Summary: The Medieval Growth Trends

It reached Europe in 1347. In a few years up to 50 percent of the population died, with higher mortality rates in urban areas. It returned every few years for centuries.

The depopulation was accompanied by a reduction of output. In Leicester in England, there was severe shortage of servants and laborers, and “many crops rotted unharvested in the fields” (5). In the village of Elkington in Northamptonshire, the number of taxpayers seems to have decreased due to depopulation during the period between 1377 and 1412(6); and “by the first decade of the fifteenth century, grain production levels between the Tyne and Tees appear to have been less than one-third their level of a century earlier.”(7)

Changes are an important part of history, and a natural part of life. In the case of geography throughout history, the world has made many changes to its borders and who has grievances with one another. From the High Middle Ages of olden Europe, to the twentieth century, change has occurred. These changes have unified and broken ties between countries and regions time and time again throughout history. There are many forces that push toward and against unity throughout time. The world map became what is today because of both unity and division marking change in the past.

The many lawmakers died leaving lawbreakers to go unpunished. Society needed many services to be preformed. “At this moment of crisis, if you survived the Black Plague and you were able body, you might have been put to work. Work opportunities were made available to anyone who was alive and could work. Despite any attempt to keep the economy in order supply and demand took over. Wages in the towns soared to two even three times the level they had held in the crowded thirteenth century,” (Herlihy, 48). The poor people started to go from town to town looking to make the most money. “The people who could work changed there tone and wanted money instead of food and shelter. The poor liked the fact that they were getting more money but the enjoyed the great gain on being able to buy more land. How numerous were the famous families, the vast estates, the notable fortunes, that were seen to be left without a rightful successor!”(Boccaccio, 13). Two things were needed to be more economically efficient and that was consumption reduction and production increase. In order to raise production, people would have to get and cultivate more affordable land. With population reduction and higher wages, new agricultural technique needed to be put in place. The new agricultural allowed those that could afford to rent the land a new investment in livestock. In spite of the many new accomplishments the people still want to be more efficient because of the better

| * disease caused for the decline in the middle ages * guilds develop to regulate laws of a particular occupation * growth of cities increased because of the need for more labor involved products

In the 1300's an Italian scholar named Petrarch came up with the name "Dark Age" to describe the time Europe was going through during the Middle Ages in 500AD-1500AD. Throughout the Middle Ages Europe was going through some rough times, but there were also moments of growth. For example the Black Death was a time of darkness but there were positive times like when universities were built. Although the dark ages were looked at as a negative occurrence, more events show a sign of growth.

The only way that England would be possible for any of the new inventions and prosperity was through the Agricultural Revolution. The Agricultural Revolution created a surplus of food. With this surplus of food there was a population

The shortage of labor was one, workers now got payed more than just the minimum amount to live on. Decameron Web states that, "The lords had to make changes in order to make the situation more profitable for the peasants and so keep them on their land. In general, wages outpaced prices and the standard of living was subsequently raised" (Courie). They could spend more on things that they enjoyed rather than just food and shelter. This is one of the factors that led to the Renaissance because people could now focus on things like arts and learning instead of just survival. Serfs who had been tied to land for generations before the Plague could now leave and do almost anything they wanted because of the labor shortage. According to John Kelly, "In the second half of the fourteenth century, a man could simply up and leave a manor, secure in the knowledge that wherever he settled, someone would hire him; alternatively, the peasant could use his new leverage to extract rent reductions or obtain relief from hated feudal obligations such as the heriot- or death tax- from a hard-pressed lord" (285). This led to the disappearance of the feudal system and an increase in a middle, working class along with an increase in standard of living for them. Now that peasants and serfs could choose what they want to do as a job, they could also move up on the social scale. They

During the 18 century, in Britain occurred the most important phenomenon that changed the history, Industrial Revolution. It was a major turning point in their history but in the world’s history as well because the impact of the inventions changed the economical, social and political field forever. The standard of living increased therefore the population had increased.

New farming technology enabled the people of the Middle Ages to increase their food production, helping to feed a growing population. The

To gain perspective on the level of economic change in England, it is important to note and understand the population trends, as it had a directly impacted all aspects of change in regards to the economic effects of the Black Plague. In simple terms, the number of people had a direct impact on the most basic categories of the economy: production and consumption. An expanding population is only possible if it has the economic resources to support it. It seems the Black Death’s impact on population levels actually created a silver lining based on the “Malthusian Theory” where English scholar Thomas Malthus claims, “[t]hat the superior power of population is repressed, and the actual population kept equal to the means of subsistence, by misery and vice.” As England was experiencing overpopulation, there was not enough agricultural production to support the masses, but as the force of the Black Death swept in and decimated the population, it left England with abundance of land and less people to support, resulting in a balance between agricultural productivity and consumption. Although the Black Plague created shock, panic and fear for a few years, this alteration in population left survivors with an optimistic outlook

The expansion of Europe in the eighteenth century and the changing way of life in the eighteenth century also helped mold the western society. The population began to explode in the eighteenth century in Europe. There had to be limitations on population. Some things that helped the population were famine, disease and war. The reason population was growing so much was mainly because the plague had just ended. The cottage industry also with the population in the eighteen century. By this time the cottage industry challenged the monopoly of the urban craft industry. There was a lot of healthy people because of the plague had ended. There was a lot of working people because of the cottage industry. The eighteenth century was good to Europe.

The economy often fluctuated, especially alongside changes in the population. When the throne was passed to Henry VII, it was in a considerably terrible state – the Black Death of the 1400s had wiped out a good chunk of the population, and those who survived then had to also face the War of The Roses 1455-2485, which also claimed a lot of lives. Consequently, the spread of illness and disease damaged agricultural output, which would’ve kept the English economy at its weakest for both peasant and landowners. However, by the accession of Henry VIII the population had shot back up to around 2.3 million in 1524, and then rapidly increased from there. In 1541 the population had hit 2.7 million.

The Middle Ages is a medieval time period in Western Europe that lasted from 500 to 1500 C.E. The Middle Ages began as a result from the collapse of the Roman Empire which began in 31 BCE, and fell in 476 C.E. In around 300 C.E. the emperor of the Rome divided the land for easier control. This began the decline of Rome. The Western half of Rome fell to Barbarian invaders, while the eastern half lived on as the Byzantine Empire. The Early Middle Ages began shortly after the western half fell. After the Roman Empire lost its position as the center of power, Western Europe fell into a time of chaos and warfare. There were a lot of attacks by Vikings, Magyars (hungarian nomads), and Muslims. The invasions caused disorder, and suffering, and the government system developed into feudalism.The High Middle Ages followed, the Early Middle Ages, and was the time period in Western Europe from around the 11th century to the 13th. The Middle Ages are referred to as the “Dark Ages” because of the disorder, hopelessness of the time. It is accurate to refer to the Middle Ages (500-1500) as a whole as a” the Dark Ages”.The Early Middle Ages meet the qualities of a dark age due to the, lack of government, education, and dysfunctional economy. However, the high middle ages was a time of improvement for these issues.

The transition of Medieval to Modern happened over a long period of time. The middle ages marked a dark time in Europe’s history, and the people were anxious to get out. The Renaissance began, and art emerged to create a brighter society. During the Reformation, the country shifted away from the Roman Catholic Church, and many Protestant religions emerged. The Scientific Revolution also marked a change in medical to modern by creating new ways to look at the world and mathematics. The Age of Discovery marked yet another change in Medical to modern Europe when new technologies emerged in order to navigate around the world. Along with many other rulers, King Louis XIV changed France into a country looking to expand, which differed from