Black Death Essay Essay On Black Death Essay On The Black Death The Plague The Black Death Essay Black Death Essays The Black Death Essay

1. Black Death Essay
One could only imagine the fear the people in Europe experienced after learning of so many
deaths across the land. Hearing of an illness heading towards you, a plague so severe, that it would
end up causing a third of the population in Europe to parish. Originating in China in 1347 making
its way to Europe in 1348, The Black Death is one of the worlds' deadliest occurrences in history.
The researcher will cover how the illness made its way to Europe, how the Church was effected,
and what the doctors thought to be the blame for the illness and their frugal attempts for a cure. The
social and economic ramifications of the plague will also be addressed. During the timeframe of
1333–1345, there were droughts followed by famine in...show more content...
The ships carrying the Christian traders pulled into Messina, a port in Sicily. This would be the
end for Europe. Messina was one of the major ports where trading occurred in Italy. Instead of
finding silk, furs, manufactured goods, and spices aboard, the dockworkers found dead or dying
sailors. The smell from the blood and pus that permeated from the black boils on the bodies was
putrid (Lerner, R. E.). The ships were put out to sea within a couple of days but the damage had
already been done. The towns' people came down with the illness and so did anyone who
ventured onto those drifting vessels. The Black Death had arrived. The ships carrying the plague
came into port in Genoa and Venice before it was realized they were the ones that caused so many
people to suffer in Messina. An immigration mandate was passed, forcing people who were
returning to Venice from the East to be quarantined for 40 days. The significance of this figure
was that Christ had spent that many days suffering in the wilderness. In Milan, if anyone in your
family came down with the illness, a cross was placed on the doors of the house and there you
stayed until you succumbed to the plague. After leaving Italy, it took two months for the plague to
raise its ugly head in France, where the immune systems of the citizens there were already fragile
from wars and famine (Martin, S.). The plague made its way into Egypt
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2. Essay On Black Death
The Black Death was one of the most devastating pandemics in human history, resulting in the death
of some 75 to 200 million people in Europe in the years 1346–53. There were several competing
theories as to the etiology of the Black Death, analysis of DNA from victims in northern and
southern Europe published in 2010–11 indicates that the pathogen responsible for the Yersinia pestis
bacterium probably caused several forms of the plague.The Black Death is thought to have come
from the arid plains of Central Asia, where it travelled along the Silk road, reaching the Cremea by
1343. From there it most likely was carried by rat fleas living on the black rats that were passengers
on merchant ships. Spreading throughout the Mediterranean...show more content...
The most commonly noted symptom was the appearance of buboes in the groin, the neck and
armpits, which oozed pus and bled when opened. From the parts of the body this deadly
gavocciolo soon began to propagate and spread itself in all directions indifferently; after which the
form of the malady began to change, black spots or livid making their appearance in many cases on
the arm or the thigh or elsewhere, now few and large, now minute and numerous. It is said that the
plague takes three forms. In the first people suffer an infection of the lungs, which leads to breathing
difficulties. Whoever has this corruption or contamination to any extent cannot escape but will die
within two days. Another form...in which boils erupt under the armpits, a third form in which
people of both sexes are attacked in the groin. The modern bubonic plague has a mortality rate of
30–75% and symptoms including fever of 38–
41 В°C (100–106 В°F), headaches, painful aching joints, nausea and vomiting, and a general feeling
of malaise. Left untreated, of those that contract the bubonic plague, 80 percent die within eight
days. The mechanism by which Y. pestis was usually transmitted was established in 1898
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3. Essay On The Black Death
What impact did the 'Black Death' plagues that began in Europe in the fourteenth century have on
societies there?
The Black Death was a disastrous illness that spread quickly through 14th century Europe, leaving
many bodies in its wake and soon dominated European societies. Not only did the Black Death
ravish the population, but the plague also caused long term societal, economic and political changes.
Children were particularly susceptible to the Black Death, while tragic this had far reaching
economic consequences as this lost generation decreased the able labour population. In turn,
survivors could demand an increased wage for their services as the work force had been decimated.
This resulted in class tensions between workers and employers. Minority communities which had
been tolerated in Europe now found themselves being made scapegoats for a deadly illness. This
was particularly true for Jewish communities but some women found themselves targeted also. The
clergy were at higher risk of succumbing to the Black Death this caused many to question their
belief in the Catholic Church. There is no doubt that these factors change European society in
extensive ways which will be examined in this essay.
The Black Death in Europe was a form of the plague which caused painful sores, ulcers and spread
quickly through populations. Certain groups were slightly more vulnerable, however, the Black
Death killed quickly and mercilessly. Medicine in the 14th century was at a
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4. The Plague
The Black Death
"The Black Death" is known as the worst natural disaster in European history. The plague spread
throughout Europe from 1346–1352. Those who survived lived in constant fear of the plague's return
and it did not disappear until the 1600s. Not only were the effects devastating at the time of
infection, but during the aftermath as well. "The Black Death" of the fourteenth century dramatically
altered Europe's social and economic structure.
The plague was spread by fleas, which were not effected by the disease. Fleas first infected the rats,
which lived off garbage and sewage. The rats then spread the infection to the humans. Rats were a
common sight in the cities, due to the poor sanitary conditions, so no one...show more content...
