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, 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
Life was very busy for me in 1300’s, I travelled through many countries and continents following the trail of dead bodies. I am death. I have lived forever. I will live until no human lives no more. I will continue collecting the souls of the deceased on earth and taking them to rest in the light blue place beyond. I lived through the Black Death watching on as the world experienced the disastrous effects.
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.
Around 1339 in northwestern Europe, the population began to outgrow the food supply and a severe economic crisis incremented. The winters were inordinately cold and the summers were arid and dry. Due to this extreme weather, a minute number of crops could produce and those that grew were dying. On the wake of these seven distressing years of weather and famine was the greatest plague of all times, The Black Death. In 1347 AD, The Black Death began spreading throughout Western Europe. Over the time span of three years, the widespread epidemic killed one third of the population in Europe with pretty near twenty five million people dead. The Black Death killed many more Europeans than any other endemic or war up to that time, vastly impacting the Church, the people, and the economy. These three social backbones were changed forever.
One could only imagine the fear the people in Europe experienced after learning of so many deaths across the land. Hearing of an illness heading towards you, a plague so severe, that it would end up causing a third of the population in Europe to parish. Originating in China in 1347 making its way to Europe in 1348, The Black Death is one of the worlds’ deadliest occurrences in history. The researcher will cover how the illness made its way to Europe, how the Church was effected, and what the doctors thought to be the blame for the illness and their frugal attempts for a cure. The social and economic ramifications of the plague will also be addressed.
“Ring around the rosy, a pocketful of posies. Ashes, ashes. We all fall down.” Many children sing this popular nursery rhyme around the globe; the origins of this seemingly innocent poem, however, derived itself in the thirteenth century. This tune originated during the time of a calamitous pandemic that struck the Eurasian continent. Commonly known as the Black Death, the plague is one of the most disastrous events in Europe’s natural history. England underwent serious modifications concerning it politically, socially, and economically as a result of the contagion. The Black Death, a plague that devastated Medieval England from 1347 to 1351, tremendously modified the Middle Ages; the pandemic contains a complex history that drastically altered England’s economy and people’s religious views.
The black plague took thirty to fifty percent of Europe’s population from the years 1347 to 1351. For many people, it was a devastating loss for Europe’s population and Europe would never be the same after this tragic disaster. Many people roamed the streets of Europe delirious from unbearable pain, unable to keep food down, and overcome with fever. Citizens of Europe were covered in black, oozing boils that were unbelievably painful. These black, painful boils are where the plague got its name, “The Black Plague”. The Black Plague spread through Europe, killed half of the population, and had terrifying symptoms.
In the 14th century, a devastating plague known as the Black Death was responsible for the death of more than one-third of Europe’s population. The first recorded epidemic of the Black Death or the Bubonic Plague was in Europe during the 6th Century. The disease truly became pandemic in 1328, the medieval period of the history of the world. Bubonic plague is one of three types of bacterial infection caused by Yersinia pestis which can be transmitted by rodents or from the bite of a flea. Most interesting about the bubonic plague is that there have been several epidemics, although the one that killed one-third of Europe’s population is the most relevant and memorable. Because of the impact the bubonic plague had on the English society, they
In 1348, a plague arrived that caused severe damage in many countries in Europe. The plague made a significant impact on the country, and it ending up killing fifty million people, which was sixty percent of Europe’s entire population (Slack 432). All of the deaths from the Black plaque it caused many different social and economic effects in Europe. Along with devastating effect, there were positive, social and economic changes resulting from the Black death including higher wages, better lives for the lower class and more land and food.
‘The Black Death’ or ‘The Plague’ was the highly contagious epidemic that spread through Europe between 1347 and 1350. Fleas spread the Plague. It killed at least a third of the population in Europe and in Paris it is estimated 800 people died a day. The loss of population, however, wasn’t the only impact the Black Death had on Europe. The Black Death caused society to change in brutal but also positive ways. Religion took control in fighting the disease. People blamed other religions and thought God was causing the outbreak. The Black Death opened up opportunities for medicine to develop and doctors learnt more about the human body. However, no amount of praying and medical research could stop the Black Death’s natural course. As it spread throughout Europe the structure of medieval society changed. Peasants had new power and wealth and skills in trade spread. When the Black Death had finally left, Europe it was a changed nation.
In the 1300s, the Black Death swept across the western world, leaving behind a different perspective on the world. The Black Death rampaged through cities, killing thousands of people a day, leaving the remaining citizens distraught. With the multitude of death, many people began to contemplate what the afterlife held in store for them. Therefore, pieces like the Dance of Death, transi tombs, the Three Living and Three Dead, and many other artistic expressions about death began to appear. The artistic elements illustrate a complex combination of similarities and difference. However, the central theme focused on the inevitable fate of mankind.
If asked to perform a task or to accept a belief as the truth despite the asker’s justification contradicting the obvious, most people would laugh at the foolishness of such a request. After all, how can one be expected to wholeheartedly believe an argument when all evidence is pointing the other way? When told that a brown, oval-shaped object with white lace is a basketball, would one blindly submit to this new definition of a football without demanding evidence for the person’s claim? A similar situation occurred during the 14th century, as society began to fall into disarray. Not only did the Church, the most important societal establishment, begin to lose its supreme influence, but millions of people became ill and died as a result of
The year 1348 in Europe was known as the Worst year to be alive. This was because of a disease called the “ Black Death” The Black Death was a terrible disease that spread very rapidly across all of Europe.
In a time when God was everything, death came among the rich, poor, sinners, and religious people in western Europe. Could this be retribution for the people’s sins and God has a plan, or would this be the fatal disease that would lead people to question their faith in God? Giovanni Boccaccio saw first hand what the Black Death did to his country, how disease flooded throughout and death was inevitable. Everything was changing, people were losing faith, the preservation of food, and simple customs like burial rituals started to disappear. Health and Religion were the key factors in the changing and modernization of early western Europe, these reflect on the poor hygiene, social order, decline in old customs and faith issues that occurred in the late Medieval world.
The Black Death is known as one of the most destructive widespread disease in all of human history. This pandemic hit Asia and Europe in 1347 to 1351, taking the lives of millions of people. The book The Great Mortality by John Kelly, discusses in depth the topic of the Black Death. John Kelly explores various different parts of this pandemic, such as what it was like for people during the time period and possible causes for the disease. In addition, he writes about the many environmental factors that brought about the origin of the Black Death and how catastrophic this pandemic was compared to other outbreaks. Lastly, Kelly examines the plague weakening the prestige of the church at that time and the persecution of the Jews.