The cause of the agricultural crisis in England in the early fourteenth century
In addition to the effects of extreme weather and climate and the war between England and Scotland, outbreaks of livestock plague and a sharp decline in livestock populations during this period were also important reasons that hindered the development of agricultural economy.
It is impossible to tell if the remaining sheep are infected and how much damage will be made, so they can only be sold as soon as possible.
By the early 20s of the 14th century, due to the reappearance of wet and cold climates, the plague broke out again, and the number of sheep and goats at Blake Estate fell by about 70%.
Due to the prevalence of sheep plague, many sheep as well as goats have been disposed of.
Coupled with the flood, many livestock also died in the flood, and the estate suffered huge losses, according to Canterbury Church records, in 1315, the value of livestock lost due to the flood was nearly £800.
During this period, the sheep were not only ravaged by the plague, but also suffered from natural disasters, and the decline in the number of livestock brought certain problems to the cultivation of the land, and many lands had to enter fallow mode.
However, outbreaks of livestock plague did not only begin to spread among sheep, but also rapidly began to spread, according to the accounts of the relevant estates in England in the mid-to-late thirteenth century.
The number of deaths from disease in the herd was in the single digits, but by the early fourteenth century many herds began to change significantly.
Especially from 1319, rinderpest was prevalent throughout England.
According to the relevant data collected, the number of cattle infected with plague in the pastures in the Bolton area from 1319 to 1322 was the largest, and the number of cattle decreased from 54 to 6 in the corresponding year of 1319.
In 1320, only two of the 47 head of cattle remained; In 1321, only 9 of the 65 cattle survived; In 1322, the ranch raised more than 80 head of cattle, with only 27 left.
These cattle basically died from the plague, and the herds on other estates declined as well.
Some of the estate records of Ramsay Abbey show that in the early fourteenth century, due to the influence of rinderpest, many manor lands could not be cultivated normally, and the number of cattle on the estate was insufficient.
From 1320 to 1321, only four bulls remained in the accounts of Crowley, the lowest number of cattle cultivated from the early thirteenth century to the mid-fifteenth century.
Relevant records show that rinderpest in medieval England was not only widely spread throughout England, but also in other countries on the European continent, infecting large herds and outbreaks in Scotland and Ireland in 1321.
According to the relevant estate archives, the destruction of rinderpest in the years 1319-1329 and 1320-1321 reached an unprecedented level.
The livestock plague, represented by cattle and sheep, not only affected the people of England by the decline in grain production, but also severely damaged the livestock industry, and the reduction of livestock numbers led to the weakening of the fertilizer required for the land.
However, the land used for cultivation could not be nourished without fertilizer, which led to a further reduction in the arable area, and this situation meant that farmers in medieval England not only faced frequent climatic disasters, but also did not have the security of land fertilizer.
In addition, cultivating the land also faces a series of negative factors that are not conducive to agricultural production such as the lack of cattle, and the lack of livestock further causes a large number of farmland to be deserted, especially the cultivation of a large share of land must use livestock for reclamation and fertilization.
Agriculture and animal husbandry have always been two interrelated economic industries, and due to the outbreak of livestock plague, the number of cattle and sheep decreased, which also affected the agricultural economy of England during this period.
Judging from the timing of the crop failure above, the livestock plague and the crop yield reduction were basically at the same time.
Livestock plague contributed to the agricultural crisis and accelerated land degradation.
Land degradation does not mean the depletion of land resources, but the reduction of arable land yields and the lack of certain material nutrients in the soil.
Even if farmers cultivate during this period, they will face a lack of tools to cultivate the land, and at the same time, the weeds on the farm will not be eaten by livestock, and the land will be reborn with weeds, and people will think of using horses instead of cattle for farming.
Although this method is feasible, the use of ploughed horses instead of ploughing cattle for ploughing is less efficient, increases the time cost of farming, and is always less convenient and faster to use than ploughing cattle.
In summary, due to the unstable climatic conditions, the arrival of the "Xiaoice" climate has caused an unprecedented blow to England's agricultural economy, and the soil environment has lost certain nutrients due to flooding, and climate instability has a fatal impact on crops.
Around the fourteenth century, England and Scotland were at war, the king's taxes on the people were not reduced, and the war destroyed many farmlands, which placed a heavy burden on the peasants.
At the same time, the prevalence of livestock plague increased the impact on agricultural production, and the combination of the three led to the emergence of crop failures, soaring prices, and a large amount of idle land, and large-scale agricultural crises.
