Jozzann Buchanan
6/10/14
EUH 3193
Tovah Bender

The Black Death left the medieval society grief-stricken with many deaths. In a morbid way, the deaths of their loved ones may have dramatically improved the lives of peasant survivors. Half or more of the laborers were dead so the demand for them increased. They were then able to bargain for higher wages and enjoyed the benefits. However, the landlords ended on the losing side. The lack of laborers caused their farms to start deteriorating and the available ones charged too much and left the services of the landlords quickly. Ordinances were passed to control the workers. The fear these documents show are the nobility losing their authority and money, it was justified by their deteriorating lands and the lack of laborers.
The Ordinances reflected the fear of the nobility losing their authority and money. In all three Ordinances, there was a law associated with binding the worker to a lord. In the Ordinance of The Cortes of Castile, he commanded that all laborers continue to work on the same estates and serve for the set salaries.1 Then in the Ordinance from the City Council of Siena, they ordain that everyone is bound to render to their said lord and pay an amount of money to the city in the name of their lord.2 In the final Ordinance, it is commanded that the laborers be bounded to serve the lord and take only the wages provided.3 If various Ordinances have common laws dealing with keeping the laborers bounded, then that means the nobility are losing control over them. These Ordinances would not contain the bound laws, if peasants were staying with their lords. The landlords are also losing money and are commanding them to accept the wages offered. The creations of these laws are the underlying fear that the nobility are losing authority and money.
The deteriorating lands caused by the lack of laborers, justified the fear of the nobility’s loss of money. Sir Edmund Welles fretted over the turmoil of his manor. His farm was neglected and failing because few people were tending it. His tenants did not turn up to perform their established labor services, and he could not replace them because of the unreasonable wages that were demanded.4 A lot of workers were needed in order to make the farm profitable. They failed to show up, which causes the Lords farm to fail and he looses money. This shows that the deteriorating lands were justifying the fear of money loss. It would lead the people in power to come up with these laws to protect their wealth.
The lack of laborers is the main factor that justifies the fear of the nobility’s loss of authority and money. There was a lack of workers because too few were seeking work and far too many jobs for them to do. They didn’t want