The Black Death

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In 1339 in Northwestern Europe, the population was beginning to outgrow the food supply and a severe economic disaster began to take place. The winters were extremely cold and the summers were dry. Due to this extreme weather, very low crops grew and those that grew were dying. Inflation became a common and as famine broke out, people began to worry. The time period between 1339 to 1346 is now known as the famine before the plague. These seven bad years of weather and famine lead to the greatest plague of all times. In 1347, endemic to Asia, The Black Death began spreading throughout Western Europe. The plague lead to one third of Europe dead. The Black Death killed more Europeans than any other endemic or war up to that time. All resulting from a tiny insect (“Black Death”). When the plague first reached Europe, people panicked. They wanted to survive, many began to abandon what they had and moved to villages and country sides in hope of not catching the disease. Families abandoned each other and left children to die. The horror that people in Europe were feeling was traumatic...

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