The historical pandemic of the Black Death (1347-1352), which killed 25 million people, greatly impacted the European history of the Middle Ages. Originating from China and Inner Asia, the infection of the bacterium Yersinia pestis had widely spread, rapidly infecting those who encounter the infected. The main cause of the spread derived from flea-infected rats on boats or the fleas on the bodies and clothes of the travellers. People at the time had limited understanding of the world, so they believed that the Black Death had an association with supernatural forces such as God’s punishment for sin and demonic acts, along with performing medical procedures that were futile for the disease. The era was highly affected by the plague, …show more content…
Europe in the Middle Ages was built around Christianity. The Catholic Church had a lot of power and control, being the largest landowner in Europe and owning vast amounts of wealth. However, the Church was negatively affected by the Black Plague. The quality of the clergy declined as a vast number had perished in the pandemic. The people that the Church recruited did not do a good job, resulting in the Church providing poor service to the public. The Church was a place for people to rely on in times of distress, but the Church was unable to provide the security they needed. Thus, the laity’s faith in the Church declined. Many people had believed that the Black Plague was God’s punishment for the result of sinful and demonic acts. Therefore, the Flagellant Movement was created. People would walk around Europe in groups whilst publicly flogging their own bodies, believing that if they punished themselves, they would be able to receive God’s mercy. The movement spread like wildfire, as the people of Europe were desperate to save their souls. They posed a great threat to the Church’s authority and weakened the faith of the laity. Since they could not rely on the Church to grant them protection from God’s punishments, they turned to the movement instead. Another effect that the plague had on religion was the increased persecution of Jews. During the time, accusations of Jews committing violent sins and crimes spread. Persecution of Jews originated in France in 1348. This was because Christians blamed the Jews for the cause of the Black Plague. The word of the Jews spread to more parts of Europe, encouraging others to persecute them. Despite the efforts of the Pope to stop the chaos, the people had lost faith in the Church, and they continued out of spite. Many Jews had fled, settling in Poland and Eastern Europe. It is evident
Many factors played a key role in the extensive spread of the Black Death, or Bubonic plague, like insect bites or rodents, but the progressive trade networks were the most impactful. It started in Asia, in the 1300’s, but the new trade routes allowed it to spread across the Indian Ocean. Many people from many different backgrounds were negatively affected by this disease, and many didn’t know that they were exposed to the disease until it was too late. The Black Death had a variety of clinical forms, but no matter which type a person had, they were guaranteed death. This disease completely changed the medieval world and affected religions as well as many other ways of life or cultures.
It also caused a large focus on sins and fear within the remaining religious communities at the time. It is evident that the Black Death, causing the Flagellant movement, caused fear among religious communities and changed the way that the Medieval Europeans performed religious
The effects of the Black Death were significant on Medieval society. The black death caused panic amongst communities and towns leaving unmaintained paddocks and scarce amounts of food. This is due to the plague's rapidly spreading nature, and the fact that many people died. The plague left Europe with a multitude of short and long-term effects and issues. These issues varied from flagellants whipping themselves, from town to town, to make up for sins against God to the loss of labourers to work the land.
Politically there were also many different reactions that Christians and Muslims had toward the plague. Within the Christian community civilians were being denied entry to cities if there were any signs of infliction within that person. This is shown in source seven where Giovanni Boccaccio states, “the entry of any sick person into the
People didn't know where the plague was coming from so they started blaming the Jews for it. Because of this, the Jews were driven away from their homes and in some cases massacred. Next the population all throughout Europe was decreasing rapidly. Since the plague spread quickly, many deaths took place because of how contagious the disease was. Finally the nobles weren't meeting the demands of serfs so more and more of them left their manorial lifestyle.
The Black Plague and its Impact on Society in Medieval Europe The Black Plague, also known as the Black Death, was a global epidemic that struck Europe in the 1300s. It killed millions of citizens and had an extremely negative effect on the growing and developing populous. However, death wasn’t the only major change that the people of Europe experienced. The most significant impact of the Black Plague rather than death was the lasting effects it had on society as job and gender roles broke the norm, and new religious tactics and beliefs were developed and implemented to control and protect the European people.
