The Black Death 's Effects On Europe

The Black Death was one of the worst pandemics in history. The disease ravaged Europe, Western Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa between 1346 and 1353 (Horrox 1994). It is difficult to understand the reality of such a devastating event, especially given the fact that science during the middle ages was severely underdeveloped. No one knew about bacteria, viruses, or other microbial agents of disease (Benedictow 2004). They had no way of protecting themselves during that time and no one was safe from the effects of the plague. Those who wrote chronicles claimed that only a tenth of the population had survived, while others claimed that half to a third of the population was left alive (Horrox 1994). In 1351, agents for Pope Clement VI predicted the number of deaths in Europe to be 23,840,000 (Gottfried 1983). Obviously, not all regions experienced the same mortality rates, but modern estimates of the death rate in England give the first outbreak a mortality rate of about forty-eight percent (Horrox 1994). That is, England lost half of its population in about a year and a half. Clearly the chroniclers ' who claimed that ninety percent of the population had died were overstating the magnitude of the plague, but this overemphasis demonstrates how terrifying the pandemic was to those who experienced it (Horrox 1994). The Black Death had huge consequences on the lives of those who were impacted directly, as well as major religious and cultural effects that came afterward.

The black death arrived in Europe in October of 1347. It was brought by twelve Genoese trading ships that docked at the Sicilian port of Messina after a lengthy expedition through the Black Sea. The people that were gathered on the docks to meet the twelve ships were greeted with a terrifying surprise: the majority of the sailors that were on they ship were dead, and the ones that were still alive were somberly ill. They had fevers, were unable to hold down food, and were delirious from pain. They were covered with big black boils that oozed pus and blood. The illness was named the “Black Death” because of the black boils.

The Black Death, also known as the Bubonic plague, was a serious pandemic that killed more than one-third of Europe’s population. Between 1347-1352, the Black Death had “reportedly killed more than 20 million people.” The plague originated from Asia before traveling throughout Europe and the Mediterranean by fleas infested rats transported through ships. The infested ships had then landed in European ports such as the following: “Genoa, Venice, Messina, and other more.” Thus, the starting the pandemic by the spreading of the highly contagious bacterial infection disease around Europe along with their imports and exports.

Analyze the influence of the Black Plague on the economic activity in Europe from 1350-1400.

After Edward III died in 1377, England experience domestic issues during the reign of Richard II

History reveals the mid-14th century as a very unfortunate time for Europe. It was during this period when the continent became afflicted by a terrible plague. The source of the pathogen is known today as bubonic but was colloquially known as “The Black Death” to Europeans of the day. The plague caused a tremendous number of deaths and was a catalyst of change, severely impacting Europe’s cultural, political and religious institutions.

Do you know what The Black Plague was, it was a horrible disease that people back in the middle ages didn’t know where it came from how to fight off against it and how it spread. People back then didn’t know where it came from but scientists now think they know. Scientists think that Black Rats and fleas caused the black plague that the fleas carried it and gave it to the rats then the rats passed it along then the rats died and the fleas moved to a new host they moved to humans and spread it even further.(A&E, The Black Death)The rats that infected the humans lived in a city called Kaffa and then went on ships with people and moved to other places like Italy, Constantinople and England. When the rats died the fleas went to humans and the rat’s dead bodies would give an animal and or human the virus without the flea having to bite anyone. (Stephen Person pg.4)The fleas probably feed on the rats blood and gave the rat the infection the rat then died and the fleas moved on to a new rat when there were no more living rats they probably went on to humans

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.

Ring-around the Rosie, A pocket full of posies, Ashes! Ashes! We all fall down. Is a sad remembrance of a terrible event as expressed to a happy children's nursery rhyme. “Ring around the Rosie,” describes the swelling in the lymph node. This swelling is circular making up the “ring” the center turns black and is surrounded by a red rash. The “Rosie” is the center of this reddish ring. The living began rotting before dying, healthy individuals used flowers to cover the odor. The poem shows attempts to get rid of the smell in the second verse, “a pocket full of posies” The posies represent fourteenth century air fresheners. “Ashes! Ashes!” Some may believe that the ashes represent cremation, the last line in the poem expresses death “we all fall down” no one survives the plague (1). The Black Death ravaged through Europe killing millions but its effect on France was most noticeable.

The Black Death, also known as the bubonic plague had huge effects and implications on the social, political and economic lives of people living in Western Europe during the Middle Ages. Beginning in Asia, the plague quickly spread throughout Europe, following trade routes, devastating all who came in it's path. Symptoms of the Black Death included a fever, large swollen glands called buboes and general weakness [Brittanica, 2016] . Animals such as rats and fleas spread the disease through the streets of Europe, killing an estimated 25 million people. The Black Death caused an economic breakdown, disrupting trade and manufacturing, resulting in a massive increase in wages for workers or peasants. The construct of medieval

The condition that Europe was in before the Black Death struck was ultimately one of the main reasons for the disease’s quick spreading. One bad condition that helped to make the Black Death even more deadly was the population boom of Europe in the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Centuries (Kagan et al. 292). Another pre-existing condition that hurt the health of Europe was the multiple famines that would come to be known at the Great Famine (Kagan et al. 292). The last cause of the Black Death being able to spread so rapidly was the economic depression that occurred shortly before the plague began. With all of these conditions combined, many Europeans citizens were weakened so much that the Black Death easily killed many of them and in some cases,

The Black Death hit the shores of Europe in October 1347. After a long a tough journey, through the Black Sea, twelve ships or Genoese docked at the Sicilian Port. Those who greeted the ships had a horrifying site of dead sailors and the sailors who were alive were greatly ill. It is said that the sailors had awful fevers, were not able to keep food down, and they were covered in black boils that oozed blood and puss. This is where the name Black Death came from. Although the ships were ordered to leave the port, the Black Death claimed the lives of over 20 million people, about one third of the continent’s population during that time, over the next five year.1

From 13th to 16th century, Western Europeans fundamentally reoriented the relationship between themselves and the natural world. Challenging the hierarchical feudal order, the advent of the Black Death coupled with two major technological revolutions, the emergence of maritime trade and the invention of the printing press, subverted longstanding modalities. As a result, Europeans began to reassess their relationship not merely with the feudal system and the Catholic church, but with their own global positionality. Embracing an expansionist mindset, the Europeans developed a worldview that was entirely unsustainable. Subjugating both the global south and the natural world, the European hegemons developed an exploitative worldview that is still omnipresent in the modern day. The domination of an infinite frontier, with its origin in the crisis of feudal Europe, has longstanding consequences in regards to the forthcoming climate calamity.

In The Plague the effects of the Black Death that ravaged Europe in the fourteenth century are described. The video begins by discussing the conditions that were the norm at the beginning of the 1340’s. To the people at the time, the church and its teachings were the answer to all of life’s questions. Even medicine was closely associated with the teachings of the Bible. The plague began in Mongolia and followed the trade routes that had been opened between Europe and China. The medical establishment of the day believed the plague was caused by noxious vapors, but it was actually

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.