preview

The Causes Of The Black Death

Decent Essays

European civilizations developed most of their foundations during the eleventh, twelfth and thirteenth centuries. During this time, the Catholic Church reached its climax. By the fourteenth century however, a devastating number of catastrophes resulted in the destruction of medieval civilization. The Black Death, a devastating plague, was the most destructive natural disaster in European history. Following in its wake were numerous economic and social crises, including political unrest during the Hundred Years’ War. The Catholic Church also experienced its own crisis. All of these economic, social and political issues shook Europe to its core, but not enough to crumble its resilient foundation. At the beginning of the fourteenth century, Europe began to experience a change in weather patterns that shortened growing seasons that resulted in widespread famine and hunger. This in turn contributed to citizens having a higher susceptibility to disease due to malnourishment, especially evident when the Black Death struck Europe. The Black Death, an epidemic of the bubonic plague, swept through Europe in the mid-fourteenth century causing social, political and cultural turmoil. Genoese merchants brought the plague to Sicily, off the coast of Italy, which then made its way through commercial trade routes all the way into Spain and France (Spielvogel). At the time, no one knew how the plague was transmitted from person to person. Ultimately, one-third of the European population was

Get Access