Judiciary post SHTF

[Mortblanc]

In the days of 5,000,000, about the year 1347. A second wave of the Black Death followed in 1353 and the numbers suddenly became around 3,000,000.

There was a profound change in the social order caused by the severe labor shortage and the disruption caused by the deaths of so may nobles as well as peasants. Agricultural production fell by a greater percentage than population numbers as fields were untended and crops neither planted or harvested.

There was also even greater reduction in numbers in the cities with many of the administrators dying. The wheels of government stopped turning.

In the effort to replace these administrators and lawyers there were severe and sudden changes that had to take place. Many of the new replacements did not know how to read or speak Latin, so English became the standard language for record keeping for the first time in English history. Cases were argued and judgments handed down in English from that point on.

Due to repressive measures taken by the government to regain control of the economy there was a peasant revolt in 1384. London was sacked before the peasants were defeated and dispersed. The leaders lost their heads and things went back to being controlled by TPTB as expected.

Yes, a rapid population die off will screw things up for decades.