Causes And Effects Of The Black Plague

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In the 13th century, the Black Plague became rampant, and decimated the population of Europe. This infection, which was the bubonic plague, was widely referred to as the Black Plague or the Black Death, because it killed everyone in its path. The plague spread through every single class, and killed millions of peasants, nobles, and kings, and affected every facet of life in Europe and all people during this time. Differing opinions were prevalent and there was no single overwhelming opinion. This range of opinions was understandable, especially as the disease seemed to be untreatable. Due to the prevalence of the disease and the great affect it had on daily life during this time, many people attempted to find reasoning behind the plague and explain the quickly spreading and rampant plague, which killed millions of people in a span of a decade. This devastation was pointed out by many papers during this time. In The Decameron, Boccaccio indicates how “neither the advice of physicians nor the power of medicine appeared to have any value or profit.” This observation was evidence of why people during this time were so terrified of the disease. There was no treatment and even physicians were neither able to explain what to do if inflicted with the disease,
People displaying signs were shunned by all, except those who would risk infection to care for them. All of these factors led to an increased terror of the Black Death. The unexplainable nature of the disease led to many deaths, and caused the living to attempt to justify why the disease was so rampant. The plague spread in a sporadic and incalculable way. There was no way of tracking its progress, which only added to the terror associated with it. Due to this, many tried to justify the Black Plague by offering explanations for the plague. Some blamed God’s wrath, while others cited the lack of sanitation, and others even believed that the Jewish people were to

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