Feudalism and the Black Death (1348)

Study note

The Normans used a system of land ownership called feudalism, where the king gave land to lords in return for help in war, and most peasants were serfs who worked the land and could not move away. In 1348 the Black Death, probably a form of plague, killed about a third of the population of England, with similar losses in Scotland and Wales. Afterwards, labour shortages led peasants to demand higher wages, and new classes such as the gentry and a strong middle class appeared.

Memory tip: Feudalism: king to lords to serfs; Black Death 1348 killed about a third of the people.