In this activity, you will write a short research paper on the impact that the plague pandemic, also known as the Black Death, had on the people of England in the 1300s. Find out how this pandemic affected the social, political, and economic life of the country.

The Black Death was a bubonic plague pandemic, which reached England in June 1348.

Among its consequences, the most important may have been the decrease in population which caused several changes in the social structure.

To begin with, there was a shortage of labor, especially among farmers, with a corresponding rise in wages and consequent class-conflict. But it wasn't the only field that was affected: many building projects were also left aside because of the fall of the amount of available labor.

Also, because of the population decline, there were no major war campaigns, at least not until 1355. This was probably the greatest effect of the plague on the government's policies.

In addition, the Church lost credibility since it had attributed the cause of the Black Death to "the impropriety of the behavior of men," but there was a high rate of mortality among the clergy that led to a shortage of priests in many parts of the country. This caused people to lose faith in the Church as an institution.

Finally, due to the high mortality of this disease and lack of teachers, Vernacular English was promoted, thus contributing to the late 14th century flowering of English literature, represented by writers such as Geoffrey Chaucer and John Gower.