other suggest around 1/3 to 50% died
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Do the wrong/ exaggerated figures make them meaningless?
No- It shows their horror and disbelief at the number of deaths they saw around them,
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What was the average number of the English population who died in 12 months?
48%
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What type of plague was it?
Bubonic plague
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What is the first form of plague?
Swellings in the groin or armpits, maybe on the neck and with blisters and swellings
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What was the first sign of illness?
A sudden cold followed by tiredness and then depression, following by swellings anf fever as well as severe headaches
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What is the second form of plague?
COughing up blood- It hit the lungs as was faster reacting
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What did modern medicine find the disease was spread by?
Flees which were on rats and so spread their infected blood
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At the time what did thy believe the physical cause of the disease was?
Corruption of the air
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What did the do to avoid the plague?
They believed they should surround themselves with pleasant smelling aromas, as well as bathing and eating rich food
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Why did they surround themselves with pleasant smelling aromas?
To stop the pours opening and letting the corrupted air getting into the body
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What did some medieval astrologers blame the plague on?
Atmospheric changes brought about by planetary configurations, in particular the 1345 conjunction of mars, Saturn and Jupiter
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What was the Doctor's 3 golden rules to keep people safe?
Get out quickly, go far away and dn't come back quickly
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Where was the plague first active in and when?
Central Asia in the 1330s,
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Where did it spread to after?
Southward to China and Persia, reached Southern Russia,
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In 1345, where was the crucial spread?
Overland from Crimea
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When was it brought into Constantinople and then reached where and from there it spread in all directions?
-1447, -Then reached Southern Itlay
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In 1348, where was infected?
Bavaria and Austria
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Where did it then spread to next and how?
Iberian Peninsula with mediterranean ships who stayed long enough in ports to spread the plague,
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Where did it spread in Spring 1348?
Westward into TOulouse
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When does Bridbury argue the plague arrived in England?
Summer of 1348
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WHen did it infect London and then when Scotland?
June 1349- London, December- Scotland
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What was most terrifying about the plague?
You could see it coming- Some places were caught by suprise and others knew in advance
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By the end of 1349, what did people in England begin to think about the plague?
They began to think th worst is over-
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What did chroniclers predict?
They recorded people returned to their sinful ways and predicted that the plague would begin again
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When does bridbury argue the second plague hit?
1361
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Who did it hit most often and what does this suggest?
Children and adolescents- Could indicate that those who survived the first strain of plague had some immunity to the disease, unlike those born after
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What did contemporary chroniclers agree for the reason of the plague?
It was a punishment and an act of God to punish mankind for his sinful ways-
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What did they argue God wanted the plague to do to man?
To frighten man into repentance and good behaviour
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Therefore, what did they argue was the only way to reduce plague symptoms?
Ask God for help through repentace
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What is a quote from the Papacy for repentace?
"devout processions are to be held every Wednesday in our Cathedral Church
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What did the Archbishop of Canterbury order to be conducted?
Conduct processions, but it had already begun around the Kingdom
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What was the reasoning behind the prayers offered?
For people's own survival as well as the divine's anger to be diverted
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Those in the processions showed their fear through what?
Deciding to pilgrimage and a surge of offerings made to the Papacy in 1350
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Elsewhere in Europe, what different forms did penance take?
Te formation ot fraternities to the burial of plague victims which was a public act of charity but also an act of self-punishment
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Who were the flagellants according to sources?
"They were called flagellants because of the whips which they used in performing public penance. Each whip consisted of a stick with three knotted thongs hanging from the end...whipped their bare skin until...blood rained down"
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Why were they whipping themselves in public?
They were punishing themselves for man's sins to try and make God forgive their sins and remove the plague
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How did the Papacy view them?
They rejected them
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Where did the movement begin?
Germany
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What group/religion were targeted by this group and why?
Anti-semitic- Jews were tortured and believed they were the cause of the plague
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What did this anti-semtic behaviour lead Pope Clemont to do?
He banned the group, so they were short-lived
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What did Bishops say were the sins God was punishing the world for?
They were very unspecific
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What did chronicles say the sins included?
The disapproval of tournaments, behaviour of those in attendance as well as the clothing of the participants- Fashion criticised for indecency
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What elements of menswear was indecent?
Figure hugging, colours brighter, padding used to highlight the male figure, decorated with fur and silk, shorter, tights worn with woven silk
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What did they particularly criticise about the shoes?
Criticised for their pointed shoes and believed their defeat in the crusade was due to the pointed shoes which stopped them from being able to run
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Was this the same for women?
No
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What did Chroncilers emphasise about immoral behaviour and an example?
-Retribution of immoral behaviour, -In Chroncle of Saint Denis- When the Monks returned from their journey, they came across men and women dancing because their neighbours had died- the monks said they were punished with a hailstorm
