Plague

             In the renaissance period a plague called the bubonic plague.
             The disease came about in early 1947 near the Black Sea which is now Southern .
             Ukraine. In the renaissance period the bubonic plague caused the economy to go down. .
             Cities were hit hard by the plague. Financial business was disrupted as debtors died and their .
             creditors found themselves without recourse. Banks suffered because many of their debtors had .
             died and their whole families had died leaving nobody to repay the debts. Construction projects .
             were stopped for a while or were abandoned altogether. Guilds lost their craftsmen and could not .
             replace them. Towns advertised for specialist, offering high wages .
             The labor shortage was very severe, especially in short term,.
             and consequently, wages rose. Because of the mortality, there was an oversupply of goods, and so .
             prices dropped. Between the two trends, the standard of living rose for those still living. Whole .
             families died, with no heirs, their houses standing empty. The countryside, too, faced a short- .
             term shortage of labor, and landlords stopped freeing their serfs. .
             .
             In the city of Siena the economy went way down. The oil stopped being brought in to city. .
             The wool market in the city collapsed. The biggest problem was that valuable artisan skills .
             disappeared. Because of the large numbers of the working class died . Farming communities .
             became very rare. Serfs seeking liberation from tilling their lords land were told by decree and .
             statue to return to their masters duties. The poor people saw so much death they wanted to enjoy .
             life. Serfs began to leave their land and not engage in the planting of crops. Unattended crops .
             and stray animals died of starvation because of lack of care.