I’ve heard this was one of the causes of The Enlightenment:
I am not a history expert, take what I say here with a hefty grain of salt
After The Plague killed a bunch of people, the rich didn’t have as many people to work on the farms. Thus the farmers suddenly had the ability to demand higher wages and working conditions. This led to the average person being able to buy things like books and pay for tutors, which in turn led to more people becoming educated and working in the arts and sciences.
To build on this, in Norway so many people died that in 1450 (100 years after the black death) 60% of all farms was left abandoned and the term Ødegård (øde = desolated/abandoned, gård = farm) was popularized. Ødegård/Ødegaard is still quite a common family name to this day.
Anyone that wanted could just go and take a farm and be their own boss.
Of course, in the 1500s when the population had increased sufficiently the farms all had to be rebuilt and the rich landlords claimed the farms in their area and the King took the rest. The peasants were allowed to work the farms if they paid the lords for the privilege.
In the 1600s a new underclass of Husmenn (hus = house) was created. They owned their houses, but not the ground. When they moved they would normally take their houses with them.
I’ve heard this was one of the causes of The Enlightenment:
I am not a history expert, take what I say here with a hefty grain of salt
After The Plague killed a bunch of people, the rich didn’t have as many people to work on the farms. Thus the farmers suddenly had the ability to demand higher wages and working conditions. This led to the average person being able to buy things like books and pay for tutors, which in turn led to more people becoming educated and working in the arts and sciences.
To build on this, in Norway so many people died that in 1450 (100 years after the black death) 60% of all farms was left abandoned and the term Ødegård (øde = desolated/abandoned, gård = farm) was popularized. Ødegård/Ødegaard is still quite a common family name to this day.
Anyone that wanted could just go and take a farm and be their own boss.
Of course, in the 1500s when the population had increased sufficiently the farms all had to be rebuilt and the rich landlords claimed the farms in their area and the King took the rest. The peasants were allowed to work the farms if they paid the lords for the privilege.
In the 1600s a new underclass of Husmenn (hus = house) was created. They owned their houses, but not the ground. When they moved they would normally take their houses with them.