The Black Death In Europe

The Black Death was an outbreak of bubonic plague, which is a highly contagious bacterial infection and disease. The Bubonic Plague spread across Europe in the years 1346-53. 25% of the European population was wiped out by the disease. People knew when they had the black plague, when the symptoms started to show. The black plague came to Europe from Asia, and had social and economic effects on Medieval Europe.

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.

The Black Death The Black Death: The Medieval black plague that ravaged Europe and killed a third of its population. It was due to the plague which is caused by a bacterium (Yersinia pestis) transmitted to humans from infected rats by the oriental rat flea. “By all accounts, the Black Death spread from France in the summer of 1348 to the port of Weymouth on the southern coast of England, from whence it travelled very rapidly to other ports in both directions along the coast. It progressed up through the Bristol Channel to Bristol before advancing along the Severn to Gloucester.

The Black Death impacted the economic and social balance of several monarchies. First, the people of Europe flogged themselves to renounce their sins and to achieve holiness. Secondly, the people disregarded the social balance, spiritual and secular laws. The Black Death not only broke up families, as the Romans

The Black Death changed society in three significant ways. These were Religion, Medical Science and the Feudal System. The Black Death had a shocking impact on Religion. The pandemic was devastating, but perhaps that was because doctors knew so little about the Black Death.

The first problem was that the statute of Labourers was issued. It was a law that prohibited that peasants from trying to receive higher payments for working due to the shortage of workers. The second reason was that the prices increased greatly and peasants did not have any money. The third cause was that the poll tax continued to increase. And the final reason was that the church was poorly educated, sided with the barons, and became hated by the Peasants.

All throughout history, new political systems have risen out of the ashes of their predecessors, but all of these systems are destined to fail eventually. The Black Death was a deadly disease that spread all through Europe in the Middle Ages, causing destruction on everything, particularly the social order of feudalism. Feudalism was a system of loyalties and obligations amongst the different social classes that kept order in Europe for several centuries. The feudal system was reinforced by the beliefs and philosophies of the church as well as the laws created by those in power. The Black Death wiped out a high percentage of the population of Europe contributing to the deterioration of the ties that held the feudal system together.

The video, The past, present and future of the bubonic plague by Sharon N. DeWitte shows how the Black Death was a very dangerous disease that spread across the world in the 1300’s and how it is still going around today. It affected people for centuries in China, Europe, Asia, Africa and in the Middle East (DeWitte 2014). The Black Death came from a bacteria called Yersinia Pestis (DeWitte 2014). Around 50% of people in Europe died from this disease because of the explosive population growth that happened in Europe. This growth led to families having more kids and being in poverty and that caused them to have more vulnerability to infections.

The Great Mortality, or Black Plague as it’s more commonly known, had a significant impact on the atmosphere of Medieval Europe. Social and economic institutions crumbled, religious and medical prowess were strained to their absolute limits, and many people suffered extreme psychological trauma. Many historians believe that the plague was what officially marked an end of the so called “dark ages” and provided a platform for the European Renaissance to begin. The Black Death: The Great Mortality of 1348-1350 A Brief History with Documents author John Albreth understands that by the time plague struck, Medieval Europe was already in a weakened state, which presented the opportunity for the European Renaissance to be, “forged in the crucible

The Black Death changed the lives of peasants in many ways. After going through all the pain and suffering, the peasants gained more freedom, rights and respect. The revolt against the government may have been unsuccessful but it still changed the feudal system, creating a better society. Workers became scarce when the Black Death striked. The peasants used this to their advantage against the lords.

The Black Death led to social change because it diminished the power of the Catholic church with an increase in heresy, worsened the position of the Jews, and increased social mobility for the lower classes. The pandemic spread through Europe for about 5 years (1347-1352) and it claimed the lives of 25-30 million people. Life over these years changed significantly. One example that was not favorable to many was how the peasants were being treated. They were treated as slaves, and had no rights to demand better even though the agricultural and living conditions were unfair.

During the late 1340s the standards of living for the peasants began to increase. According to Routt, many peasants were able to afford things that they were not able to before due to the surplus and the plummet of the prices of goods. Since many of the workers died because of the Black Death, many employers were left without workers. These employers grudgingly employed the peasants since they were the only people left who were not infected and who did not have jobs. The Black Death had a profound effect agriculture.

The Black Death was a disease that had a catastrophic impact on Europe. Reaching Europe in 1347, the plague killed an estimation of one-third of the population in the first wave. Each document varies with its reasons for the cause of the plague and how to deal with it. The first document Ordinances against the Spread of Plague seemed to blame Pisa and Lucca for the plague and thus, began to forbid contact with those places. It was forbidden for citizens of Pistoia to go to, or have contact with anyone or anything from Pisa or Lucca.

According to Ole J. Benedictow “Inevitably [the Black Plague] had an enormous impact on European society and greatly affected the dynamics of change and development from the medieval to Early Modern period. A historical turning point, as well as a vast human tragedy, the Black Death of 1346-53 is unparalleled in human history.” It was one of the most devastating diseases in history

The Black Death also known as the “black plaque” was a widespread of bubonic plaque that killed nearly seventy-five million people and wiped out a fourth of the entire Europe population. The Black Death was caused by the bacterium “…Yersinia pestis that comes from wild rodents that arrived in Europe by sea in October