How the Black Plague Changed Europe

575 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The results of the black death

In the 1300’s, there was an outbreak of a disease known as the Black Death that engulfed all of Europe. This sickness, also know as the Bubonic Plague, rampaged throughout Europe killing over a third of the population. A bacteria known as Yersinia pestis caused the disease. The bacteria, originating in fleas, spread to rats and then to people. Black Death was spread from trade throughout Europe. The large cities were affected first, and then it spread to the less dense and populated surrounding areas. The mortality rate in large cities was near fifty percent of the population, while in more rural areas the rate was lower. This lasting effects of this disease changed Europe both socially and economically. The bubonic plague triggered a loss of faith and generated negative feelings towards the church, but positively affected the masses by creating opportunities that they didn’t have in the past. When the plague began, many Christians believed that it was a penalty of their sins from God; others lost faith in the church or blamed it on followers of other religions. Many who thought that god was punishing them became flagellants. These people would go to the main square or church and whip themselves and cry, “God spare us,” asking for forgiveness from their sins (Gottfried 263). During the plague, many people looked for aid through religion. The Christians would pray, but get no response from God. Many began to question the truth behind their beliefs. The people would turn their backs on the church and lose confidence in their faith. A common view of the people who survived the plague was that they were “cynical about religion,” (Watts 3). The people became more egotistical and less pious because they had less need for support from ... ... middle of paper ... ... but managed to help the lives of the surviving masses. Works Cited Arrizabalaga, Jon. "Plague and Epidemics." The Oxford Dictionary of the Middle Ages. Vol. 3. New York: Oxford UP, 2010. 1314-317. Print. Gottfried, Robert S. "Black Death." Dictionary of the Middle Ages. Vol. 2. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1983. 257-67. Print. Gottfried, Robert S. "Plagues, European." Dictionary of the Middle Ages. Vol. 9. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1987. 672-83. Print. McEvedy, Colin. The New Penguin Atlas of Medieval History. New York: Penguin Group, 1992. 90. Print. Wagner, Stephen. "Black Death." The Oxford Dictionary of the Middle Ages. Vol. I. New York: Oxford UP, 2010. 267. Print. Watts, Tim. "Black Death." World Geography: Understanding a Changing World. ABC-CLIO, 2013. Web. 6 Dec. 2013. .

Show More
Related

  • Athenian definition of democracy

    1224 Words  | 3 Pages

    - - - The New Penguin Atlas of Medieval History. London, England, Penguin Books, no publication

    Read More

  • The Author of the Black Death: John Aberth

    816 Words  | 2 Pages

    Author, John Aberth was born on July 6, 1963. He currently lives in Roxbury, Vermont and serves as an associate academic dean at Castleton State College. There he teaches several history class. He has also taught at many other colleges in Vermont, including the University of Vermont. In 1992, John Aberth received his Ph.D. from the University of Cambridge in Medieval Studies after he received his masters from the University of Leeds. He is the author of five books, whose main focus is the effects of the Black Death in the later Middle Ages, including The First Horsemen: Disease in Human History, The Black Death: The Great Mortality of 1348-1350, and A Knight at the Movies: Medieval History on Film.

    Read More

  • The Black Death and The Song Ring Around the Rosie

    1296 Words  | 3 Pages

    Some things are not as they seem. “Ring Around the Rosie” seems like a pleasant children’s nursery rhyme, but many believe it is actually a grisly song about the Black Death in Europe. The Black Death was a serial outbreak of the plague during the 1300s. During the Black Death, more than 20 million Europeans died. One-third of the population of the British Isles died from the plague. Moreover, one-third of the population of France died in the first year alone, and 50% of the people in France’s major cities died. Catastrophic death rates like these were common across all of Europe. However, just like the poem “Ring Around the Rosie”, the true effects of the Black Death differed from what many people believed. Though tragic, the Black Death caused several positive societal changes. Specifically, the Black Death helped society by contributing to the economic empowerment of peasants and disempowerment of nobility that led to the decline of manorialism, as well as by encouraging the development of new medical and scientific techniques by proving old methods and beliefs false.

    Read More

  • Bubonic Plague DBQ

    669 Words  | 2 Pages

    One of the largest epidemic events in history, the Bubonic Plague had a devastating effect on European society. It is believed to have begun in China, and it reached European soil in 1347, when it struck Constantinople (Document 1). It was carried by infected fleas that spread the disease between humans and rats. A symptom of the plague was the development of large, dark swellings called “buboes” on the victim’s lymph nodes. By the time the plague left, Europe’s population had been reduced by almost half. The devastation as a result of the plague may seem shocking, but there were several important factors that contributed to its deadliness.

    Read More

  • 14th Century Outbreak of the Black Plague

    1151 Words  | 3 Pages

    Ibeji, Mike. “Black Death: Political and Social Changes.” BBC News. BBC, 17 Feb. 2011. SIRS

    Read More

  • Comparing the AIDS Epidemic and The Plague

    694 Words  | 2 Pages

    The destruction and devastation caused by the 'Black Death' of the Middle Ages was a phenomenon left to wonder at in text books of historical Europe. An unstoppable plague swept the continent taking as much as eighty percent of the European population along with it (Forsyth).

