The Black Plague Analysis

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Sometimes events occur that can change history. For example, in Europe during the mid-1300s, the outbreak of the Black Plague significantly altered Europe’s stability. The Black Plague was a pandemic that seriously impacted Europe’s population. Once it attacked Europe, it decreased its population by 30-60%, killing 25 million people. Despite efforts to inhibit the spread of the Black Plague, the disease dispersed, revolutionizing Europe’s religious, economic, and social structure. The Black Death’s origins and ability to spread was swift and devastating. The plague first entered Europe in October 1347, when after a vast voyage through the Black Sea, a dozen Genoese trading ships docked at the Sicilian port of Messina (History). The people …show more content…

Before the drastic spread of the plague, almost all things were under the authority of the Church such as daily routines engaged in prayer and Church instruction on what is right and wrong (The Black Death. N.). When the plague arrived in Europe, many people turned to the Church asking questions and expecting answers. However, the Church had no response to the cause of many deaths because they were unaware (The Black Death. N.). In response to this, the Church lost its influence on followers and follower’s views on the Church shifted (The Black Death. N.). During and after the plague, of all the Church members lost, not all were sufferers of the disease. Most turned away because the Church they had always assumed was all powerful, could provide no answers or guidance in the time of this drastic crisis (The Black Death. N.). There were three primary aspects leading to the decrease of followers. These aspects were a failure to aid to suffering, the inability of new priests, and the Church gaining fortune while everyone was in distress (The Black Death. N.). The Church was able to gain all of this wealth by charging money for services (The Black Death. …show more content…

Those who were sick, turned to whatever they could think of for a cure. Others that were very ill turned to reckless enjoyments, presuming their time to die was soon (Esler, 270). Because of the massive amount of deaths, their bodies were not correctly nursed. Large graves were dug out to place multiple bodies due to the limited amount of space. This was against teachings and beliefs people had (The Black Death. N.). A Florentine chronicler relates that: “All of the citizens did little else except to carry dead bodies to be buried […] and thus those who were poor who died during the night were bundled up quickly and thrown into the pit. In the morning when a large number of bodies were found in the pit, they took some earth and shoveled it down on top of them; and later others were placed on top of them and then another layer of earth, just as one makes lasagna with layers of pasta and cheese (The Black Death:

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