The massive decline in population during the Black Death affected the feudal system as changes were brought about in relationships between landowners and those who worked the land. Rule and laws put under the feudal system required peasants to be tied to the property in which they worked for. With the tremendous loss of peasants, landowners were left with the only one choice and that was to increase payment for labour in their estates. Peasants took advantage of this situation bargaining for power and double wages. Another rule under the feudal system was peasants were allowed to keep part of payment thereby possessing riches which only the wealthy was thought to possess.