During the late middle ages the Black Death had major consequences on the inhabitants of Britain. This catastrohpe which killed roughly 25 million people caused the destruction of the serf system and redefined the social roles, the rebellion of peasants, and started a religious war agaisnt the Jews.
Before the Black Death, the social classes were well established. People were nobles or people were laborers. However, after the Plague, it seems the peasants grew bolder and decided to take matters into their own hands to make more money. In this way, they demanded more money to do the same jobs as before. The only reason they were able to do this was because so many laborers had died that serfs were now needed. It is like a supply and demand economy. There were plenty of serfs to work so Nobles could pay them less, but after the Plague there were a lot less which the peasants realized and understood that they could now ask for better wages. This shows that European society is evolving into the early stages of todays economy.
The people of Europe were a respectful group. But after the Plague, a group of peasants got together that numbered a hundred strong and decided to kill off the Nobles because they "shamed the realm". They went to the houses and castles of knights and squire and systematically killed, raped, and tortured the inhabitants. This group of people got followers until they numbered several thousand strong. They then proceeded to commit heinous crimes such as rape, burning at the stake, and forcing wives to eat their husbands. This happened mainly in France and devastated the country.
In history it seems that no one can go without blaming the Jews for something and end up killing thousands of them. The people of France, Switzerland, and Italy all believed that the Black Death was caused by Jews poisoning wells. Because of this they captured and tortured Jews for confessions. Many Jews confessed that they had indeed poisoned wells just to stop the torture. This would never had happened if it wasn't for the Jews being so rich and having nobles owing them money. The Nobles did not want to pay back the Jews so they went along with the scheme of Jews poisoning wells inorder to kill them off and not have to pay them back. Eventually many cities burned the Jews at the stake and expelled them. After many years the Jews were allowed back into some cities. Becuase of the Black Death, the Jews were blamed and killed and a religioius extermination started.
a) Did the Plague itself cause the "destruction" of the serf system? Be specific and give nods to other contemporaneous events, such as the Hundred Years' War. b) Watch spelling. c) Were the reactions against the Jews ever officially called a "religious war" in the documents of the era?
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