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The causes and effects of the black death
Cause & effect of the black death
How Religion can effect change in a society
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In the mid-14th century the known world was taken unaware as terrible pandemic spread through the population. The Black Plague was a horrific sickness that killed up to 45% of people as it travelled across trade routes through Europe, Asia, and the Middle-East. Fleas from rats infected humans and they in turn infected others, leading to dreadful symptoms and, for most, death. As the world was ravaged by the invisible killer, the two major religions of the time had very unique responses that are still remembered in history. The Bubonic Plague impacted both Muslims and Christian communities in the 1300s, their responses were similar in religious implications and theorized causes of the ailment, yet unlike in aspects such as social change. …show more content…
In the West the people seemed to lose the love that bonded them to one-another. The terrible symptoms of the Bubonic plague were easily recognizable and quickly lead panic once seen in European towns. The people who lived with or near the afflicted seemed to scatter in the wind. They disregarded family values or any desire to help others, only thinking of their own well-being (Doc. 3). Furthermore, document 6 shows the viewpoint of a chronicler in England who was living through chaos of the plague. He noted the people’s inclination to evil acts, without the proper forces to control the people they rebelled. No one felt loyalty to their homes or neighbors, but just looked for the highest paying in a world where laborers were scarce. Another defining aspect of Christian culture during plague times was the scapegoating of Jews. The common people believed that Jews had poised all the wells to hurt and kill others. Europeans forgot their ethics as they brutally hunted and killed many Jews. Although, there were a few people who tried to help the persecuted (such as Strasbourg). Sadly, they were ultimately overwhelmed by the masses against them (Doc. 7). Unlike the Christians who lost the base kindness values of their faith, the Muslims seemed to open their arms. In the Arabian Peninsula the practice of tolerance was strongly embraced as Jews, …show more content…
First, the Black Death had a major impact on the concept of divine punishment. Both Christians and Muslims were reinforced in their belief of a higher power enacting retribution upon the people for their sins. Document 4 displays how both societies accepted their sentence. An Italian chronicler, Gabriele de Mussis, in 1348 stated “We know whatever we suffer is the just reward of our sins.”- Doc. 4. Similarly, Muhammad al-Manbiji stated “a Muslim should devoutly accept the divine act.”- Doc 4. However, it should be considered that Muhammad al-Manbiji might have a slightly biased view that does not represent the general public. He was an Islamic Scholar during the 1300s, but attended a school renowned for its conservative values and teachings (Doc. 4). This most likely means he only saw one side of the story and was a more devout Muslim than many, furthermore he may not have considered some of the other reasons for the plague besides the hand of God. Also, as the world seemed to escalate out of control in the west Religious leaders to it upon themselves to help guide the public. In document 8, Pope Clement VI in a written document placed an emphasis on the absurdity that the Jewish are to blame for the pestilence, since they themselves have been afflicted. Additionally, document 8 has the words of Pope Clement VI on a separate occasion. He is explaining the excommunication of
...se of the plague’s presence by delimiting impious behavior according to biblical law, and condemning displays of impropriety. Individuals who failed to adhere to religious dictates regarding frugality and matrimony were blamed for ushering in the disease. Those who ignored social conventions regarding decent dress and gender codes were also accused of inciting God’s wrath and bringing society to ruin. According to excerpts of Rosemary Horrox’s The Black Death, the religious message of 1348 states that human pain and suffering are divine punishment for decadence, licentiousness, and frivolity. It is interesting to note that religious leaders of the 21st century state much the same thing regarding catastrophic events. This leads one to conclude that standards of propriety and decorum will always remain an inherent part of any religious diagnosis for societal ailments.
One piece of evidence stated, “As the plague kept occurring in the late 1300s, the European economy sank to a new low (Document 9).” Another piece of evidence states,” In the second half of the 14th century, a man could simply up and leave a manor, secure in the knowledge that Faith in religion had fallen because the prayers of the people were not answered. The people even thought that it was god whom had unleashed this deadly disease. One piece of evidence that I used stated,” Some felt that the wrath of God was descending upon man, and so fought the plague with player (Document 6).” Another piece of evidence stated,” Faith in religion decreased after the plague, both because of the death of so many of the clergy and because of the failure of prayer to prevent sickness and death (Document 6).”
The years 1348 through 1350 had been an extremely gruesome and miserable time in our world’s history. During this time period, one of the most devastating pandemics in history had struck half the world with an intensifying and deadly blow. It had been responsible for over 75 million deaths and 20 million of these deaths were from Europe alone. Out of the countries that were hit hardest in Europe from mortality rates and economic downturns, England was one of them. This grave disease that marked the end of the middle ages and the start of the modern age is known as the Black Plague.
