Thesis Synopsis
Andrew Kiss
Question: Did the Black Death cause the Renaissance?
Thesis: The Black Death was the catalyst of the beginning of the Renaissance in Europe because
of the effects it had on the European economy, the changes it had on artistic expression, and the
changes it had on the Catholic Church.
First Argument: The Black Death had adverse effects on the European economy.
Evidence 1- The Black Death is estimated to have wiped out 30%-60% of Europe’s population1.
"Neither physicians nor medicines were effective. Whether because these illnesses were
previously unknown or because physicians had not previously studied them, there seemed to be
no cure. There was such a fear that no one seemed to know what to do. When it took hold in a
house it often happened that no one remained who had not died. And it was not just that men and
women died, but even sentient animals died. Dogs, cats, chickens, oxen, donkeys sheep showed
the same symptoms and died of the same disease. And almost none, or very few, who showed
these symptoms, were cured. The symptoms were the following: a bubo in the groin, where the
thigh meets the trunk; or a small swelling under the armpit; sudden fever; spitting blood and
saliva (and no one who spit blood survived it). It was such a frightful thing that when it got into a
house, as was said, no one remained. Frightened people abandoned the house and fled to
another."2
Evidence 2- Many people fled from the towns and cities for the countryside.
“Many people agreed that against plagues no medicine was better than or equal to simple flight”3
Evidence 3- These population drops lead to the downfall of feudalism.
When the Black Death ravaged Europe, the peasants died, and the Lord’s didn’t have enough
people to work for them. The remaining peasants knew that their services were in dire need, and
took advantage of this. Nobility tried to take control of the situation, however, and restore labour
wages to what they once were Statute of Labourers  Peansant’s Revolt
Counter Arguments: The population was also wiped out through a series of wars
People fled from the towns and cities to avoid conscription
Feudalism was an old system and would have ended, regardless of the Black Death
Second Argument: The Black Death had changes on artistic expression.
The Black Death Bubonic Plague World History. 2005. 07 12 2010 "The Florentine Chronicle." Institute for Advanced Technology in the Humanities. Web. 11 Jan. 2011. <http://www2.iath.virginia.edu/osheim/marchione.html>. 1
2
3
Boccaccio, Giovanni. The Decameron. Florentine, 1353. Evidence 1- Artists painted skeletons and rotting corpses dancing among the living, in otherwise
normal and cheerful painted scenes4. These works were produced to remind people of the
fragility of their lives and how vain were the glories of earthly life5
Evidence 2- Many songs were written as a tribute to the plague. “A sickly season, the merchant
said, the town I left was filled with dead, and everywhere these queer red flies crawled upon the
corpses’ eyes, eating them away.”
Counter Arguments: These minor changes did not start a new artistic period
Not all artists painted in the style of the macabre
Third Argument: The Black Death had changes on the Catholic church.
Evidence 1- In 1336, Pope Benedict XII issued a new papal bull which stated that once a person
died, their soul was immediately judged once, by God, and then once more in an ultimate
judgement at the end of time, which Benedict XII called the Last Judgement6. This charter was a
response to John XXII, his predecessor, who believed that there was not an initial judgement
upon death, but that all souls rested and then were judged at the end of time7. This disagreement
between the two popes became a very controversial topic among Catholics, as during the Middle
Ages the destiny of the individual after death was a hotly debated topic.
Evidence 2- Material Losses (It is estimated that approximately half the clergy disappeared
following the Black Death)
Evidence 3- Religious deviations (John Wycliffe attracted a group of followers known as
Lollards, who openly opposed the influence of the church. The Lollards promoted independent
study of the bible, the rejection of superstition, the priesthood of all believers, and common
sense8)
4
Nardo, Don. The Black Death. Turning Points In World History, 1999. 173. 5
"Dance of Death". Catholic Encyclopedia. 2007.02.20. 6
“Benedictus Deus.” n.d. Saint Mike. 12 12 10 <http://www.saint-­‐
mike.org/library/papal_library/benedictxii/constitutions/benedictus_deus.html>. 7
Christine M. Boeckl, “The Pisan Triumph of Death and the Papal Constitution Benedictus Deus,” Artibus et Historiae, Vol. 18, No. 36 (1997), 55. Clement VI was the pope during the Black Death (1342-­‐ 1352). 8
Williams, Stuart Murray. "The Lollards." n.d. Anabaptist Network. 12 12 10 <http://www.anabaptistnetwork.com/book/export/html/28>. Evidence 4- The church attempted to prevent medical advancement (human dissection was
banned, as the church really did not agree with attempting to cure the sick. They said that if you
were sick, then you were being punished by God, and that the only way for one to be cured was
to repent9)
Counter Arguments: Debated topics among the church are not uncommon, and do not alter
society as a whole
Clergy disappeared, but so did the rest of the population, so the ratio of clergy to churchgoer
remained the same.
Minor religious deviations are not important.
Dissection was not possible at the time anywayes, despite whether the church allowed it or not.
Conclusion
The Black Death was absolutely necessary for the Renaissance to begin, as it was the main
contributing factor. Extreme economic effects, important artistic changes, and slow medical
advancements, caused by the Black Death, lead to a new time period known as the Renaissance.
9
Medicine in the English Middle Ages. Faye Getz, Princeton University Press, 1998.