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How did the church deal with the question of why the plague was punishing everyone?
Certain sermosn argued the death of the innocent, such as child, saves them from future sins which would earn them future damnation, and increased pressure on guilty,
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What did they argue it showed about God?
It showed his mercy to allow the people to repent to stop them from spending their life in the damnation of hell
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What did they argue the Plague was in many Chronicles?
The Apolcalypse
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What did rumours say in Rome about the plague?
There were rumours Antichrist had already been born and when killed in battle, it would lead to an apocalypse and th eend of the world
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How did the plague fit in chronology for contemporaries?
It fit into the chronology of the last days and followed the unleashing of the hounds of hell
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When does Bidbury argue was the third major epidemic?
1368-1369
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what three things does Bidbury argue the third major epidemic did?
1) decline of the population 2) high prices 3) harvest failures
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How much does he argue the population had decreased?
It removes between 1/3 and 1/2 of the population
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What did Dr Holmes argue about the income in the 1370s as compared to the 1340s?
"income in the 1370s is generally not 10% lower than it had been in the 1340s"
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Although, what doesBridbury argue happened to prices?
Exceptionally high prices before the Black Death were bound to keep rents up
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What had a high price from farms?
High corn prices for farm products
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What rose duringthe Black death, leading the higher price of what?
Wages rose, -Higher price of wheat
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When was there a harvest faiure and describe it?
1351- One of scarcity and led prices to rise
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When did famine prices previal?
1361, 1363, 1364 and 1365
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When was there particularly high prices?
1368
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What does Birdbury also argues based on movement?
Population movement
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What does britnellargue the third plague caused in 1381?
It helped caused the revolt of 1381
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What was this revolt?
A feual reaction particularly vigorous on the estates of Thomas Hatfield, bishop of Durham from 1343 to 1381
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What does he argue from 28 scattered townships on Durham priory, how many tenants had died?
Over half,
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What does Britnell argue the death toll was in the Durham Priory?
50%
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Did tenants replace those and gain the empty properties?
Records note no tenants were willing to pay entrance fines utnil the epidemic was over to ensure they would be alive to benefit
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Why does Britnell argue the months after the plague were a period of widespread tenant poverty?
Due to the disruption of agriculture and poor harvest, the number of entry fines and marriage fines registered,
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Although what did many do?
Man vacant properties were retenanted and new households were formed
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FOr The Rural Economy, what do some scholars argue about hte Late Middle Ages and the peasantry?
They argue it was a time for plenty for the peasantry
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What source by who and from when is an exampe of key characteristics of arable Europe?
Robert cele of Compton Verney, Warwickshire, 1406
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What was the village compact with?
An area of extensive cultivation
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Before the plague struck in 1349, describe the layour of the village?
It had two open fields, 500 acres of wheat growing land
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Why was wheat important?
AS it was a highly prized cash crop through medieval Europe, and was also used to pay rent
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Did everyone cultivate wheat and why?
All the inhabitants of the manor, peasants and lords cultivated wheat, to feed themselves and create surplus to be sold at markets
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What di orientated surplus require?
A huge investment in land,
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Was there lots of arable land free in the region?
No all was used up and cultivation extended right up to the Parish boundaries,
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The manor was organised in away which made agicultural production what and how?
Collective- The fields were ploughed, sowed, tilled, weeded and harvested collectively and the whole community contributed to the agricultural production of the manor,
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What did Bridbury argue happened overall to villein tenure?
It declined
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What does he argue is the traditional view of villein tenture?
It decayed between 1370 and 1410- Time of the Plague
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When did decay happen on a manor?
When either a majority of the main tenurial incidents of villeinage ceased to be collected or when a majority of the origina customary land had been coverted to fixed-term tenancies for money rent,
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What is demesne?
Land within or attached to a manor and retained by the lord for their own use
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What is a villein?
A feudal tenant subject to a lord or manor to whom he paid dues and services in return for land
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Where was the Lord's ladn in comparison with the peasants and why?
It was dotted in between the peasant's land so when it was harvest time, everything would be collected together,
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What did Bridbury argued declined during the Black Death?
A decline of personal servility
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How does he argue landlords reacted to their weakened positions during the Black Death?
By essentially flrcing serfs to hold land on disadvantaged tenures and bind them to work on the manor
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Although, what did serfs do aroundthe time of the Black Death?
They certainly left their homes, and landlords were sensitive to such departures
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What was labour service?
Expected to work a certain number of days on the Lord's demesne
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What is Boon?
Work-seasonal labour service undertaken at peak agricultural times as a favour to the Lord,
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What is merchet?
A fine paid by villeins to a lord to allow one of their children to marry
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Bridbury argues this was the main testo of villeinage in common law. How does he argue this changed after the Blacl Death?
He argues it became concentrated upon hereditary serfs by blood and ceased to be a liability on villein land-holders
