Black Death Impact on Society

The Black Death, a devastating plague that struck in the late Middle Ages, led to significant societal changes. It wiped out roughly a third of Europe's population, causing labor shortages and shifting economic power towards surviving workers. With fewer people to farm land, wages rose, and many peasants gained more rights. The crisis also weakened the feudal system and prompted shifts in religious and cultural perspectives. As people questioned traditional authorities due to the widespread suffering, it paved the way for social and political changes, ultimately contributing to the end of the medieval era and the beginning of the Renaissance.