Rabbits Were a Royal Luxury in Medieval England Until the Black Death

Rabbits were a medieval royal luxury in England until the Black Death

In medieval England, rabbits were not common fare but a prized status symbol reserved for royalty and the nobility, bred in warrens and guarded jealously. The Black Death upended that hierarchy: as populations collapsed and estates fell into disarray, rabbit farming spread and the animal gradually became an ordinary source of meat. The story traces how a plague reshaped not just society but the dinner table.