What are the changes in Renaissance society in europe?
After the devastation of the Black Death in the mid-13th century, European society was left in shambles. 1/3 of labor force was gone, and the inhabitants of the towns and the priestly classes were two of the hardest-hit groups. The devastation of the towns meant that trade for a time came almost to a standstill. The defining characteristic of the Renaissance economy was the permanent population change which the plague had caused —waves of plague kept the population low for more than a century (1350-1450). (At the end of this period, Florence’s population was still only a quarter of what it had been at the beginning). Until 1460, major sectors of the economy were stagnant, until sustained population growth toward the end of the 15th century revived the markets. Before this point, supply outstripped demand in both agriculture and manufactures — the foodstuffs and finished goods produced outnumbered potential consumers. The result of this was that even the poorest peasants found it easier
