Essay On The Black Plague

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The Black Plague’s Effect on Jews Even with the grueling pain that the dark swells and the large tumors brought with them, to the Jews, this pain was the not the worst. The Black Plague was a killer disease from 1348-1351 that spread all throughout Europe. At this time, the Jews were despised in their communities because most of them took the occupation of money-lending. This job was considered unholy and the people of Europe looked down upon the Jews because of it. The Black Plague created a more hostile environment for the Jewry of Europe because of the newly founded flagellants, the Jewish ghettos, and the increased attacks on Jews. The Black Plague came to Europe at a time referred to as the late middle ages. At this time, the quality …show more content…

People were living better and society was becoming a bit more organized and the pope at the time, Pope Clement VI, held much of the power in Europe. The kings of Europe did not hold much of the power because the feudal system was spread across Europe. The people of Europe had some hatred between each other because of their difference in religion. The Crusades, a series of Catholic, European wars against Muslims in the Middle East, had recently ended in 1291 and it left behind a hatred. The Catholics had become so pumped up that they killed many innocent Jews on the way to war, causing trouble between the two religious groups. The Black Plague, also known as the Black Death, was a quickly spreading epidemic that took Europe by storm. The bacteria that caused the Plague was called Yersin bacillus which existed in fleas and was carried through Europe by …show more content…

The Jewry of Europe was endangered by a Catholic, German-based group called the Flagellants who blamed the Jews for the plague and used them as a scapegoat. The Flagellants were organized into groups containing several hundred people. These groups were lead by a “Master” or “Father” that had control over his group of Flagellants for thirty-three and one half days--representing the amount of years that Jesus Christ was present on the earth. In their time of obedience to their Master, the Flagellants could not bathe, shave, sleep on soft beds, or do anything causing pleasure without asking permission from their master. James Cross Giblin describes the Flagellants saying, “[The Flagellants] Dressed in hooded white robes with red fabric crosses sewn on the front and back, the Flagellants went from town to town in long, winding processions. They walked two by two, the men in front, the women bringing up the rear. When they came to a new town, they made their way to the biggest church, which was usually located in the center of town” James Giblin describes the Catholic impression that the Flagellants made and every town and how frightening they were. Towns throughout Germany had an opinion about the Flagellants, but Strasbourg did not. Strasbourg looked to other towns for a reason to persecute the Jewish population of their town. When summarizing a meeting between the representatives of many

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