The Bubonic Plague: The Black Death In Europe

The Bubonic Plague or the Black Death has been in the history books since the medieval times. This deadly disease has claimed nearly 1.5 million lives in Europe (Gottfried). The Black Death hit Europe in October of 1347 and quickly spread through most of Europe by the end of 1349 and continued on to Scandinavia and Russia in the 1350s. Not only did the plague effect the European population by killing one-third to two-thirds (Gottfried), it also hurt the social and economic structures of every European society.

The Black Death arrived in Europe in October 1348. It was also known as The Blue Sickness or the Great Mortality (Extra, 2011). Today it is known as The Plague, The Black Death or The Black Plague.

The Black Death, which swept across Europe between 1347 and 1351, had significance in all areas of life and culture: economic, social, psychological, and even religious. It ushered in a new age for all of Europe, in many ways speeding up the change from the medieval to modern era. In under a five year time span, one-third of Europe’s population died. There is some speculation that the toll was actually more than one-third, and could have reached as much as one-half. Entire towns and cities were completely decimated by the illness in extremely brief periods of time. The arrival of the plague, and the speed with which it spread, struck panic across the continent as a whole. It would be

Before the Black Death, life in Europe was genuinely stable. People got sick, but doctors were there to treat them. The economy was not perfect, but it was able to provide the people with what was needed. The social aspect of Europe was run by the feudal system, similar to most other civilizations during this time. This all changed when the plague struck. Doctors no longer understood how to treat their patients infected with the plague. The social order was completely disrupted and people began questioning their identity. The economy began to crumble due to the fast spreading disease. This killer disease completely transformed the lives of Europeans. The widespread outbreak of the Bubonic plague impacted fourteenth century Europe in ways such as advancements in medicine, major changes in society and almost destroying the economy.

The Black Death effected society to a huge extent. “The plague was caused by a complex series of bacterial strains called Yersinia pestis” The black death spread through Black rats that would collect fleas on their fur and eat the rats blood and then the disease would share the fleas and the fleas would share the blood to humans by biting them. After approximately

This essay will focus on the key elements that contributed to the spread of the bubonic plague in medieval Europe. Then, with reference to primary and secondary evidence, justify your opinion about whether Australia could experience a similar outbreak in the 21st century. The thesis for this essay is that Key elements contributed to the spread of the bubonic plague in medieval Europe. The three inquiry questions that will be answered are what were the key elements that contributed to the spread of the black plague in medieval Europe, how did the movements of people impact on the spread of the disease, what evidence there is about whether Australia could experience a similar outbreak in the 21st century.

The Black Death was the great epidemic of a disease thought to be bubonic plague, which killed a large proportion of the population of Europe in the mid 14th century (the Medieval period). It originated in central Asia and China and spread rapidly through Europe, carried by the fleas of black rats, reaching England in 1348 and killing between one third and one half of the population in a matter of months. No amount of medical knowledge could help England when the plague struck. It was also to have a major impact on England’s social structure, which lead to the Peasants Revolt of 1381. Some main consequences of the Black Death are the economical and social side of things and the political effects of this event.

The Black Plague tremendously altered the economy, education, religion, and art of the era. Labor prices increased because of a shortage in workers, the price of goods also went up. The only price that did not rise was the price of food, this could possibly be because there wasn't as many people eating (Edmonds).

The black death was a great pestilence that killed over 50 million people in the 1300’s. This paper will go through the origin of the black death, the symptoms of the different types of plague, and the treatments, old and new, that people have tried.

It basically banished societal ladders and completely destroyed the economy and flipped it upside down. As the plague swept through Europe lowering the population society changed. Killing everyone in its path regardless of ethnicity ,age, or social groups. The loss of so many people brought despair and changed how many

History, essentially is a chain of reactions. One event leads to multiple other events, which lead to an abundance of other events. Though most of these events are caused by humans and the choices we make, some occur naturally, such as the Black Plague. The Black Plague was an epidemic that broke out in 13th century Europe and started in China. The Black Plague is one of the most well known epidemics in history. It has many names; the Bubonic Plague, the Black death, the Blue Sickness, the Great Mortality and the Pestilence. The most famous of its outbreaks was in medieval Europe. 30-50% (25 million people) of the European population had perished (Plague, Plague Information, Black Death Facts, News, Photos -- National Geographic). The plague was caused by a bacteria called Yersinia Pestis which is carried by fleas that lived on black rats. These rodents spread the disease to Europe.

During the mid-thirteenth century, medieval Europe was struck by a devastating wave of the Bubonic Plague, also known as the Black Death. The plague, a disease fatal to nearly all who came in contact with it, drastically diminished the European population, with a 25%-45% decline between 1347 and 1351. As the European population suffered, the region was met with immense social and economic change driven by the plague. Previously strict distinctions of class were blurred as the economy responded to the sharp decline of readily available workers. The economic roles held by the peasant class were especially changed, as resources and work opportunities were more available to them during the plague. While the Black Death did destroy much of Europe,

The bubonic plague of the thirteen hundreds swept through Europe, claiming the lives of one-third of its ' population in merely three years. This was the most horrific epidemic the world has seen to date. Poor sanitation practices, improper burial of corpses, and insufficient systems for waste removal were important factors in allowing the plague to manifest (Byrne 31). Infected fleas and rats, brought by trade ships and the Mongols, initially brought the disease and allowed it to spread throughout Europe with immense speed and terror (The Plague). Infection brought vomiting, multi-organ failure, black boils and even blackened limbs which inspired the term "black plague" (Eastman 10). Many sought answers as to why they were being cursed with the black death and looked for ways to channel their despair. Religious zealots looked for answers outside of Roman Catholicism which created a divide in the church (Boccaccio 8). Emotional turmoil and a search for a cure led to a revolution in art and medicine that brought the world into the Renaissance. While the far-reaching black plague vanquished much of Europe, it also brought about positive changes to society.

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.

In the year 1348 the world changed forever. The Black Death, which is another name for the Bubonic Plague, laid havoc on the entire world. “The plague chases the screaming without pity and does not accept a treasure for a ransom. Its engine is far-reaching. The plague enters into the house and swears it will not leave except with all of its inhabitants…” (Al-Wardi, #29, 113). The plague did not care if the people were rich, poor, white, black, Muslim or Catholic, it would kill whomever it could. The plague brought out the worst in people because people acted selfishly, people were completely inhumane, and there was no peace.