The Black Death is the name later given to the epidemic of plague that ravaged Europe between 1347 and 1351. The disaster affected all aspects of life. Depopulation and shortage of labor hastened changes already inherent in the rural economy; the substitution of wages for labor services was accelerated, and social stratification became less rigid. Psychological morbidity affected the arts; in religion, the lack of educated personnel among the clergy gravely reduced the intellectual vigor of the church. "In less than four years the disease carved a path of death through Asia, Italy, France, North Africa, Spain and Normandy, made...
trained soldiers available and those that were still around wanted a lot more money or simply had better financial prospects doing something else.

As a result of the Plague, the French went over to a system of paid, professional, army, something the English had been doing for a long time. Coming at a time when taxes were lower than previously, this led to smaller armies.

The post-Plague world was one of vastly increased opportunity for inventive and capable individuals. While the Black Death killed off medieval society, it gave birth to the beginnings of our own industrialized consumer society.