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Mentioned in the latest blog by Brett Devereaux too, that with 60% of the population dying off in Europe, the remainder abandoned hard scrabble land and moved t

Mentioned in the latest blog by Brett Devereaux too, that with 60% of the population dying off in Europe, the remainder abandoned hard scrabble land and moved to better agricultural areas - https://acoup.blog/2022/02/11/collections-rome-decline-and-fall-part-iii-things/ https://acoup.blog/2022/02/11/collections-rome-decline-and-f... It's worth also noting the truly terrifying journal of John Clyn who basically lived through, at least some part, of the height of the Black Death. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Clyn https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Clyn

thaumasiotes 5y ago
> Mentioned in the latest blog by Brett Devereaux too, that with 60% of the population dying off in Europe, the remainder abandoned hard scrabble land and moved to better agricultural areas 30% (or rather, "something like a third"), not 60%.
- dependsontheq 5y ago
  In general yes but you had areas with more death and the societal collapse afterwards had it's fair share in that.
  - Fricken 5y ago
    They estimate 80% of London's population was wiped out in about 2 months. In the country the impact was generally less severe.
    - throwaway6734 5y ago
      I can't begin to imagine the horror. I feel so fortunate to be alive in this time.
vidarh 5y ago
> the remainder abandoned hard scrabble land and moved to better agricultural areas In Norway, the relatively common last name and place name Ødegaard translates to "abandoned farm" and while not necessarily exclusively caused by the black death it rose to prominence as people took on farms after it. It's fascinating how visible it still is in naming so many centuries later. (In the UK people might be aware of an Arsenal player with that last name, for example)
- lb1lf 5y ago
  -My wife's ancestor, likely the tribe dimwit, found an unoccupied spot around the time of the Black Death, didn't for a moment pause to wonder why this spot of land wasn't already spoken for, and started working the land. Today, the place is called 'Kaldholen', which more or less translates into 'Cold dump'. Worst thing is, we still live here, 700 years later.
  - vidarh 5y ago
    Often there'd be little choice. Finding land you'd be able to take over or get permission to clear that'd be possible to farm and not taken was not easy even back then. But I live in London now and while there are things I miss about Norway, the winters are not among them.
dan_hawkins 5y ago
I've got really interesting perspective on how it could've been by reading (fictional) "Doomsday Book" by Connie Willis. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doomsday_Book_(novel) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doomsday_Book_(novel)

thaumasiotes 5y ago

> Mentioned in the latest blog by Brett Devereaux too, that with 60% of the population dying off in Europe, the remainder abandoned hard scrabble land and moved to better agricultural areas 30% (or rather, "something like a third"), not 60%.

dependsontheq 5y ago
In general yes but you had areas with more death and the societal collapse afterwards had it's fair share in that.
- Fricken 5y ago
  They estimate 80% of London's population was wiped out in about 2 months. In the country the impact was generally less severe.
  - throwaway6734 5y ago
    I can't begin to imagine the horror. I feel so fortunate to be alive in this time.

vidarh 5y ago

> the remainder abandoned hard scrabble land and moved to better agricultural areas In Norway, the relatively common last name and place name Ødegaard translates to "abandoned farm" and while not necessarily exclusively caused by the black death it rose to prominence as people took on farms after it. It's fascinating how visible it still is in naming so many centuries later. (In the UK people might be aware of an Arsenal player with that last name, for example)

lb1lf 5y ago
-My wife's ancestor, likely the tribe dimwit, found an unoccupied spot around the time of the Black Death, didn't for a moment pause to wonder why this spot of land wasn't already spoken for, and started working the land. Today, the place is called 'Kaldholen', which more or less translates into 'Cold dump'. Worst thing is, we still live here, 700 years later.
- vidarh 5y ago
  Often there'd be little choice. Finding land you'd be able to take over or get permission to clear that'd be possible to farm and not taken was not easy even back then. But I live in London now and while there are things I miss about Norway, the winters are not among them.

dan_hawkins 5y ago

I've got really interesting perspective on how it could've been by reading (fictional) "Doomsday Book" by Connie Willis. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doomsday_Book_(novel) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doomsday_Book_(novel)