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The Black death was not the first instance of Bubonic Plague to occur in Europe. The Plague of Justinian was quite comparable and possibly worse in its effect on the people of Western Europe. In this case, the population declined steeply and reached its lowest point around 542, with possibly 100 million dead. The plague cemented the position of Christianity, which had only recently eradicated the last recognised remnants of paganism, as the Black Death was seen as punishment for a lack of faith in Jesus.

The Great Famine of 1315-1317 was followed by the "Black Death" in 1348. Once again, the population declined steeply and large areas of Western Europe lost up to a third of their population, especially in the crowded towns. The Black Death sealed a sudden end to the previous period of social change. It seems that, with fewer serfs to do the work, property owners resisted any redistribution of wealth after the population decline. This resulted in popular uprisings, such as the Peasants' Revolt of 1381. This occurred at a time of rapprochement between the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches, and was a distraction that, along with the Western Schism, helped delay the final, though unsuccessful, attempts at reconciliation.

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15y ago

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