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What was a heriot?
A death dutym normally the best beast levied by a manorial Lord upon the estate of a deceased tenant
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What did Bridbury argue about the role of Heriot?
It was one of the main tenurial incidents of villeinage to survive
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Where was it recorded after 1348-9, 19 after 1400 and 1450?
Recorded on 26 of the 38 manors
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What was yardland?
An agricultural holding, containing approximately 20-30acres
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Were the unfre peasants allowed to leave the village?
No they weren't supposed to- They were bound to the soil
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Overtime, what did many decide to do instead of heavy labourious service?
They decided to pay instead- They preferred to pay the cash rent instead,
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By 1300, what percent of English peasants paid money rent?
40%
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By this time, who was the labour on the Lord's land undertaken by?
Wage labourers instead of those bound by feudal dues,
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Eventually what began running out to feed people. After 1300, what began to decline?
-Eventually running our of land, -Agricultural yield began to decline
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Once the limit of agricultural production had been reached, what happened to population levels?
They began to fall
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As agricultural yield began to decline, what did peasants find difficult?
Peasants working the land found it more difficult to pay their rent as they had fewer surpluses to take to the market
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What did they believe was the reason for these economci changes?
Not the plague but due to over population and over worked soil
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When were there floods experienced and why?
14th century- It experienced similar climatic conditions to today (global warming, floods etc)
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What happened to the climate?
Distinct shift in climate- region underwent a period of global cooling in contrast to today
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What happened to the summer?
It became shorter which shortened the time to grow crops
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What did it also result in based on rain?
Far highe rainfall
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What did excessive wetness lead to?
It drowned crops, barns, hay and animals
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What did some farms have to swtich from and then to?
From arable farming (crops) to raising animal instead due to the poor condition of the land
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What was available land already straining under?
An expanding population
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What did Meaux Abbey in Yorkshire petition to the King?
Said that after the floods of 1328 their land remaiend sterile and largely unproductive and that whole manors had been swallowed up by the sea and cost then £50 per year in lsot tithes
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When was the European famine and collpase of agrarian farming?
1315-1317
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What caused the famine to hit hard?
The poor conditions and poor condition of land,
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What was the weather like in 1315?
Torrential rain in the summer
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Although what limited the severity of this?
The availability of corn reserves
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Were there still reserves during the 1316 harvest?
No
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What happened to prices?
Prince inflation- Un-paralleled in English history
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How much of the population of North Western Europe died due to famine?
10%
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What were there rumours of due to starvation?
Cannibalism and people were stealing babies to eat
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What do court rolls reveal about ths?
It reveals a wave of lawlessness and the dangers presented by thieves- 1/3 of thefts related to food stuffs
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For long term effects, what was the situation in Bolton Abbery (Yorkshire)
600 acres of Bolton's Abbey's home farm and two neighbouring granges were lying idle after 1320.
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Although, how did some people respond?
Some took advantage of the situation
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When did the plague progress throughout the continent?
1348-1350
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What did Farnham 1349 rolls record about how many households had died?
52 and overall 1/3 of the manor's population
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By 1350, how many had died there?
1,300 and aroudn 50%,
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What did survivors quickly realise about labour?
They realised that there were few people aroun and so their labour was worth more and many started to charge more for their services
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How did the Lords find labour?
They foun it increasingly difficult- Many bargained with wages
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What meant labour services were always in demand?
The comntinual returning of the plague
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For agricultur in the 14th century, what happened to wheat prices and why?
It became cheaper as there was plenty fo wheat to feed everyone as the population was cut by 1/3 or 1/2
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What happened to wages and prices?
Wages went up and prices went down
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After the Black death, what happened with new tenants?
They acquired larger holding and they only needed one house to live in so often other houses fell into disrepair
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In 1402, what was reported to the Lord court about boundaries of land?
A peasant had acuired and cultivated 20 strips of land without asking for the lord's permission. Traditional boundaries were beign ignore and abused.
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What was arable land often coverted to for what?
Grassland and pasture for sheep
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Why did many change to livestock?
It reuired a smaller labour fource which was useful with a labour shortage,
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What happened to the value of the manor?
It more than trbled
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By the end of the 15th century, what happened to the village of Compton Verney?
it had been almost completley abondoned,
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Other cards in this set

Card 2

Front

What was it seen by contemporaries as?

Back

The end of the world in which God would leave some deserving people to continue the human race

Card 3

Front

How many people died in the region of Padua, also differing from what?

Back

Preview of the front of card 3

Card 4

Front

How did the chronicle describe the cities of Padua?

Back

Preview of the front of card 4

Card 5

Front

How did the Irish Chronicle describe the plague in Ireland in 1349?

Back

Preview of the front of card 5
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