The Black Death (1348)

The Black Death was a devastating outbreak of bubonic plague that swept across Europe in the mid-14th century. It reached Britain in 1348, arriving through port towns and spreading rapidly across the country. The disease was caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis, transmitted primarily by fleas carried on rats.

The plague struck with terrifying speed. Victims typically died within days of showing symptoms, which included swollen lymph nodes (buboes), fever, and blackening of the skin — giving the disease its common name.

The Black Death killed approximately one third of the population of Britain. Entire villages were wiped out, farmland was left untended, and the social order was severely disrupted. The death toll was so great that there were not enough people left to bury the dead in the usual manner.

Some areas of Britain suffered even greater losses than a third of their population. The scale of death was unprecedented in recorded history and left a profound mark on medieval culture, religion, and society.

The massive loss of life had a profound effect on the feudal system. With so many workers dead, agricultural labour became scarce. Serfs and peasants — who had previously been bound to their lord's land with little power — found themselves in greater demand. This gave surviving labourers more bargaining power, and many were able to negotiate better conditions or move to find higher wages.

The Black Death thus contributed to the gradual decline of serfdom in England, as the economic balance of power began to shift away from landowners towards labourers.