The Black Death

How did immediate and long-term effects of the Black Death change medieval society in Europe?

(Source 3) The Black Death arrived in Europe by ship in October 1347 when 12 Genoese trading ships docked at the Sicilian port of Messina after a long journey through the Black Sea. They were overcome with fever, unable to keep food down and delirious from pain. Strangest of all, they were covered in mysterious black boils that oozed blood and pus which gave the illness its name: the “Black Death.” Overall, the Black Death killed many people, which caused a huge change in medieval Europe. This is evident because there was a peasant uproar threatening the feudal structure; there were fewer labourers to do twice as much work; and the churches authority was question.

In a time of political failure, economic disintegration, and constant religious disagreement, Europe was already entering the Dark Ages. Then, in the 14th century, the Black Death struck. A disease transmitted through infected flea carrying rats, the Bubonic Plague was devastating to European society not only because it was highly contagious and very lethal, but also because it had unknown origins.

It was a type of plague that was spread via the bite of infected rat fleas. The initial cause of the plague was diseased rats, with the bacteria Yersinia pestis, in their bloodstream as seen in source 1. Fleas lived on rats and when a flea bit the infected rat, the bacteria would enter the fleas stomach and multiply as seen in source 1. Due to the sudden decrease in the rat population (from disease), many fleas needed a better source of food, so they jumped onto people and bit them. This in turn is how people caught the plague. In the 1320’s a great famine broke out in china, and this caused many rats to die, also resulting in the quick spread of the plague. The name black death came from the swollen buboes (glands) in the victim’s neck, arm pit, and inner thigh that turned black as they filled with blood. Victims often died within 12 hours to 7 days of being bitten. Due to lack of hygiene and living in close, dirty and crowded proximity, rats were very common, making the disease easily contagious. The black death was a combination of three different streams of plague – bubonic, pneumonic and septicaemic. The bubonic plague was the most common form of the plague and was caused by infected fleas biting people. As seen in source 2, sufferers would have large lumps covering their body, as well as have a fever or headache. Soon after the victim would have slurred speech and vomit blood. Pneumonic was deadly

The Black Death The Black Death, also known as the Great Plague or simply Plague, or less commonly as the Black Plague, was one of the most devastating pandemics in human history, resulting in the deaths of an estimated 75 to 200 million people, peeking in Europe from 1347 to 1352. The infection may take three forms: bubonic, pneumonic, or septicemic. This essay will discuss the effects The Black Death had on Medieval society as well as evaluating the responses. The Black Death arrived in 1348 from China to kill perhaps half of the population of Europe.

The Black Death was a horrible disease that struck Europe in the mid 14th century. Originated in Asia, trade routes, like the Silk Road, allowed the spread of the plague to Europe. Bringing chaos and disruption to Europe, the Black Death, also known as the bubonic plague, changed the ways of the politics, economy, and society. Examples of political, economical, and social effects, is the war between England and France (Hundred Years’ War), the economy changing as peasants get higher wages, and the way people view life. The Black Death changed the way of life for the Europeans; politically, economically, and socially.

Digging a little deeper, it is seen that the peasants’ revolts were in fact influenced by the Black Death. In “A History of Western Society” it is made clear that people were weak and sickly even before the Black Death infected them. “People were already weakened by famine, standards of personal hygiene remained frightfully low, and the urban populace was crowded together. Fleas and body lice were universal affections.” (History, 326). When people are already weak from starvation and sickness, then the Black Death arrives, people tend to fight for life. It is known that a number of peasants’ revolts took place, and one of these is recorded by an unknown monk in 1381. The source document called “The Anonimalle Chronicle: The English Peasants’ Revolt”. It delves into the issues around labor shortage

The Black Death, a fatal disease that struck Europe in the years 1344-52, is one of the factors that led to the Renaissance. It originated in the region between Black and Caspian seas. Nicephorus Gregorus, a Byzantine Scholar, describes its symptoms as “The prominent signs of this disease, signs indicating early death, were

In the year 1348, in Florence, Italy, the first incidence of the Black Death was experienced. It originated from the east, and it had made its way into the West after destroying a large number of people in different places. Speculations about the cause of the Black Death were numerous, but some people believed that the disease came from God, and started to pray and repent. Some thought they only could escape the plague by running away from it. Some theorized Infected fleas on rats and then to man was responsible.

The Black Death was devastating and was one of the most significant events in Medieval Britain. The Black Death was also known the plague and bubonic plague it describes the spread of disease that caused mass deaths throughout Britain. The disease itself was carried by fleas and spread across Europe between 1346-1353 leaving towns and city such as Siena Italy with 85% of the population wiped out. This was seen all over Europe including Britain and it can be argued economic factors was the most significant consequences of the Black Death. However there are many factors such as political, social factors and Mortality rates that were also results of the Black Death and perhaps social factors may be more significant.

"The Black Death" is known as the worst natural disaster in European history. The plague spread throughout Europe from 1346-1352. Those who survived lived in constant fear of the plague's return and it did not disappear until the 1600s. Not only were the effects devastating at the time of infection, but during the aftermath as well. "The Black Death" of the fourteenth century dramatically altered Europe's social and economic structure.

The Black Death, according to Joseph P Byrne, was “a deadly epidemic that spread across Asia and Europe beginning in mid 1300’s.” It did not take long for the plague to make a big impact on the world. “By the spring of 1348, the Black Death, also known as Black Plague, spread to france, The Alberium Peninsula, and England, following trade routes and hitting big cities first before spreading to the countryside,” states Gail Cengage. In the 19th century, Europe was devastatingly hit with this epidemic that affected them greatly then and now. The Black Death in Europe affected 19th centuries economics, population, and literature. Its effect on Europe is an interesting topic that shaped history and our lives today. This topic is widely covered as Molly Edmonds writes her findings from other sources. These sources will be used to describe the effect the Black Death had on Europe.

The Black Death resulted in the death of over 25 million people and one third of Europe’s people from 1347 to 1352. This disease originated in China in the early 1330’s and started to spread to Western Asia and Europe through trade. The bubonic plague, aka Black Death, affects rodents mostly but fleas can transmit disease to people. Once a one person is infected, it was easily transmitted. The plague caused fever and swelling of the lymph glands. It also caused red spots on the skin, but then turned into black spots. During the winter the plague seemed to vanish, but came back and happened in waves. The aftermath of the Black Death had a major impact on, literature, religion, and the economy.

The pandemic known to history as the Black Death was one of the world’s worst natural disasters in history. It was a critical time for many as the plague hit Europe and “devastated the Western world from 1347 to 1351, killing 25%-50% of Europe’s population and causing or accelerating marked political, economic, social, and cultural changes.” The plague made an unforgettable impact on the history of the West. It is believed to have originated somewhere in the steppes of central Asia in the 1330s and then spread westwards along the caravan routes. It spread over Europe like a wildfire and left a devastating mark wherever it passed. In its first few weeks in Europe, it killed between 100 and 200 people per day. Furthermore, as the weather became colder, the plague worsened, escalating the mortality rate to as high as 750 deaths per day. By the spring of 1348, the death toll may have reached 1000 a day. One of the main reasons the plague spread so quickly and had such a devastating effect on Europe was ultimately due to the lack of medical knowledge during the medieval time period.

The Black Death, the most severe epidemic in human history, ravaged Europe from 1347-1351. This plague killed entire families at a time and destroyed at least 1,000 villages. Greatly contributing to the Crisis of the Fourteenth Century, the Black Death had many effects beyond its immediate symptoms. Not only did the Black Death take a devastating toll on human life, but it also played a major role in shaping European life in the years following.