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Black Death: Fourteenth Century Europe

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Black Death
In the fourteenth century, the event that influenced Europe’s society the strongest took place. It was not an event that most people would expect to have a successful outcome because of the destruction it caused. The Black death started in Europe around 1348 and lasted until 1350. Many assume the plague only had a negative effect on society; however, there were positive aspects that arose from it. Before the traumatic effects of the Black Death occurred, European society was thriving; technology was advancing, society was becoming more sophisticated, and the population was increasing rapidly. Because of the plethora of individuals, food production was barely keeping up with the demand for it ("The Black Death Arrives”). Numerous towns and cities had populations of over 50,000 (McKitterick, Rosamond.). Citizens’ outlooks on life were optimistic, as they did not anticipate the drastic change of events so suddenly. Around 1348 the plague struck Europe. The disease was predicted to kill 1.5 million people out of 4 million. Unfortunately, those affected had a minimal chance of survival due to there being an insignificant amount of medical knowledge about the plague. Once infected by the disease, the average life-span was three days. Six out of every ten Londoners had lost their life to the Black Death by the Spring of 1349. The plague spread effortlessly between people, animals, and towns because they were all near one another. Because of this compact environment,

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