This investigation will discuss the extent of whether the Renaissance or the Black Death were the most significant reason in shaping European society in the period 1401-1600. Historians must view the significance in both events within a complex myriad of economic, social and cultural factors. Firstly, the Renaissance is a historical period that originated in Italy in the 14th century and can be defined as the rebirth of culture and civilisation of antiquity. It was introduced primarily because people were dissatisfied, so political figures believed that rediscovering the Ancient Greek thinking would allow the European society to excel. According to scholars, the Black Death is known to be one of the most devastating pandemics in the world, climaxing in Europe from 1347-1351. This is evidenced by it killing an estimated 30-50% of the total European population, due to the infection of bacterium Yersinia pestis.
Of all the factors which contributed to shaping Europe’s society, the most significant could be argued to be the Plague’s social upheaval as it undoubtedly disrupted the class. Firstly, the society became corrupted as people questioned where the plague had originated from. This led to the accusations of the Jews poisoning the wells with diseases hence it created an atmosphere of social discrimination. Records state that the elites’ viewed the workmen as greedy because they demanded higher wages. This is significant as it impoverished the rich further hence, Hatcher argues that the Ordinance of Labourers in 1349 and Statute of Labourers in 1351 were passed to regulate the social statuses of the elite, issued wage restraints and prevented labour mobility . Likewise, Slack debates that the elites felt threatened by the rapid social changes in England specifically due to labourers constantly moving to new lords highlighting the Plague’s significance. However, the importance of the Plague has its limitations as historians argue that the European society were already bound to experience significant changes before the onset of the plague, despite it exacerbating the downward trend in England’s population by 50%. Evidence shows there were other diseases such as tuberculosis , which could have contributed to the decline of Europe’s population. Furthermore, the Plague allowed women to become more independent due to labour shortages. This is seen in Florence as the Plague offered new opportunities for women in trade and services therefore, delayed marriages and maintained a low fertility rate. Generally, the living standards of the majority improved, leaving the peasants in the 15th century better off than the people in the 19th century. In contrast, the Renaissance is important because it created an atmosphere of learning which allowed Europe to flourish. A key example was the introduction of the printing press in the 15th century as it produced books and documents much quicker. This is valuable because it introduced an era of mass communication which allowed Europeans to formulate ideas and increase the literacy rate. Similarly, foreign artists, diplomats and merchants would come to Italy because the Renaissance portrayed an idea that it was the centre of commerce and industry to induct business. Also, the Plague allowed education to flourish further as the University of Oxford expanded from 3 to 10 colleges. In contrast, perhaps due to the Plague, people refused to flee abroad therefore, smaller universities such as the University of Florence had to formed. Pre-Erasmian humanist Rudolf Agricola went to Italy with an intention to study law however, due to the influence of the Renaissance, he swapped into humanities which was highly valued in the political world, expanding his broader interest in different cultures. Overall, despite the positive social outcomes from the Renaissance, the social conflict caused by the Plague overweighs the Renaissance’s significance.
One could contend that the Black Death had a more negative economic impact on the European Society whilst the Renaissance had a more positive outcome. However, the Plague was not the only reason to have caused economic distress in Europe as the Hundred Years War in 1336-1453 disrupted trade and agriculture therefore, already creating a pattern of reoccurring deflation and inflation. Furthermore, in the 15th century, Europe was a depopulated continent, so the economy was small despite its per capita incomes rising substantially. This was because it was difficult for survivors to produce the amount of goods as the previous population. It is important to highlight the difficulty in measuring the levels of economic problems due to the Plague as there were different consequences in different areas in Europe. For example, in the 14th century, Sicily recovered more quickly than Tuscany. In comparison, the Renaissance had positive outcomes in the economy as it introduced a new form of wealth and consumptions of goods which allowed the expansion of trade. These explorations opened up doors for the Renaissance therefore, cities such as Venice helped link Europe together, expanding into a powerful economy. This is significant in constructing Europe’s society as it resulted in wealth and resources to fund Europe’s culture, hence a new economic system for Europe which impacted the attitudes and values of Europeans. Economic historian Gino Luzzatto justifies the Italian economy’s superiority as an effect of the Renaissance through conceding that Italy’s place in the European economy changed during the renaissance and by the end of the sixteenth century and no longer enjoyed unrivalled primacy. Likewise, the elites made majority of their wealth through international trade whilst the people in lower classes invested in artisanal work and manufacturing. This is important as it highlights the intertwined relationship between the culture and economy of Europe through the ideas of Renaissance. Additionally, the textile industries were the largest in Europe and this highlights that Renaissance allowed the changes in production of all types of cloth expanding the trade market. Overall, Eileen Power argues that it is impossible to attribute everything to the Black Death economically primarily due to the fact that world was already changing in the early 14th century and that it came and gave it a slight push in the direction along which it was already traveling .
The Black Death formed a rise of some negative cultures whilst the Renaissance introduced influential cultures. With so many deaths from the Plague, the society’s stability was replaced with remorse. This accumulated a drinking culture as some people believed that drinking kept the plague away. However, as people became more aware due to the influences of culture, the Plague was marked as ‘the end of the days.’ This introduced a morbid fascination with death amongst the civilians specifically in the mid 16th centuries with the artistic genre on the universality of death. “La Danse Macabre” was created and it formulated the idea that everyone however, rich or powerful they were, would be led to their death. Similarly, the Cadaver Tomb became popular in reminding people about the corruption and impermanence of the human body through depicting a rotting corpse. This enforced people to seek spiritual redemption therefore, one could argue that the plague that negative cultural impacts towards European society as people were paralysed by death. Moreover, the Renaissance was more crucial in cultural aspects because its shaped people’s beliefs and attitudes through artefacts, art and literature. Moreover, humanists such as Matthias Corvinus went looking for manuscripts bringing ideas abroad with them and later enthused people with the ideas introduced. This is significant because a pattern was spreading widely across Europe, shaping its culture more and more, asserting Europe’s imperial dominance. Similarly, in Monarchy France, a patron of the arts Francis I proliferate Renaissance humanist ideas to the nobles with his prestige to follow his lead, initiating the French Renaissance.
In conclusion, the Black Death was more important in shaping Europe’s society despite it being on a more negative front because the Renaissance was only centred on the elites across Europe whilst the Black Death’s outcomes affected everyone from bottom of society up.