Anthony L. Smith
Instructor Cook
English IV
11 November 2013
The Nuances of the Black Plague
Imagine half of a continent dying seemingly without reason, all within two years. The devastation caused on families would be unbearable. This is exactly what happened just 700 years ago in Europe. Probably the darkest, most devastating catastrophe in that century, and yet, the cause of deaths remains a question. One ‘thing’ has been confirmed; the deaths were caused by a plague. Three strands of the plague were Pneumonic, Bubonic, and the Septicemic. All three included similar symptoms, such as fever and chills; however, distinct symptoms also were noted. In Pneumonic, people experienced bloody sputum and difficulty breathing, whereas the Septicemic plague caused death of tissue in finger tips and in the nose. The Bubonic plague, the focus of this research paper, was the most popular strain of the plague. This strain caused swollen lymph nodes and buboes under the arms and around the groin area. The Plague was airborne, spread by rat bites, and by flea bites. All three of these strains were very painful. The Black plague was a major epidemic from 1348-1350, but it remained a threat until the 1666 London fire. Over 50 million Europeans were affected by this deadly disease, which ignited the rising of inflation, urban and peasant immorality, and challenges to the authorities of the Church.
Different theories of contracting the disease brought several twists to this era. The Black plague is commonly believed to have started in Central Asia in the early 1300s. The plague is believed to have been brought to Europe on in October of 1347 when 12 ships docked in Sicily. On the ships were dead and sickly sailors who had the plague. Sicilian citiz...
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...ls. They admitted to doing it thinking they would be left alone, but they and a lot of their community were murdered because of it. People began to doubt God and do things their own way. They became frustrated with questions as to why God would let this happen. As the death toll from the plague became higher and higher, people became really sad and depressed from losing friends and loved ones. As jobs were more available after the start of the plague, people began to make more money, but food and taxes also became more expensive. As prices rose, so did the peasants tempers. Violence was not uncommon in European towns and cities. Revolts were a way to release stress. The plague became an epidemic again in 1665, and killed about 100,000 people in that summer. In 1666 the London fire helped to suppress the plague to the point where it did not spread like it did before.
The plague caused a labor shortage because many people died. So, people started demanding higher wages (which was strongly opposed by the guilds and nobles). When higher prices are demanded, revolt was put in their mind. These set the government officials off and they were either killed or left. These actions completely devastated the feudal system. Vassal was no longer subjected to lord because the lords were no longer providing for the vassal, but running for their lives from the plague, or dying. “Kings and dukes now had to bargain with their laborers over working conditions, and the under-classes were able to demand better compensation for their services.” 7
Before the Black Plague, living in Britain was interesting and positive but, was not always pleasant. It was too crowded and dirty, Britain was disgusting and unsanitary for the citizens for a long period of time, even before the disease spread to Europe (Ibeji n.pag.). Thus, Britain being so dirty, it was easier for this disease to spread. The citizens of Europe had no clue what was coming to disease them. Many people were not ready for the cultural changes of the disease and were shocked the disease even reached their towns.
During the fourteenth century, Europe faced one of the worst tragedies of its time. A mysterious plague claimed millions of lives, cutting Europe’s population into half of what it was. Historians today call this catastrophe the Black Death. Many people know little about the Black Death but to understand its significant role in history, one must know its early origins, rapid spread, painful symptoms, and devastating effects.
The bubonic plague in the 14th century was known to be one of the most horrendous events that took place in Europe. A common name for this time period was the ‘Black Death’, however this term was not coined until the 17th century. The Black Death claimed an estimated 75 to 200 million people’s lives in all of Europe.
The Asian island Cyprus broke out in an Earthquake leaving it a desolate. The earthquake released a poisonous odor which over powered the people of Cyprus practically exterminating the population. This odor is believed to be the beginnings of the Black Plague (Hecker, pg 13). Due to the fact that China was one of the busiest trading centers in the world it was only a matter of time before the bacteria found its way to Europe. In October 1347, Italian sea merchants were traveling from Asia back to Italy. Arriving in Sicily the crew found itself suffering from an indescribable disease.
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
It's hard to imagine just how frightening life was in the Middle Ages during the Black Death. By the time the disease ran its course, it had killed a minimum of about one third of the population in Europe and there’s a good possibility that it had killed even more. It is quiet an understatement to say that the plague was very brutal. There were hundreds upon thousands of people dying each day. In rankings of how bad the Black Plague actually was, it is number one and has gone down to be the worst plague to every hit anywhere in all of the world. It caused several catastrophes over the time that it went on. Many other than just the three most crucial; population loss, loss in the church overall and economic disruption.
... state of European society just prior to the outbreak. He then gives a very comprehensive account of the development and progression of the epidemic throughout the Mediterranean Basin and the European Continent. He discusses the effects that the plague had in the various geographical areas also explains the reactions of the Christian/Muslin clergies, the secular authorities, and the communities in general. Gottfried provides answers to some noteworthy questions such as why the disease spread as it did and how societies reacted to the pandemic and where it came from. He uses extensive quotes from reliable sources to support his analysis, and he gives a breakdown of the long-term effects that the outbreak had on medieval societies. I found this book to be very informative and easy to digest. I found Gottfried’s writing to be very well researched, clear, and concise.
Around 1347-1348 the most well-known epidemic struck the European world. The bubonic plague, also known as the Black Death or the Black Plague, rained sickness over millions; for most people, death was the only end to the sickness. The Black Death is known as one of the most depressing occurrences in history. It attacked the three most important aspects of a person’s well-being, their mental, emotional and physical health. While the plague impacted early society, authors, Jean de Venette and Giovanni Boccaccio, described the epidemic in their own words. Modern author, Charles L. Mee Jr., describes the plague with the scientific knowledge he has living in today’s society. These three authors wrote about the bubonic plague with their own voice’s and reasoning’s but many of the accounts they mention are similar to one another. Jean de Venette, Giovanni Boccaccio and Charles L. Mee Jr. explain the symptoms, the causes and the way people acted because of the black plague.
The black plague was an extremely deadly disease that originally struck Europe in the fifteenth century. However, outbreaks continued to occur until the eighteenth century. The plague was spread through rats that were infected by disease carrying fleas. Once infected, a person would typically die within days. It is estimated that over 25 million people, or about 1/3 of western Europe’s population died. People had very mixed opinions of the plague and the effects it had on the continent.
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.
...d as it became less popular, roles in society were switched around. Because so many of the wealthy citizens were killed by the plague, the serfs and pesants were able to take over their estates (Reedy, History Channel). With this came the problem of a shortage of lower class to work the large amount of land (Reedy, History Channel). As society began to pick itself up after such a devistation, they then understand that a dependancy on God is vital to survival although life may not always carry an easy load.
The Black Plague Was A Huge Disease that spread over Europe. According to the text “The so-called Black Death arrived in Britain from central Asia in the autumn of 1348. Believed to be bubonic plague, spread by infected fleas carried on rats, the disease swept through Europe over the better part
Landlords tried their best to keep a cap on the rising wages and changing social ambitions of the peasants, but there was too much chaos in the system at the time. Lords and peasants were both looking for the highest wages they could possibly take. Because of this, no matter who you were before the plague hit Europe, anyone who survived the plague, additional wealth from the rise in wages and accumulated holdings of land hold by plague victims was in store.
Historians believe that the plague was caused by fleas that came to Europe from Asia on ships. At the time, people thought they were being punished by God and that they were being abandoned to fend for themselves. They thought the plague was being spread by bad smells.