The Effects of the Black Plague on Christianity

Essay The black plague began in Central Asia in 1348 and spread to predominantly Christian areas including Europe and Africa (Doc 1). Although the Egyptian statistics are not as accurate as Christian ones, all of them show that there was approximately a thirty-three percent mortality rate when exposed to the plague (Doc 2). From two accounts, one muslim and one christian, the black plague is described as a horrible and fatal condition.

Beginning in the mid-fourteenth century, a plague swept the world like no other. It struck in a series of waves that continued into the eighteenth century. The first wave was estimated to have killed twenty-five million people, about a third of the Western Europe population at that time. Throughout the different outbreaks, the plague, also known as the Bubonic Plague or the Black Death, caused people to react in several ways. Some people believed the plague was a medical problem that can be treated, some found themselves concerned only with their own greed, still others believed there was nothing they could do and reacted in fear, and most people believed it was a form of divine

One of the most documented Christian responses to the plague was the rise of the flagellants. A spontaneous and unsanctioned movement, the flagellants sought to ward off the plague by physically punishing themselves for the sins that had caused God to send the Black Death to punish them (Tuchman, 1978, p. 125). Flagellant processions would typically remain on the move, marching from town to town, while twice a day beating themselves with whips and other instruments until they drew blood (Slack, 1988, p. 439). They were also known for their singing of religious songs while marching and whipping themselves, which ran counter to the official Catholic Church position and caused church officials no small amount of trouble (Lerner, 1981, p. 535-36). The official reasoning by the Catholic Church was that the flagellant movement was an unnecessary and wrong reaction to the Black Death, since there were equal death rates among Christians and Jews. The flagellants were also part of a Christian movement known as premillennialism (Lerner, 1981, 534). The extensive deaths in Europe cause many Christians to believe that the second coming of Christ was near, which would result in the end of the world. This interest in the events that were prophesied to happen just before the end of the world ran very high during this time. This interest was also a large influence responsible for the rise of groups like the flagellants (Lerner, 1981, 538).

The Black Death or the Bubonic Plague, was a huge plague that killed 20-50% of the world’s population. It all started in the 14th century where a flea called the Oriental Rat Flea, they would come usually on rat’s backs and later go on to humans. The rats would give painful swellings or “buboes” on some places, like the armpit. This was very dangerous, because it also would travel to the nervous system, and which led to death. The whole process took about a week and overall was very difficult at the time to stop. The Plague took the most overall on Europe, where 20 million people would die or one-third of their population.

The survivors of the plague were more cynical, fearful, and less virtuous than ever. The murder rate during this time tripled what it had been in the past and people became care free. The religious began to question their beliefs and church officials began to indulge. Many wondered why they should obey the old customs when the Black Death could easily resurface

The Effect of the Black Plague on Religious Practices in Medieval Europe Anabel Leyva Regent University HIST 211: World History I Dr. Kevin Wolfe February 19, 2024 2 Introduction The Black Death was a plague that occurred in the mid-14th century in Europe. This was an illness spread through fleas that moved quickly and killed between one-half and one-third of all of the people and things living in Europe at that time. During this period, the people of Europe were filled with fear that they would get sick and die, which affected their behaviors and customs. The Black Death reshaped the religious landscape of medieval Europe, influencing the ways in which people practiced and expressed their faith in the midst of a devastating pandemic. The plague

The Black Death was an event that truly changed the course of history. Beginning in medieval 1348, the death quickly spread from Venice, Italy throughout all of Europe. A group that was particularly effected was the European Christians. Many believed that the plague was a punishment from God, and thus reacted to the crisis through religious methods as well as a wide variety of medical methods and by separating themselves from those who were ill. These responses are important through the way in which they convey what is was like to be a European Christian during the time of the Black Death.

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.

