On The Plague Of England In Late Medieval Times And Its Impact On Population (1350-1510)

Plagues frequently occurred in England after the Black Death in the Later Middle Ages. Spread and response environment of plague led to so many plagues. Continued plagues had effects on mortality, birth rate and natural increase. This text will focus on spread and response environment and morbidity of plagues, and their effects on population change, and summarize the social reality inspiration.Full paper is divided into preface, text, conclusion and references. The preface summarizes the goal and significance of this issue, and introduces present research situation of the domestic and foreign scholars. The text body includes three parts.The first part of paper introduces form and spread environment of plagues. Plague falls into bubonic, pneumonic and septicemic plague. Spread environment includes countryside environment, city environment and healthy ideas. Most people used wood and straw to build house. In these conditions, rats and fleas are easy to contact with humans. Poor healthy conditions and bad health habits would contribute to more outbreaks.The second part of paper introduces morbidity of plagues which occurred in the England in the Later Middle Ages. During fourteenth and fifteenth century, pandemic and endemic plagues frequently occurred in England. From1348to1440, there were twenty-two pandemics. Moreover, it was more than twelve years that appeared endemic plagues. Most endemic plagues were regional plagues. From1440-1462, all were endemics, no epidemics occurring. Morbidity of endemic plagues was high. More than twelve years experienced endemic plagues. Between1463and1480, four epidemic plagues reoccurred. From1480-1510, epidemic plagues did not outbreak, but endemic expressed itself in five years.The third part introduces response measures. Church ordered people to use confession. Medical man suggested avoiding pollution air. Church, medical and popular responses failed to prevent diseases and cannot cure patients. Therefore, after the Black Death, plagues frequently appeared.The fourth part introduces plagues’effects on demographic change. Continued plagues had effects on mortality, birth rate and natural increase, and controlled demographic change. Plagues firstly killed a lot of people and caused higher mortality than normal level. Season and age model of death changed. Plagues caused marriageable people deadly, and changed work environment of young and family structure. Therefore, birth rate was lower. Finally, plagues had effects on natural increase. Population trends from1348to the fifteenth century declined and continued stagnation until the sixteenth century first twenty years.Finally, continued plagues control England demographic change in the Later Middle Ages. We will summarize enlightenment from plagues’effects on population.