A shortage of workers meant that peasants could charge more wages for their services
People had wild parties to celebrate being alive
The Statute of Labourers of 1351 banned workers from demanding higher wages
In February 1349, 2,000 Jews were murdered in Strasbourg
By 1357 one third of property in London was still unused due to the small population
Landlords lowered rents to attract the few tenants that were left alive
Often there was no labour force to harvest crops or tend to animals
As peasants grew richer, the King passed laws banning them from wearing flashy clothes
Many lords turned ploughed land into pasture and grazed sheep on it
There were no longer enough peasants to farm the land for crops
Women were allowed to do jobs which were previously restricted to men
The amount of beggars on the streets drastically reduced
Some people started to question whether priests were effective at protecting people
Some people became more religious and built private chapels
Between a third and a half of the population of Europe died
Many knights, unable to live off the land, resorted to local wars to seize goods
It took more than 150 years for the population to get back to 1349 levels
Art increasingly focused on death and decay
Over 1300 villages were abandoned due to population shortages
Wages for labourers nearly doubled within a decade
Extra land could be inherited by the survivors
Labourers began to charge more for their services
Priests died in particularly high numbers due to caring for the sick
Many villages were left without a village priest
Doctors start focusing more on scientific than on religious or superstitious cures
With less pressure on the land, countries like Italy focus on luxury crops like olives and fruits
Many villagers began taking religion into their own hands e.g. going on pilgrimage
Trade between countries dried up
Many people became increasingly suspicious of foreigners
The English economy became increasingly based on wool rather than on crops
