The Impactful Impact Of The Bubonic Plague In Medieval Europe

The Black Death, also known as the Bubonic Plague, began in China and Europe in the 1330s. This extremely contagious plague caused at least 75 million people to perish in the 14th century. When talking about the Black Death, Giovanni Boccaccio, an Italian author and important humanist replied, “there made its appearance that deadly pestilence after destroying an innumerable multitude of living beings, and had spread into the West.” Hundreds developed horrible symptoms and thousands died daily. This loss of so many of the world 's population caused people to become afraid and uncertain what was going to happen. Because of the Black Death 's destructive impact on medieval Europe, relations were reshaped between the peasants and nobility, there

It arrived on trading ships that came from the Black Sea, past Constantinople and through the Mediterranean. This route was usually the standard trade that brought items to European customers such as silks and porcelain. The people of Messina were so afraid of this sickness that had come from the ship that they decided to order the ship to leave the port. Unfortunately, the Black Death had already been released into the population. Before discussing the impact of the Bubonic Plague, it would be better to discuss what it actually was. The plague presented itself in three forms; bubonic, pneumatic, and septicemic. The most common variant was the bubonic form. The name was derived from the “swelling or buboes that would appear on a victim 's neck, armpits, or groin.” The tumors that the victims would receive could range in size of an egg to the size of an apple. The severity of the lesions usually meant that the victim had only a week to

In towns and cities the houses were built very close together. Therefore, people lived very close and did not know about contagious diseases and how harmful they could be. Additionally, the disposal of the bodies were very crude and helped to spread the disease further because those who handled the dead did not protect themselves in anyway. Lack of medical knowledge meant that people tried anything to help them escape from the disease. The Black Death had a huge impact on society. Fields went unploughed because the men who usually did the farming were victims of this terrible disease. Harvests could not be brought in because there were no people to do it. Animals would get out and wander resulting in the owner losing them. The owner could not attend to them if he were sick or dying from the Bubonic Plague. Because of this, whole villages faced starvation, towns and cities would have faced food shortages and the villages that surrounded them could not provide them with enough