A Golden Age for labour? Income and wealth before and after the Black Death in the Southern Low Countries and the Republic of Florence (1275-1550)

The Black Death and subsequent plague waves killed millions in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. Although these traumatic events unsettled social relations, economic production, and cultural values, scholars have also stressed their positive impact on living standards. Already from the nineteenth century on, scholars have characterised the period as the Golden Age for labour. Yet, some historians have been more sceptical about the evidence. This thesis takes these comments at heart by critically examining income, work time, and wealth to determine the true scope of the Golden Age across time, space, and social groups. Thanks to a comparison between the Republic of Florence and the Southern Low Countries, we show that the plague pandemic did not result in a universal increase in living standards. In the last-mentioned region, the income and wealth of most households reached unprecedented heights because of a type of industrious revolution. In stark contrast, such a positive evolution was absent in the Republic of Florence outside the capital. Here, only the ruling elites were able to increase their fortunes due to protectionist measures, the spread of exploitive forms of urban landownership, and increasing fiscal pressure to finance the many wars.

Jaar van publicatie:2023

Trefwoorden:Doctoral thesis

Toegankelijkheid:Open