The Black Death was an epidemic that killed over 75 million people worldwide. This “Black Death”, also known as the Bubonic Plague, first popped up in China and the East in the 1330s. This horrible epidemic did not reach Europe until 1347. This disease killed as many as 25 million of the European population of about 80 million between the years 1347 and 1351. While there were many cases of the Bubonic Plague all around the world, this paper will focus on the outbreak in Europe. The Black Death had taken more than 25 percent of the population of England alone. It was widely believed to be a combination of various forms of plague- bubonic, pneumonic, and septicemic. 1
In the year 1348, a virtual ghost fleet of Genovese trading ships reached Messina, an Italian port, with most of their crew dead or dying. This was just the beginning of the horrible Black Plague that erupted in Europe. This disease not only spread quickly across populations, but also progressed very quickly in individuals. The Sicilian authorities hastily ordered the fleet of “death ships” out of the harbor, but it was too late. Over the next five years, the mysterious Black Death would kill more than 20 million people in Europe – almost one-third of the continent's population.2
When talking about the Black Death, Giovanni Boccaccio, an Italian author and important humanist replied, “I say, then, that the years of the beatific incarnation of the Son of God had reached the tale of one thousand three hundred and forty eight, when in the illustrious city of Florence, the fairest of all the cities of Italy, there made its appearance that deadly pestilence, which, whether disseminated by the influence of the celestial bodies, or sent upon us mortals by God in His just w...
... middle of paper ...
...mic and social problems that occurred because of the Black Death. This article also went into more detail about the actual disease and the different variants of it. The article had discussed the Black Death's effects on the people and also the effects of how the economic and social problems caused discourse.
“The Black Death of 1348 to 1350.” historylearningsite.com (2000). Accessed March 19, 2014. http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/black_death_of_1348_to_1350.htm
In this article, it discussed how the Black Death was spread so quickly. It also relayed information and statistics about how many died in certain areas. This article discussed how the lack of medical knowledge effected the people. It also gave me information about the peasants and the Feudal System. This article talked about how the Black Death had effected all people of different social structures.
In her article, “‘This Is the End of the World’:The Black Death,” which was on the New York Times best-seller list in 1978, writer and two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Barbara Tuchman reports about the devastating impact of the Black Death in Europe from 1347 to 1350. [Summary] Tuchman starts her article describing the arrival of the deadly plague in October 1347 brought by Genoese trading ships docked at the Sicilian port of Messina and its effects it has on Europe’s population (257-263). [Paraphrase] Tuchman describes about the terrible epidemic that is speculated to have emerged from China and how it is continuously spreading throughout Europe killing countless number of people (258). Tuchman names out a long list of European cities and how
The Black Death rapidly spread all over Europe and Asia, inciting great fear and hysteria. Victims of the Black Death suffered excruciating symptoms such as high fevers, an inability to digest food, and hallucinations due to the intense physical suffering. People inflicted with the disease developed black boils that secreted pus and blood, which is how the plague got its infamous name. “The epidemic ravaged the population for the next five years, killing more than 20 million people in Europe, almost one third of the continent’s population” (Plague, 2).
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.
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.
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.
Because of the occurrence of the Black Death, advancements in medicine were made that helped us to be where we are today in the medical field. The Black Death first began...
Ibeji, Mike. “Black Death: Political and Social Changes.” BBC News. BBC, 17 Feb. 2011. SIRS
The Black Death is the name later given to the epidemic of plague that ravaged Europe between 1347 and 1351. The disaster affected all aspects of life. Depopulation and shortage of labor hastened changes already inherent in the rural economy; the substitution of wages for labor services was accelerated, and social stratification became less rigid. Psychological morbidity affected the arts; in religion, the lack of educated personnel among the clergy gravely reduced the intellectual vigor of the church.
The Black Death was a major factor in the history of Europe as well as the history of the world. Rivaling the effects of an immense bioterrorist attack, the Black Death was responsible for the taking of over 25 million lives. Creating economic, societal, and medical changes, the Black Death forced Europe to essentially recreate its entire groundwork. At the time of the Black Death, medicine remained very archaic,
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).
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 Black Death was one of the deadliest pandemic that hit Europe in history. The Black Death first emerged in the shores of Italy in the spring of 1348 (Gottfried,1). The plague came from several Italian merchant ships which were returning to Messina. Several sailors on board were dying of an unknown disease and a few days after arriving in Messina, several residents within and outside of Messina were dying as well (Poland 1). The Black Death was as deadly as it was because it was not limited by gender, age, or species. The Black Death was also very deadly because it could attack in three different forms: the bubonic, pneumonic, and septicemic plague.
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.
“I think a rat just climbed up my leg, Dad. And I’ve got fleas, too.” “John, there’s all this Black Death and all you care about is a few fleas and a rat.
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. In order to learn how societies were impacted by the Black Death, it is important to note the situation prior to the epidemic. Britain and France had been at war since 1337, by August 1347 France was devastated.