Thank you, Peter, most kind of you. Your additions are completely accurate. The first comes just before and the second just after the period I am covering (coming soon will be my article on that Calvinist idea of wealth as a sign of virtue). I did have this as the first paragraph of the chapter from which this article is an excerpt, but was too long for this publication.

"The Black Death (1347-1351) killed more than one-third of the population throughout Europe and set European civilization back for several generations. Tragic though it was, the disastrous loss of life left many lands unowned and positions unfilled, allowing an unprecedented level of social mobility. The resulting economic growth and expansion contributed to changes that helped spark the Renaissance."