2nd Practice DBQ

What do primary sources during and after the plague suggest about the direct effect of the Black Death on European society?

           The Black Death was a major historical event that took a toll on the economic, political, social, and religious standings of Europe. The economy of countries, like England, was greatly affected by the plague. Labor forces around Europe began to shrink because people were so concerned with avoiding the sickness that there wasn’t much ruling going on. This allowed for peasants to break out of their barriers and refuse to work without getting the pay or housing they wanted. According to a document written in 1349, the King of England attempted to force citizens back into working where they belonged. This document is only somewhat reliable because while there are facts, there are also the king’s opinions and views.

            The political and social aspects of Europe were also affected by the Black Death. Based on a document written by Jean Froissart, common villagers in France decided it would be in France’s best interest to destroy all knights and squires living there. The villagers gathered together and went to the castles and homes of knights and squires and murdered them and their families. Still, the villagers didn’t just murder the people. They tortured them by violating their wives and daughters, burning knights and squires, forcing families to eat their fathers or husbands, and murdering the people in gruesome ways. This rise of villagers against knights and squires was due to the fact that the Black Death was causing a lack of law and ruling in European countries. These stories, however, cannot be claimed fact nor fiction on this account because the document that wrote these stories was written ten years after the Black Death occurred.

            The Black Death caused religious division as well. The plague was causing millions of people to die all over Europe, and the Europeans wanted someone to blame. Most people chose to blame the Jews. Different cities began to capture Jews and torture them until they confessed to poisoning water sources of the Christians. Eventually most of the Jews confessed to whatever it was their torturer was suggesting. This information comes from a book written in the 17^th century and is therefore unreliable. Some cities, like Strasbourg, did not want to blame the Jews though. Eventually, however, pressure from the citizens and from other cities got to the leaders of Strasbourg. Strasbourg blamed the Jews and decided to burn them. As stated by the document, the Jews would not have been burned if they weren’t rich. Citizens would not have cared enough to burn the Jews if they were poor. This document is credible because the author lived close to the time when this occurred. He was also an archivist and wrote things based on  what his predecessor said.