Welcome to the History of English Podcast, a podcast about the history of the English language.

This is Episode 121, English Ascent.

In this episode, we're going to explore the aftermath of the Black Death in England.

During this period, the massive death toll led to some important social changes which

impacted the history of English.

Severe labor shortages caused an economic upheaval in the countryside, and those labor shortages

actually turned the feudal system on its head.

Farm labor was suddenly in high demand, and the peasants were able to command generous

wages.

Along the way, power shifted from the lords to the peasants, and a new middle class emerged

in the countryside to join the urban middle class in the towns and cities.

As we'll see, these developments gave the English language a boost, and it culminated

with a proclamation making English the official language of England.

So this time, we'll explore the ascendancy of English, and the ascendancy of the English

speaking classes.

But before we begin, let me remind you that the website for the podcast is History of

EnglishPodcast.com, and you can sign up to support the podcast and get bonus episodes

and transcripts at patreon.com slash history of English.

Now this time, I want to look at the period immediately following the Black Death in England.

In the decade or so that followed the plague, the old social and economic order started

to break down.

That old system was the feudal system imposed by the Normans about three centuries earlier.

...