"The Black Death" alone was not the only factor that was responsible for the social and economic
change although it was the most important (Ziegler 234). Even without "The Black Death"
continued deterioration in Europe would have been likely. The social and economic change had
already set in well before 1346. For at least twenty–five years before "The Black Death," exports,
agricultural production, and the area of cultivated land had all been shrinking. "The Black Death"
contributed a large part to all of this destruction and led to important changes in the social and
economic structure of the country (Ziegler 234–235). The plague touched every aspect of social life
(Herlihy 19). There was hardly a generation that was not affected by the plague
(www.jefferson.village.virginia.edu). Families were set against each other– the well rejecting the
sick (www.byu.edu). Families left each other in fear. Many people died without anyone looking after
them. When the plague appeared in a house, frightened people abandoned the house and fled to
another (www.jefferson.village.virginia.edu). Due to this, the plague spread more rapidly because
people were not aware that being in the same house with the infected person had already exposed
them to it. Physicians could not be found because they had also died. Physicians who could be found
wanted large sums of money before they entered the house (www.jefferson.village.virginia.edu).
When the
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5. The Black Death Essay
The Black Death Black Death, epidemic of plague which ravaged Europe in the mid–14th century.
Various forms of plague were known in the civilized world since ancient times. Greek and Roman
historians described outbreaks of an epidemic disease which were sudden and deadly: at
Constantinople in the 6th century AD, for example, as much as half the population may have been
killed. The outbreak which reached Europe from China in 1347, and spread rapidly and with
disastrous results to most countries, has been given the name the Black Death, though
contemporaries did not use this term.
Epidemiology of the Black...show more content...
More deadly still was pneumonic plague, one of the most infectious and fatal diseases known to
man. It was commonest in the cold winter months, affected the lungs and was easily transmitted, for
it could be spread by coughs and sneezes. It was 95 per cent fatal, victims normally dying within
three days of the onset.
Spread of the Black Death
[IMAGE]
[IMAGE]
[IMAGE][IMAGE][IMAGE]The Black Death of the mid–14th century probably began in the steppes
of Central Asia and spread to China and India. Contemporary chroniclers thought that a series of
natural disasters, such as earthquakes, had upset the ecological balance there. Merchants travelling
from the affected regions may have carried the disease along the usual trade routes to the Middle
East and the Mediterranean. It reached Constantinople in 1347, Messina in Sicily (its first European
appearance) in October 1347, and Paris and the south coast of England in the summer of 1348. It
then spread rapidly to the rest of Europe. That it continued in the winter months as well as the
summer suggests that the pneumonic form was also present with bubonic plague, for the former
flourishes in cramped living conditions where people huddle together for warmth. The speed with
which the disease was spread in a largely rural and, by modern standards, not densely populated,
society; the short interval between infection and death;
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6. Black Death Essays
The Black Death, also known as the Black Plague, or the Bubonic Plague killed one third of the
population of Europe during its reign in the 13th and 14th centuries. The arrival of this plague set
the scene for years of strife and heroism. Leaving the social and Economic aspect in a standstill.
The phantom of death became a subject of art, music and folklore and it influenced the
consciousness of the people. The impact of this mass killer caused enormous chaos and havoc to
the medieval society because of its unknown origin, the unknown causes and preventions, its deathly
symptoms and its breakdown of orderly life, therefore religion was greatly affected and changed. In
1347, a Tartar army under Kipchak khan Janibeg had been besieging the...show more content...
Father abandoned child, wife husband, one brother another; for this illness seemed to strike
through breath and sight. An so they died. None could be found to bury the dead for money or
friendship. Members of a household brought their dead to a ditch as best they could, without
priest, without divine offices. In many places in Siena great pits were dug and piled deep with
the multitude of dead. And they died by the hundreds, both day and night, and all were thrown in
those ditches and covered with earth. And as soon as those ditches were filled, more were dug. I,
Agnolo di Tura . . . buried my five children with my own hands. . . . And so many died that all
believed it was the end of the world." (another description) Fathers abandoned their sick
sons. Lawyers refused to come and make out wills for the dying. Friars and nuns were left to care
for the sick, and monasteries and convents were soon deserted, as they were stricken, too. Bodies
were left in empty houses, and there was no one to give them a Christian burial. The terror of this
seemingly unstoppable march of death was the unknown nature of its origin. The absence of an
identifiable earthly cause gave the plague supernatural and sinister quality. (The Black Death:
Bubonic Plague) The plague had stunned Europe and everywhere people were desperate for
explanations and answers to their many questions. Most explanations were based on
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7. The Black Death Essay
The Black Death
The Black Death, the most severe epidemic in human history, ravaged Europe from 1347–1351. This
plague killed entire families at a time and destroyed at least 1,000 villages. Greatly contributing to
the Crisis of the Fourteenth Century, the Black Death had many effects beyond its immediate
symptoms. Not only did the Black Death take a devastating toll on human life, but it also played a
major role in shaping European life in the years following.
The Black Death consisted mainly of Bubonic plague, but pneumonic plague was also present in the
epidemic. Symptoms of the Bubonic plague included high fever, aching limbs, and blood vomiting.
Most characteristic of the disease were swollen lymph nodes, which grew until they...show more
content...
European economy and society changed drastically following the Black Death. Because so many
people had died, there was a huge labor shortage. This contributed to the end of the feudal system,
since serfs could often leave their manors and make a better living in cities. In addition to better
work opportunities, survivors of the plague had a surplus of material goods. Many of the dead had
left behind entire estates and other belongings. These goods were available through inheritance and
looting. At this time, the pawnshop business, made famous by the Medici family, became extremely
successful. Through these factors, Europe experienced an overall rise in its standard of living.
The plague also affected religion and art, which became very dark and preoccupied with death.
Many people believed that the Black Death came from God's extreme anger at the world. A group of
fanatics, called Flagellants, inflicted various punishments on themselves in an attempt to atone for
the world's sins––and end the disease. An artistic style known as the danse macabre depicted
skeletons and corpses mingling with the living during happy occasions. These actions reminded the
people of the overriding sense of doom that shadowed their lives because of the Black Death.
The Black Death changed European history in many significant ways. Its fatal symptoms took many
human lives, and its influence carried over into many areas of society. Economically, Europe
flourished because
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