Doing the math: Fewer folks, more wealth

The Black Plague so drastically reduced Europe’s population that a smaller labor pool

changed the economy. Ironically, this turn of events improved many Europeans’ lives

by creating disposable income, which in turn spurred a demand for eastern luxuries

and even eastern ideas. The intellectual and cultural result of this reduction in

population and eastward focus was called the Renaissance. You can find out about the

Renaissance in Chapter 13.

With so many dead, fewer people were left to work the land. A few workers had the

spunk to stand up to the nobles and landowners and point out that they weren’t about

to work more for the same money — not when the supply of workers had become

smaller and thus more valuable. The most famous of these uprisings was led by Wat

Tyler, an English rabble-rouser who got himself killed for his trouble in 1381.

Post-plague economics forced some large landholders to split their estates into smaller

plots. Instead of remaining mere sharecroppers who turned over the bulk of what they

grew to the landlord, some laborers actually began earning pay for their work.

Though there were fewer people overall, more people had land, income, and the

potential to buy goods. This condition stimulated a rise in merchants, craftspeople, and

skilled traders who could supply goods. Up until that time, you were either rich or poor

— usually poor. The plague created a middle class.

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