Final answer:
It took Europe several centuries to recover from the bubonic plague, with population levels not returning to pre-Plague numbers until the seventeenth century, and in some areas the eighteenth century. The recovery was complicated by the plague's persistence in urban centers and the pre-existing economic challenges before its arrival.
Step-by-step explanation:
The bubonic plague, also termed The Black Death, had a profound impact on the population of Europe, causing a significant decline that lasted for centuries. After the initial wave between 1347 and 1351, which wiped out over half of Europe's population, it took until the fifteenth century for the population to begin its slow recovery process. It was not until the seventeenth century, and in some regions the eighteenth century, that the population numbers returned to their pre-plague levels.
Aside from the immediate impacts of the plague, Europe was already experiencing economic hardships due to famines and crop failures, which weakened the population and arguably made them more susceptible to the disease. Social structures were also challenged as a result of the high mortality rate; for example, peasant revolts in the fourteenth century reflected the declining patience for the demands of feudal lords and the Church. Moreover, the continuous outbreaks and the persistence of the plague in places like London, which could maintain the plague within its urban population of both humans and rodents, meant that recovery was uneven and complicated by recurring epidemics.
The impact on European society extended well beyond demographics, affecting economics, social structures, and ultimately leading to the downfall of the feudal system. The full recovery and stabilization of Europe's population were not only a matter of surviving the disease but also adapting to the significant changes that unfolded in its wake.