During the years 1346 and 1352, a deadly epidemic swept across Europe at an alarming rate. Centuries later, the pandemic was named the “Black Death.” This title comes from a bad translation of the Latin expression “atra” meaning both “black” and “terrible”. Caused by the bacteria Yersinia pestis, native to regions with large numbers of wild rodents, the three strains of the plague, bubonic, pneumonic and septicaemic, have killed around 25 million people in Europe alone, or around a third of the world's population. population of the time. The disease is believed to have spread from Lake Issyk-Kul in Central Asia, located along the Silk Road trade route, which would have allowed it to spread widely and progress towards Europe , alongside traders. The consequences of this vast reduction in population led to a change in lifestyle and the dismantling of the feudal system, leading to a myriad of positive and negative effects on daily life and the feudal economy. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay As the class system established by the feudal system could not be sustained throughout the Black Death, the social structure failed subsequently been significantly modified, which had negative effects. repercussions on the government, the monarchy and the Church. Small-scale upward mobility occurred, caused by the shortage of workers, primarily in occupations that required specific training, allowing workers to charge higher prices for their services. The government initiated laws aimed at bringing fees back to pre-plague prices. Due to the surplus of goods resulting from the disease, there was a period of prolificacy, which was quickly followed by a period of inflation and shortage of goods. There was also a sharp increase in crime rates as a result of this shortage as people became desperate. “God is deaf these days and will not hear us,” wrote 14th-century poet William Langland in his poem “Piers Plowman.” The Church lost countless followers, due to the clergy's failure to prevent the plague, end the plague, and cure those who contracted it, which sparked resentment in the general population . These consequences, anticipated and unforeseen, have had a considerable impact on Europe. Despite the plethora of negative consequences triggered by the plague pandemic, some beneficial effects are apparent. "...the Black Death could have represented a powerful force of natural selection and eliminated weaker individuals on a very large scale in Europe," says archaeologist Sharon N. DeWitte. An analysis of skeletal remains in a London cemetery proves that people who existed before the Black Death were more likely to die at any age than those who existed afterward. Before the outbreak, only 10 percent of the population could be expected to live past the age of 70; after the plague, that figure rose to 20 percent, confirming DeWitte's belief and maintaining the credibility of earlier studies that proved: Human populations evolve when faced with large-scale disease because genetic variants help some people fight particular infections better than those who do not have these variants. Although the demise of the feudal system had negative effects on the nobility, it greatly benefited peasant workers, allowing them to obtain higher wages when lords had an increasingly urgent need for workers. Give to serfdom.