Paula Rubingh

Meiss, Millard.  “Economic and Social Consequences of the Plague.” Painting in Florence and Siena After the Black Death.  New York : Harper & Row, 1964. 67-73.   

This book deals with the arts, religion and society in the mid-fourteenth century and although it centers mostly on Florence and Siena , chapter II includes economic and social consequences of the Black Plague in Europe during the fourteenth century.  The author describes the aftermath of the plague as a time of “unparalleled abundance of food and goods, and of a wild, irresponsible life of pleasure” (67).  However, this easy, advantageous life doesn’t last long because people indulge themselves and don’t work the land or work their trade.  The author quotes a man named Villani who says that, “most commodities were more costly, by twice or more, than before the plague” (67).  Labor was also more scarce because people didn’t want to work and wars and scandals erupted.  This decline in the economy was exactly opposite of what people expected.  People expected there to be a surplus of everything and so they wanted to take advantage of everything.  Small towns and the countryside around Florence and Siena felt the effects of the plague because mercenaries from the large states threatened to invade them, and sometimes did.  Because of these ravaging mercenary armies, a flood of immigration occurred from the smaller towns and farms into the bigger cities.  However, this was mostly into Florence , and Siena didn’t grow nearly as much.  The effect on art and culture is also discussed here.  The author states that “The painting…may reflect these profound social changes in Florence and Siena ” (70).  She also says that art remained expressive of a more traditional feeling and pattern of thought. 

Jueneman, Fred.  “The Black Plague.”  R&D 40.13 (1998): 11. October 27, 2003 . General Reference Center Gold database.  

The author argues that the spread of the Black Plague was because of the various trade routes over sea and land.  He begins by describing the rats and fleas that carried the disease, and goes on to describe the “ Land of Darkness ” that many Europeans of the time thought that the plague had come from.  This land was probably somewhere in the North Atlantic , which would mean it came form somewhere in the west.  This contradicts the historical thought that the disease came from Asia .  He describes the spread of the plague through Iceland , Norway , Scandinavia , the Mediterranean , England , and finally, the rest of Europe , and goes on to talk about “the Venetian and Hanseatic voyages of trade in the North Atlantic .”  He says that they “…defied territorial rights and engaged in illegal trade and piracy.”  However, it was the fur trade that ended these illegal excursions, and the author claims that this is one of the most powerful arguments for the spread of the Black Plague throughout Europe .        

This article was confusing and it took some work to follow what the author was trying to say about the plague in general.  I thought that it was going to discuss the ramifications of the plague a little more in depth, but instead the author spent considerable time on the Venetian and Hanseatic trade routes.   The thesis was not good and there was little evodence to support it.  His closing statement: “This is perhaps one of the most powerful argument for viable…international trade with the New World some centuries before…Christopher Columbus…”  is extremely inconclusive.  I have no idea what the word “this” is referring to because he doesn’t make his argument entirely clear.  I do, however, think that he is trying to make a good point because the spread of the Black Plague was obviously helped along by overseas trade routes that carried the infested rodents and from country to country.  While there is much information included in this book than what I have written here, I think that it is a good source of information, and it is not difficult to read.  Well organized and well written, the author includes relevant information and uses Petrach, Boccacio, and other well-known writers/painters or the times in her writing.  I think that the information included about the Black Plague is extremely helpful, but it’s only about twelve pages of helpful information.  The rest is probably more helpful to someone doing a paper about art and the way artistry changed after the Black Plague, and, more specifically, someone whose research is centered more on Italy ( Florence and Siena ).  

Nigel, Saul.  “ Britain 1400.”  History Today  50.7 (2000): 38-43.  28 October 2003 Wilson Select Full Text Plus.  

Saul Nigel writes in this article about the conditions in Europe and the British Isles and defends the position that people were far better off after the Black Plague than before.  He states that, “the turning point [came] in 1438 when the Black Death struck Britain .”  He summarizes the basics of the plague itself; where it came from, how it spread, and the numbers it killed.  But besides the Black Plague, famine was also a major contributor to the devastation that ravaged Europe in the fourteenth century.  He writes that during the forty years preceding the Black Plague epidemic there were heavy rains which left crops ruined and left the people with a shortage of food.  Flock of sheep and other herds of animals were also killed by some of these natural disasters which only added to the food shortages.  “Population growth was outstripping resources, and [the] malnourished population became ‘calamity sensitive’” says Nigel, but he also writes that, “the Black Death probably deserves its reputation as the main agent of change.”  He goes on to talk about the Black Plague hitting numerous times and killing a lot of the younger population, thus causing a halt in population growth so the population didn’t really start gaining ground until the end of the fifteenth century.  He continues with agriculture, and then moves on to talk about how much better off those who had survived the Plague were because there was such a surplus of land and space to be had by those who wanted it.  Wages went up and the price of food went down.  Nigel says that “…time and the changing economy worked in the peasants’ favour.”  The rest of the article focuses more on the agriculture of the time, industry, and people such as Chaucer and Yevele and the creativity they brought to society.  He also moves into the fifteenth century a little bit and relates some of it to modern day.  

Nigel has a very straight-forward writing style and although his thesis was a little difficult to pick out, he doesn’t add a lot of “fluff” to his writing. He provides much information that has to do directly with his opinion that people were better off after the Plague than before it.  He goes about making his point in a very logical way.  He takes the reader through the causes, symptoms, and effects of the Black Plague directly, and moves forward with agriculture, other natural disasters, and finally, how those people who had survived really were better off because of all that had happened.  The end of the article is somewhat confusing he begins to address the fifteenth century rebellions and Scottish identity, but overall, an excellent resource for someone writing about the Black Plague.