In the 1300s’ the black plague struck parts of Asia, Europe and parts of northern Africa. Many people believed that this was an act of God, and it disrupted the growth of the people of Europe. This was big on the Church because priests left their duties, and the Church was on the decline. Although there were many ways the church was on the decline, the black plague is the main reason. The priests abandoned their duties, many people suffered, and the church became richer. Therefore, I believe the black plague played a key role on the churches decline.

"The Black Death" alone was not the only factor that was responsible for the social and economic change although it was the most important (Ziegler 234). Even without "The Black Death" continued deterioration in Europe would have been likely. The social and economic change had already set in well before 1346. For at least twenty-five years before "The Black Death," exports, agricultural production, and the area of cultivated land had all been shrinking. "The Black Death" contributed a large part to all of this destruction and led to important changes in the social and economic structure of the country (Ziegler 234-235). The plague touched every aspect of social life (Herlihy 19). There was hardly a generation that was not affected by the plague (www.jefferson.village.virginia.edu). Families were set against each other - the well rejecting the sick (www.byu.edu). Families left each other in fear. Many people died without anyone looking after them. When the plague appeared in a house, frightened people abandoned the house and fled to another (www.jefferson.village.virginia.edu). Due to this, the plague spread more rapidly because people were not aware that being in the same house with the infected person had already exposed them to it. Physicians could not be found because they had also died. Physicians who could be found wanted large sums of money before they entered the house (www.jefferson.village.virginia.edu). When the

Exactly when the plague arrived, people believed it to be an order of God. “[The plague] shook people’s confidence in conventional beliefs and authority” (Obstfeld 33). Along these lines, they regularly turned to the Congregation for help, but since the ministers and priests couldn’t really offer a cure or even a clarification, the Catholic Church lost a ton of its impact and for some individuals, their perspective of the world changed definitely. As the Congregation lost otherworldly power, the ministry of the Congregation started taking off. Around sixty percent of the church surrendered their Christian obligations and fled. “The monasteries and the clergy suffered the greatest loss” (Ziegler 215). People reacted differently to the mysterious disease. While a few individuals turned to penitence and petitioned God for salvation, others turned to debauchery and increased sinful behavior; they contended that nothing mattered any longer if everybody was going to die anyway. Superstition, scapegoats, religious fervor and fanaticism were only some of the things that were considered a possible solution to the problem of the Black Death. “The plague was prime factor in people’s turning to new influences in a search for meaning and positive values” (Dahmus 351). Some believed that ringing the church bells would drive the disease away. Others expressed

Have you ever heard the expression “the black death”? According to Ross, this death was one so powerful it nearly wiped out two million victims in England during the year of 1348. The black plague was a major part of history that is still extremely focused on in today’s learning society. Trying to understand how a disease could spread within hours and wipe out thirty to forty percent of England’s overall population is something so severe, so serious and so unbelievable (Ross). People were left in the dark, with little hope for survival, livestock was left behind, crops slowly died, fields and homes became a ghost yard and everyone feared for their lives. The Black Death

The plague did, in fact, impact religion and religious attitudes. Namely, the monks at the time would flagellate, or whip themselves so that God would forgive them for whatever they did and remove the plague. The priests in local areas began to die, and a lack of clergy means people had less spiritual guidance. If the plaque hit an area to such an extent that all the priests in that area died, the people would not be able to go to Church on Sundays or Holy Days of Obligation. Since the people didn’t have access to the Bible or other Christian Texts, people were not informed as much. People also began to lose Faith because the disease was hitting so hard. All in all, the plague had a negative effect on people’s Faith.

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.

How did the Black Death change the lives of the people who survived, not only from the amount of fatalities, but also by the disruption of religion and the economy? I believe the effect on Europe during this time were beyond devastating due to the loss of about twenty-five million people. The Black death started in Europe in October 1347. It arrived there by sea when twelve Genoese trading ships came and docked in the Sicilian port of Messina. When people went to greet the sailors on the ships, they were shocked when they discovered the majority of the crew was dead and the living were severely ill. Although the Europeans had heard a rumor of a disease like the Black Death, they were not in any way prepared for what was to come.