"The Black Death brought about a ‘revolution’ in the lifestyle of the peasantry in medieval England": A Reassessment
"The Black Death brought about a ‘revolution’ in the lifestyle of the peasantry in medieval England": A Reassessment Writer: Darcy R. Keim , MA In his article, The Black Death , medievalist and economic historian, Anthony R. Bridbury opened with a proclamation; asserting that “The fourteenth century was a century of violent contrasts.” [1] It may be confidently established that Bridbury’s statement is echoed within late medieval historiography. The Black Death is considered to have produced the highest continent-wide mortality rate in a year. [2] An estimation constructed from demographic data proposed a mortality rate of one-quarter to one-third of Europe’s total population. [3] For historians, addressing the short and long-term effects the Black Death had on English legal foundations , economic fluctuations, and population figures provides an insight into late medieval social mobility and labour history. Undoubtedly , it is imperative to acknowledge widespread soci