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How did labor shortages change wages after the Black Death?

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Medieval illustration of Brotherhood of the Cross flagellants in robes and pointed hats walking in procession, some carrying a crucifix and banners, during the Black Death. — Black Death Flagellants in the Netherlands scourging themselves in atonement, believing that the Black Death is a punishment from God for their sins, 1349.

The Black Death caused a drastic reduction in the population, which led to an acute labor shortage across medieval Europe. This demographic shift fundamentally altered the economic power balance between workers and landowners.1234

To retain their tenant farmers and ensure their land remained productive, landowners were compelled to abandon traditional labor services in favor of offering wages or money rents. Consequently, there was a general rise in wages for both peasants and artisans.12

These economic pressures contributed to the decline of the feudal system, as the transition from servile obligations to rental tenures provided peasants with greater personal liberties and fluidity in a previously rigid social structure. While this evolution toward a free peasantry was significant in Western Europe, it is important to note that the experience varied by region; in parts of Eastern Europe, political and economic circumstances eventually led to a sharp deterioration in peasant status and a resurgence of labor demands.243