Editing Renaissance (section)

===Black Death===
{{Main|Black Death}}
[[File:The Triumph of Death P001393.jpg|thumb|[[Pieter Brueghel the Elder|Pieter Bruegel]]'s ''[[The Triumph of Death]]'' ({{circa|1562}}) reflects the social upheaval and terror that followed the plague that devastated medieval Europe.]]

One theory that has been advanced is that the devastation in [[Florence]] caused by the [[Black Death]], which hit Europe between 1348 and 1350, resulted in a shift in the world view of people in 14th century Italy. [[Black Death in Italy|Italy]] was particularly badly hit by the plague, and it has been speculated that the resulting familiarity with death caused thinkers to dwell more on their lives on Earth, rather than on [[spirituality]] and the [[afterlife]].<ref>[[Barbara Tuchman]] (1978) ''A Distant Mirror'', Knopf {{ISBN|0394400267}}.</ref> It has also been argued that the Black Death prompted a new wave of piety, manifested in the [[Patron#Arts|sponsorship]] of religious works of art.<ref>[https://www.ucalgary.ca/applied_history/tutor/endmiddle/bluedot/blackdeath.html The End of Europe's Middle Ages: The Black Death] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130309162102/http://www.ucalgary.ca/applied_history/tutor/endmiddle/bluedot/blackdeath.html |date=9 March 2013 }} University of Calgary website. (Retrieved 5 April 2007)</ref> However, this does not fully explain why the Renaissance occurred specifically in Italy in the 14th century. The Black Death was a [[pandemic]] that affected all of Europe in the ways described, not only Italy. The Renaissance's emergence in Italy was most likely the result of the complex interaction of the above factors.<ref name="brotton">Brotton, J., ''The Renaissance: A Very Short Introduction'', [[Oxford University Press|OUP]], 2006 {{ISBN|0192801635}}.</ref>

The plague was carried by fleas on sailing vessels returning from the ports of Asia, spreading quickly due to lack of proper sanitation: the population of [[Kingdom of England|England]], then about 4.2 million, lost 1.4 million people to the [[bubonic plague]]. Florence's population was nearly halved in the year 1348. As a result of the decimation in the populace the value of the working class increased, and commoners came to enjoy more freedom. To answer the increased need for labor, workers traveled in search of the most favorable position economically.<ref>Netzley, Patricia D. ''Life During the Renaissance''. San Diego: Lucent Books, Inc., 1998.</ref>

The demographic decline due to the plague had economic consequences: the prices of food dropped and land values declined by 30–40% in most parts of Europe between 1350 and 1400.<ref>Hause, S. & Maltby, W. (2001). ''A History of European Society. Essentials of Western Civilization'' (Vol. 2, p. 217). Belmont, CA: Thomson Learning, Inc.</ref> Landholders faced a great loss, but for ordinary men and women it was a windfall. The survivors of the plague found not only that the prices of food were cheaper but also that lands were more abundant, and many of them inherited property from their dead relatives.

The spread of disease was significantly more rampant in areas of poverty. [[Epidemic]]s ravaged cities, particularly children. Plagues were easily spread by lice, unsanitary drinking water, armies, or by poor sanitation. Children were hit the hardest because many diseases, such as [[typhus]] and [[congenital syphilis]], target the immune system, leaving young children without a fighting chance. Children in city dwellings were more affected by the spread of disease than the children of the wealthy.<ref>"Renaissance And Reformation France" Mack P. Holt pp. 30, 39, 69, 166</ref>

The Black Death caused greater upheaval to Florence's social and political structure than later epidemics. Despite a significant number of deaths among members of the ruling classes, the government of Florence continued to function during this period. Formal meetings of elected representatives were suspended during the height of the epidemic due to the chaotic conditions in the city, but a small group of officials was appointed to conduct the affairs of the city, which ensured continuity of government.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Hatty|first1=Suzanne E.|last2=Hatty|first2=James|title=Disordered Body: Epidemic Disease and Cultural Transformation|publisher=SUNY Press|page=89|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=V0yJQXmGODgC&pg=PA89|year=1999|isbn=978-0791443651}}</ref>