The people of Europe believed the Jews were to blame for the Plague. They believed the Jews contaminated their wells and caused the outbreak. Today we know this is not the case, but in this time they needed something, more specifically, someone to blame. The punishment for this crime was, they gathered them into a huge pit in the ground, and burned them all to
The lords had to make changes in order to make the situation more profitable for the peasants and so keep them on their land” (Decameron). The economy was obviously out of control at this time, and the standard of living increased. On the whole, the Black Plague was caused by the fleas from rats and spread throughout Western Europe, however one effect of the Black Plague would be that it wiped out a great chunk of Europe’s population. The Black Plague was one of the most deadly pandemics in history.
For instance, Philosophers such as Boccaccio wrote so many accounts of the deadly plague. The deadly plague religiously was impacted significantly. In the absence of any effective remedies, people looked for scapegoats. Many blamed the Jews whose religion dictated a bit cleaner lifestyle, which in turn meant less incidence of rats, fleas, and plague.
Many Europeans were horrified by the plague, and they wanted to do something about it so that no one else would get sick or die from the plague. The bubonic plague is a disease that was spread by fleas on rats. It was first discovered in China in the 1340s and spread throughout Europe. The plague killed millions of people, and it changed the way people lived their lives. It also affected how they thought about religion, especially Christianity.
First of all, a massive spike in Anti-Semitism occurred, as people blamed Jews for the disease, leading to widespread violence and massacre and the death of thousands of Jews(Byrne). The widespread massacres of Jews around Renaissance Europe added to the fire in the conflict between Christans and Jews and also worsened prejudices against Jews. Instead of blaming another religion, "Some Christians became more pious, believing that their piety might endear them to a God who they believed had sent the plague to punish them for their sins”(Woodville). Since Christians felt as if the outbreak was a punishment from God, they wanted to repent and appease his anger. Unfortunately, they did this through whipping themselves and flooding the streets, including grotesque public events, in which people would whip themselves to appease God’s anger and receive forgiveness(Bryne).
In the history of Europe, the Black Death or the Great Mortality has always been one of the most significant and destructive natural disaster, it was so pernicious that it had killed about 25% to 50% of the population in only four years. Most people in Europe did not have the resistance to the plague because it was originated in Asia, the trades between Asia and Europe carried flea-infested rats, as a result, disease like bubonic plague was brought to Europe for the first time. Due to the trades, the plague spread all over Europe very quickly in the mid-fourteenth century. The Black Death was momentous not only because of its significantly high death rate, but also for its impact on European society, economy, and politics. Once the plague broke out and shown its threat, people in the society began living for the moment, some threw themselves with unrestraint into sexual and alcoholic binge, while the wealthy and powerful people fled to their country estate trying to evade the plague.
The community as a whole took to blaming the heavens especially with monks and priests being hit so hard due to dealing with Sydney Pitman GEO261 Due Oct 16, 2015 plague victims (Abeji). People even resorting to self-harm as a way to heal themselves since the transmission and cure were unknown. This plague was not choosy with its victims, and started to break down the social classes within Middle Age Europe.
Many survived on just pure luck; others escaped and hid inside non-Jew homes or the deep parts of the woods. Some migrated to Europe before The Holocaust started some succeeded others did not make it there. Between 1940 and 1944, men led the Protestant community of Le Chambon-Sur-Lignon in the rescue of about 5,000 more than half of them Jews. Many people in Le Chambon-Sur-Lignon tried to help Jews by hiding them in their homes, basements, and barns (Rescue and Resistance). Although there was a downside to trying to help Jews.
Throughout history, Europe has faced many adversities such as plagues that immediately impacted the people. The Justinian plague, which lasted from 541-549 AD, and the Black Death, which affected Europe from 1347-1351, are two such plagues that affected the societies of Europe. These plagues brought death tolls that affected the economy and military strength of countries. As a result of the Justian Plague, almost a third of the Byzantine population was wiped out. While many believe that plagues only brought about destruction, the plagues that affected Europe during the Middle Ages didn't only negatively influence the nations but also caused the region to enter a new age of prosperity.