## Learning Outcomes

- Recall when the Black Death reached Britain and the scale of population loss
- Explain how the Black Death changed work, wages, and social structure in England (and affected Wales, Scotland, and Ireland)
- Identify what the Hundred Years’ War was, who fought it, and why it began
- Remember key facts about the Battle of Agincourt (1415) and the outcome of the war
- Recognise how these events link to earlier medieval history, such as the Norman Conquest and the development of English rule in Wales, Scotland, and Ireland

## Life in the UK Test Syllabus

For the Life in the UK Test, you are expected to understand major conflicts and crises of the later Middle Ages, with a focus on the following syllabus points:

- Know that the Black Death reached Britain in 1348 and killed about one third of the population in England (with similar proportions in Scotland and Wales)
- Understand the economic and social effects of the Black Death: labour shortages, higher wage demands, and movement from countryside to towns
- Recognise the emergence of new social groups after the Black Death, including the gentry and a stronger town middle class
- Know that the Hundred Years’ War was a long war between England and France lasting 116 years, and that it ended with England largely leaving France in the 1450s
- Recall that the Battle of Agincourt (1415) was a major English victory under King Henry V against a much larger French army
- See how the Black Death and the Hundred Years’ War fit into the wider story of medieval conflict, including English rule in Wales and presence in Ireland

## Test Your Knowledge

_Attempt these questions before reading this article. If you find some difficult or cannot remember the answers, look more closely at that area during your revision._

1. In what year did the Black Death reach Britain, and about what fraction of England’s population died?
2. What two major economic effects followed the Black Death for peasants and workers?
3. What was the Hundred Years’ War, and who fought it?
4. Which English king won the Battle of Agincourt, and in what year was it fought?
5. True or false: the Hundred Years’ War lasted exactly 100 years.
6. Which new social groups gained importance after the Black Death?
7. In which decade did England largely lose its territories in France?

## Introduction

In the 14th and 15th centuries, England was shaped by two forces that affected almost everyone’s life: a deadly disease pandemic (the Black Death) and a long foreign war with France (the Hundred Years’ War). Together, these events changed the economy, society, and politics of medieval England.

> **Key Term: Middle Ages**  
> The period commonly dated from the end of the Western Roman Empire in AD 476 to 1485; for Life in the UK, the focus is mainly on the period after the Norman Conquest (1066) up to the start of Tudor rule.

These events built on earlier developments. The Norman Conquest had already changed government and society, and English kings had become involved in ruling parts of Wales, Scotland, and Ireland. The Black Death and the Hundred Years’ War pushed this changing society in new directions.

### The Black Death (1348) and population loss

The Black Death was the most severe disease disaster in British history. It arrived in Britain in **1348**. The disease is often described as a form of plague. It spread quickly and caused extremely high death rates.

In **England**, about **one third of the population died**. A similar proportion died in **Scotland and Wales**. The impact was felt in villages, towns, monasteries, and within families. Many communities lost a large part of their workforce and many local leaders.

Although the Life in the UK Test focuses on broad facts rather than medical detail, you should remember the key date and the scale of loss. The main testable point is not the symptoms, but the major changes that followed.

> **Key Term: Black Death**  
> A deadly disease outbreak that reached Britain in 1348 and killed about one third of the population in England, with similar proportions in Scotland and Wales.

#### Effects across the nations

- **England, Scotland, and Wales:** all saw very large population falls. With fewer workers, the economy had to adjust.
- **Ireland:** the disease killed many people in the area controlled by the English around Dublin, and for a time this reduced the area under firm English control.

> **Key Term: the Pale**  
> The area of Ireland around Dublin that was under English rule by about 1200.
>
> **Test Tip:** Examiners often test the Black Death with a simple cause-and-effect chain: **1348 → around one third die → labour shortages → workers demand higher wages → society changes**. Learn this chain as one unit.

#### Daily life during and after the epidemic

During the Black Death, trade was disrupted, local markets were affected, and some villages were temporarily abandoned. Parish priests, monks, and nuns were often called upon to care for the sick, and many of them also died. Afterwards, surviving families might inherit land and goods from several dead relatives, which sometimes made them wealthier and more independent than before.

In some regions, churches and churchyards show signs of the crisis, with new burial areas and memorials. Over time, people gradually adapted to the smaller population, but the memory of the disaster stayed strong in stories and local traditions.

### How the Black Death changed work, farming, and social classes

Before the Black Death, much of society was organised through the feudal system. Land was the main source of wealth, and many peasants had limited freedom.

> **Key Term: feudalism**  
> A medieval system in which the king granted land to lords in exchange for loyalty and military support; many peasants worked the lord’s land and had restricted freedom.

#### Labour shortages and wage demands

After 1348, there were fewer workers available to farm land, care for animals, and produce goods in towns. This created a **labour shortage**. Workers and peasants were in a stronger position because landowners still needed people to do essential work.

As a result:

- peasants and workers **began to demand higher wages**
- some people were able to negotiate better terms and move to places where work paid more
- some landowners tried to keep wages low, which led to tension and, in some cases, local unrest

This was a major change because it challenged older expectations that peasants should accept low pay and remain tied to one area.

Governments and landowners sometimes tried to control these changes by passing laws that attempted to freeze wages or stop workers moving. Even so, over the long term, workers’ ability to bargain for better conditions grew stronger than it had been before the Black Death.

