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How Did The Bubonic Plague Affect Europe

Decent Essays

James M
Block A
T3 essay

The bubonic plague dealt massive damage to Europe, Asia, and the Middle east, crumbling society and the population. Catastrophies like the plague, are thought to bring people together, but in this case, it was the opposite. This event terrified people so much that it ripped apart the fabric of society. The plague began in Asia, and slowly began to move towards Europe. The plague was carried by rodents and spread by traveling through trade routes. In 1347, a fleet of Genoese merchant ships, who were unknowingly carrying the bubonic plague, arrived in Sicily. Shortly after, the disease spread through Italy and then followed trade routes leading to France, Spain, Germany, England, and other parts of Europe and North Africa.(Holt Mcdougal.399) After four years, the Black Plague had infected nearly every country in Europe. Although some rural communities were …show more content…

The disease took nearly 25 million people in Europe, along with a few more million in Asia and the Middle-East.(Holt Mcdougal.400) 9 out of every 10 people were killed.(Diane Zahler.86) The plague returned every few years, these periodic attacks further reduced the population, but the plague never came back at strong as the first outbreak. The plague destroyed families, towns, and cities, ripping apart society. Giovanni Boccaccio, an Italian writer from the time, described the epidemic. He wrote, “This scourge had implanted so great a terror in the hearts of men and women that brothers abandoned brothers, uncles their nephews, sisters their brothers, and in many cases wives deserted their husbands. But even worse,….. Fathers and mothers refused to nurse and assist their own children.”(Holt Mcdougal.399) People abandoned their families, and were too afraid to take care of the infected, which led to more deaths. Not only were the loss of lives tragic for families, but it also lead to other economic

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