The Black Death

The Middle Ages1066 to 1485

A plague reached Britain in 1348 and became known as the Black Death. It killed one third of the population of England, and a similar share in Scotland and Wales, making it one of the worst disasters ever to strike the country.

With so many dead, the survivors found themselves in a changed country. Fewer people were left to farm, so there was less need to grow cereal crops, and the labour that remained grew scarce enough that peasants could demand higher wages than before. Out of that shortage grew a new class: the owners of large areas of land who appeared after the Black Death became known as the gentry, and at the same time people began leaving the countryside to live in the towns.

What to remember

Key dates
The Black Death	→	1348 A plague that killed a third of the people of England, and a similar share in Scotland and Wales.

Other names
The owners of large areas of land who appeared after the Black Death	→	the gentry A new class that rose out of the labour shortage the plague left behind.

Known for
The Black Death	→	killing one third of the population of England, and a similar share in Scotland and Wales The worst disaster to hit Britain; labour became scarce and wages rose.
The growing wealth of the towns after the Black Death	→	the development of a strong middle class People had left the countryside for the towns after the Black Death.

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