#### Changes in farming and land use

With a smaller population, there was less need to produce large amounts of cereal crops to feed everyone. In many places this meant:

- a reduction in cereal farming
- more land being used for other purposes (for example, raising animals), depending on local needs and profits
- some poorer-quality land being left uncultivated because it was no longer worth the effort

For the test, you do not need detailed agricultural statistics, but you should understand the basic point: fewer people meant economic changes and new decisions about how land was used.

#### Movement to towns and the growth of a middle class

The changes after the Black Death helped towns expand. Some people left rural areas to seek paid work, trade opportunities, or a different life in towns.

In towns, increased wealth and commerce supported the development of a stronger **middle class** (for example, merchants and skilled workers). Guilds and trade organisations were important in many towns, helping to regulate work and maintain standards.

At the same time, a group of landowners below the titled nobility became more important.

> **Key Term: gentry**  
> Landowners who were below the nobility; after the Black Death they became a more significant social group.

The key idea is that society became less strictly divided into a small ruling elite and a large, dependent peasantry. New groups gained influence through land, trade, and paid work.

> **Test Tip:** If a question asks what happened after the Black Death, the safest answer is usually about **labour shortages and higher wage demands**, not famine or crop failure.

#### Long-term social and political effects

Over the following century, the social changes created by the Black Death contributed to:

- a gradual decline in the strict feudal system
- more opportunities for some peasants to become independent farmers or skilled workers
- increasing confidence among common people to question traditional authority

These long-term effects provide some background to later events in English history, such as disputes between nobles and the Crown and the eventual rise of new political and economic ideas in the Tudor period.

### The Hundred Years’ War and the Battle of Agincourt (1415)

While disease reshaped society at home, English kings were also involved in long wars abroad. The most famous was the Hundred Years’ War.

> **Key Term: Hundred Years’ War**  
> A long series of wars between England and France lasting 116 years, fought mainly over power and territory; it included major English victories such as Agincourt (1415).

The war started as a dispute about who should be king of France and about control of French lands. English kings held territory in France and claimed the French crown through family links. French kings resisted these claims, leading to repeated conflict.

#### Why it is called the “Hundred Years’ War”

Despite its name, it lasted **116 years** and included periods of fighting and pauses. The key point for Life in the UK is to know:

- it was a long war between **England and France**
- it lasted longer than 100 years, so “exactly 100 years” is false
- it was expensive and affected taxation and politics in England, because kings needed money and soldiers to continue the conflict

#### A famous battle: Agincourt (1415)

One of the best-known events in the war is the **Battle of Agincourt**, fought in **1415**.

At Agincourt:

- the English army was led by **King Henry V**
- the English were **vastly outnumbered**
- the English still defeated the French, making it a famous victory in English history

English archers, especially longbowmen, played an important role in the victory. Muddy ground and narrow battlefield conditions also made it difficult for the larger French force to use its full strength.

You do not need to memorise detailed troop numbers for the test, but you should know the year, the king, and that it was a major victory against a larger French force.

> **Key Term: Henry V**  
> King of England who led the English army to victory at the Battle of Agincourt in 1415.

#### Life in England during the war

The Hundred Years’ War influenced life in England in several ways:

- kings needed money, so they asked Parliament for taxes, which increased the importance of Parliament in approving taxation
- many soldiers served abroad, and some gained experience and rewards that raised their status at home
- victories such as Agincourt were used to promote national pride and loyalty to the king

However, the costs of war were high, and defeats or heavy taxation could cause discontent within England.

#### The end of English rule in France (the 1450s)

Over time, England’s position in France weakened. In the **1450s**, the English largely left France. In Life in the UK revision, this is usually summarised as England losing most of its French territories by the mid-15th century.

This matters because it marks the end of a long period of overseas war and helps explain why the later 15th century in England became focused on internal issues and power struggles among nobles. Soon afterwards, the Wars of the Roses would break out between rival branches of the English royal family.

### Linking the Black Death and the Hundred Years’ War

Although the Black Death and the Hundred Years’ War were different kinds of crises, they influenced each other:

- The loss of population from the Black Death affected the supply of soldiers and workers needed to support long wars.
- War and disease both encouraged governments to improve record-keeping and taxation so that kings knew who owed them service and money.
- Both events helped shape a stronger sense of an English kingdom with its own interests, distinct from neighbouring countries.

For the Life in the UK Test, you mainly need to learn the **key dates, main causes, and basic consequences**, but it is useful to remember that these events were part of a wider period of change between the early Middle Ages and the start of Tudor rule in 1485.

## Key Point Checklist

_This article has covered the following key knowledge points:_

- The Middle Ages (for Life in the UK) focus mainly on the period after 1066 up to 1485
- The Black Death arrived in Britain in 1348
- About one third of England’s population died in the Black Death, with similar proportions in Scotland and Wales
- After the Black Death there were labour shortages, and peasants and workers demanded higher wages
- The Black Death encouraged movement from the countryside to towns and helped strengthen a town middle class
- New social groups grew in importance, including the gentry
- The Black Death contributed to long-term changes in feudalism and social relations
- The Hundred Years’ War was a long war between England and France that lasted 116 years
- The Battle of Agincourt (1415) was a major English victory led by Henry V against a much larger French army
- England largely left France in the 1450s, ending most English rule there
- Both the Black Death and the Hundred Years’ War helped shape the transition from medieval to early Tudor England

## Key Terms and Concepts

- Middle Ages
- Black Death
- the Pale
- feudalism
- gentry
- Hundred Years’ War
- Henry V


Medieval to Tudor - Black Death and Hundred Years’ War