The population decline as a result of the Plague was like nothing the world had ever experienced before. It really demonstrated the importance of valid medical knowledge in treating diseases. However, I think the content of Document 3 may not be accurate because the author, Giovanni Sercambi, was born in 1348, the same year that the Plague reached his birthplace of Florence. For this reason, I feel like his depiction of the Black Death may not be true to the actual beliefs of people at the time. The only way he could have known about the Plague would be through word of mouth and other stories from the time, which isn’t the same as experiencing it firsthand. In addition, Document 4 may contain inaccurate information as well. For one thing, it was written 22 years after the Black Death occurred, which is enough time for many of the details to be forgotten or confused. Also, it was adapted, edited, and translated several times, creating a disparity between it and the original document. An additional source would be useful in order to provide a more well-rounded and wider perspective. An additional document would help by allowing for additional cross-examination of texts to look for reliability, thus eliminating inaccurate
The Black Death was God’s blessing from Muslims’ point of view, but from the perspective of Europeans, the plague was said to be a punishment from Him. Empires of Islam saw this deadly illness as a gift from God. Muhammad al-Manbiji, an Islamic scholar, believed praying to extinguish the plague was unnecessary due to the belief it was a gift from God (Document 4). Although Muslims were aware the Black Death was a deadly plague which greatly decreased the population (Documents 2, 3), they responded peacefully. Rather than looking at the plague as life-threatening, Muslims viewed the disease as a blessing sent from God. Europeans viewed the Black Death as a punishment for the sins of all Christians. Gabriele de Mussis, a Christian Piacenzan chronicler, implied that the plague appeared due to the sins of Christians (Document 4). Christians blamed themselves and believed they were deserving of the plague. This made Europeans seem like they were the ones responsible for the entire plague itself. The Empires of Islam and the Europea...
The Black Death, also known as the Bubonic Plague is perhaps the greatest and horrifying tragedies to have ever happened to humanity. The Plague was ferocious and had such a gruesome where people would die in such a morbid fashion that today we are obsessed with this subject.
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
The Islamic world had suffered at least five major plague epidemics before the Black Death in the 14th century, yet the Black Death was far more deadly than any of the previous epidemics that had hit the Islamic world. Medieval Muslims had no scientific explanation for the disease and thus Islamic societies began to believe that the plague was of divine origin. Religious teachers declared that for the righteous Muslim death by plague was a blessing, a martyrdom like death in defense of Islam, which ensured the victim a heavenly reward. For the infidel death by plague was considered a punishment for sin that condemned one to hell. As with all acts of Allah, the pestilence seen as just, merciful, good, and could not be avoided. Since God specifically chose each victim, there could be no random spreading of the disease by contagion, nor could one escape death by flight or medication. From these views, Muslims formed three basic tenets for coping with the plague: The disease was a mercy and martyrdom from God for the faithful Muslim but a punishment for the infidel, a Muslim should neither enter nor flee a plague-stricken land, and there was ...
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.
It has been called “the greatest catastrophe ever.” That statement was made in reference to the Black Death which was one of many bubonic plague epidemics. Throughout history, the bubonic plague proved itself to be an extremely lethal disease. Outbreaks of the bubonic plague were devastating because of the stunning number of deaths in each of the populations it reached. The Black Death was the worst epidemic and disaster of the bubonic plague in all of history. The Black Death refers to a period of several years in which affected populations were decimated. The bubonic plague is a disease started by bacteria. The disease has horrible symptoms, and most of the victims die after getting the plague. The bubonic plague spread easily between different areas of people. The Black Death was not the first epidemic of the bubonic plague; there was another outbreak several hundred years before. It is important to understand the history of the bubonic plague and reflect upon the Black Death because plague outbreaks can still occur today.
During the course of the Plague common beliefs and/or concerns underwent a dramatic change. During the early years of the Plague outbreak the prevalent belief was of fear of the Plague and its uncertainty of the cause. Most people during this time were concerned that the Plague would affect their economy and their own work/business. People were also concerned of their lives and their family's well being. Then as time went on beliefs changed from this to fear to a religious superstition.
... burn them, destroying Jewish communities along with them (Document 7). The Pope justified it by saying that since the Plague was afflicted on people associated with Jews, it must be their fault (Document 8). But in Islam, they stated that there was no evidence showing that the Black Death was caused by other communities, and that they are not held responsible (Document 10).
Religion, following gods word in hopes of making him happy in the end. In the 1300s people were very religious and had strong beliefs in god. When the plague hit you could not help but think that it was gods doing because all your religious beliefs pointed to it. If you sin you will be punished and in early English there was plenty of it. It is said that god puts people through a challenge because he is strengthening their sprit so if you lived in the early 1300s you would see this as god making you stronger. Once one finds his strong spirit all one must do is repent for their sins and they will be healed.
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.
The Bubonic Plague, otherwise known as the Black Death was a raging disease. Most people thought of it as the physical Grim Reaper of their town or community. The disease lasted about six years, 1347 to 1352. The Bubonic Plague was a travesty that has traveled throughout Europe and has raged and decimated both large and small towns, putting Europe through a lot.