    Read More

  • Plagues And Peoples Chapter Summary

    1646 Words  | 4 Pages

    Plagues and Peoples. By William H. McNeill. (New York: Anchor Books: A division of Random House, Inc., 1976 and Preface 1998. Pp. 7 + 365. Acknowledgements, preface, map, appendix, notes, index.)

    Read More

  • Analysis Of The Black Death

    1821 Words  | 4 Pages

    No other epidemic reaches the level of the Black Death which took place from 1348 to 1350. The epidemic, better regarded as a pandemic, shook Europe, Asia, and North Africa; therefore it deems as the one of the most devastating events in world history. In The Black Death: The Great Mortality of 1348-1350, John Aberth, compiles primary sources in order to examine the origins and outcomes of this deadly disease. The author, a history professor and associate academic dean at Vermont’s Castleton State College, specializes in medieval history and the Black Death. He wrote the book in order to provide multiple perspectives of the plague’s impact. Primarily, pathogens started the whole phenomenon; however, geological, economic, and social conditions

    Read More

  • The Historical and Cultural Aspects in The Plague

    1305 Words  | 3 Pages

    Lapaire, Pierre J. "The Plague: Overview." Reference Guide to World Literature. Ed. Lesley Henderson. 2nd ed. New York: St. James Press, 1995. Literature Resource Center. Web. 24 Mar. 2011.

    Read More

  • Economic Impact Of The Black Plague

    943 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Bubonic Plague, or more commonly known as ‘The Black Death’ or ‘The Black Plague,’ was one of the most devastating and deadliest pandemics that humans have ever witnessed in the history of mankind. The disease spanned two continents in just a few years, marking every country between Western Europe all the way to China. During the reign of the plague, which is estimated to be the years between 1347-1352, it is estimated that “20 million people in Europe–almost one-third of the continent’s population” was killed off due to the plague. The Black Plague would change the course of European history since the plague knew no boundaries and inflicted its wrath upon the rich and the poor alike. As a result, not only did the plague have a devastating demographic impact which encountered a massive social disruption, but also, an economic and religious impact as well.

    Read More

  • Black Death: Number 1 Killer Of Europeans During The Middle Ages

    361 Words  | 1 Pages

    One day, a happy family is living a healthy, normal life. The next day, they are dead. The “Black Death” was the number 1 killer of Europeans during the Middle Ages. Rats and fleas were carriers of this plague. There are two version of this disease: Pneumonic and Septicemic. This disease also killed over 20 million people in Europe during the Middle Ages. This was the most horrific, deadliest event in history.

    Read More

  • The Black Death: Bubonic Plague’s Worst Disaster

    1759 Words  | 4 Pages

    Kira L. S. Newman, “Shutt Up: Bubonic Plague and Quarantine in Early Modern England,” Journal of Social History, 3, (2012): 809-834

    Read More

  • The Practice of Scapegoating

    1363 Words  | 3 Pages

    When Plague Strikes: the Black Death, Smallpox, and AIDS.” New York, NY: Harper Collins, 1995. 30-40. The sand is a sand. Print.

    Read More

  • Positive and Negative Results of The Black Plague

    853 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Black Plague, perhaps one of the worst epidemics in history, swept its evil across Europe in the middle of the 14th century, killing an estimated 20 million people. This major population shift, along with other disasters occurring at the time, such as famine and an already existing economic recession, plunged Europe into a dark period of complete turmoil. Anarchy, psychological breakdowns, and the dissipation of church power were some of the results. As time passed, however, society managed to find new ground and began its long path of recovery. The plague, as catastrophic as it was to medieval Europe, had just as many positive effects that came with this recovery as it did negative effects prior. An end to feudalism, increased wages and innovation, the idea of separation of church and state, and an attention to hygiene and medicine are only some of the positive things that came after the plague. It could also be argued that the plague had a significant impact on the start of the Renaissance.

    Read More

  • The Impact Of Black Death On Society

    902 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Black Death plagues had disastrous consequences for Europe in the 14th century. After the initial outbreak in Europe, 1347, it continued for around five years and then mysteriously disappeared. However it broke out again in the 1360s and every few decades thereafter till around 1700. The European epidemic was an outbreak of the bubonic plague, which began in Asia and spread across trade routes. When it reached Europe, a path of destruction began to emerge. Medieval society was tossed into disarray, economies were fractured, the face of culture and religion changed forever. However the plagues devastation was not all chaotic, there were benefits too, such as modern labour movements, improvements in medicine and a new outlook on life. Therefore in order to analyse the impact the Black Death had on societies in the 14th century, this essay will consider the social, economic, cultural and religious factors in order to reach an overall conclusion.

    Read More

More about How the Black Plague Changed Europe

Open Document