 Early in the Middle Ages, beggars were generally respected and had an accepted social role.Later in the Middle Ages, at the end of the 14th and early 15th centuries, when the city was struck repeatedly by plague and refugees from wars flooded the city, the charitable institutions were overwhelmed and Parisians became less welcoming; beggars and those without professions were rounded up and expelled from the city.Commerce was a major source of the wealth and influence of Paris in the Middle Ages.