The Black Death has now hit Britain. Just what was it? How devastating was it? What did they think caused it and how far from the truth were they?

1. Lesson Objectives
We aim to understand the …
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Importance of the black death

2. WALT: Assess the
importance of the
Black Death.
Describe and explain the nature of the Black Death and how it spread
(D)
Describe and explain Medieval ideas on causes and 'cures' of the
Black Death (C)
Assess the impact of the Black Death on attitudes to medicine and
disease (A)

3. What was the Black Death
What was the Black Death?
Why did so many people die needlessly?
• http://www.history.com/topics/black-death#

4. So what was the Black Death ?
So we know that people in medieval times lived in small
villages. So epidemics of diseases didn’t usually spread over
the whole country. TILL…
1348 A disease reached England that had already
killed thousands of people in Europe…
ABOUT …
1/3
Of the population dies
in an outbreak of the
bubonic plague known
as the Black Death.
1.5m Would go on and kill 1.5m out of 4m
between 1348 and 1350… How might
peasants react?

5. In 148# Character summarise the details of the black death.
Use page 54 to help you…
- What is it?
- When was it?
- Who died?
Bonus points for Bubonic Plague –
Epidemic – 1348 - Buboes

6. Use the Cards
• In your own words write a summary of what they believed
caused the Black Death.
• Extension – How close were they to the actual cause. How
importance was CHANCE as a factor.

7. Why were religion and medicine
so closely linked…
What have they
got in common?

8. Doctor, Doctor…
Treatments for the bubonic plague were …not very effective.
Mainly because they did not know the true cause of the
plague.
Divide the list of treatments …Write into your own
book.
A table might be a good way or a split spider diagram.
Now write beside the treatments whether they are…
- Aimed at curing the plague.
- Aimed at preventing the plague.
EXT: Q Rank them as to their effectiveness. Write a
sentence telling me why!
Identify factors of change – RELIGION? CHANCE?

9. Homework.
• Read the consequences part of this lesson onwards and
create a lesson plan for the following question.
• Use your notes and your own research to plan an essay.

10. Which Picture.
Which Picture matches your learning today? Explain why? In your books

11. Consequences
Think about who people turned to and who they
didn’t…
Who was worst hit…?
Who did they blame?
• People lost faith with the medical profession and turned
back to superstitious and religious explanations of the
disease.
• A third of the population died with the towns being worst
hit because people lived so close together.
• People became less tolerant as they became more
frightened – minority groups like the Jews were falsely
blamed for the black death.

12. How much did the understanding of the causes of
disease change between c500 and c1350?
In 1348, when the Black Death reached England, the Church
played an important role in medieval ideas. Many people
thought illness had a supernatural cause. Other ideas at the
time were that disease was caused by miasma, or by an
imbalance of the humours.
Introduction – Tell me what you going to say in
your answer in short.
Information – The Filling P.E.E – What’s your
point, why have you said it, can you support it
with a Quote?
Conclusion – Tell me what your argument was.
Tell me what your opinion for change is.

13. Effective Plan.
Question: How much did the understanding of the causes
of disease change between c500 and c1350?
Source: In 1348, when the Black Death reached England, the Church played an
important role in medieval ideas. Many people thought illness had a supernatural
cause. Other ideas at the time were that disease was caused by miasma, or by an
imbalance of the humours.
What did they think the causes of disease were?
At the time of the Black Death?
What the causes of disease were before?
Make a decision…Continuity ? Did Galen followed Hippocrates. Were what they
thought the causes of the black death similar to that of the Greeks and Romans?
Superstitious, Religious or Medical
What information must you include…
What information could you include…

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15. Unusual positing of the planets Mars,
Jupiter and Saturn.
Poisonous fumes from Volcanoes and
earthquakes.
Bad Air (Miasma) from decaying
refuse, spread through the air.
An imbalance of the Four Humours.

16. Astrology was an important part of medicine by the 1400’s.
Physicians believed the stars and planets affected peoples
bodies because both were made up of the same four
elements (Earth, Air, Fire and Water).
Poisonous fumes from Volcanoes and earthquakes.
Bad Air (Miasma) from decaying refuse, spread through the
air. King Edward wrote “Have the filth lying in the streets
removed with all speed to places far distant. The cities
cleansed from all odors so that no death can occur from such
smells”
An imbalance of the Four Humours.

17. Activities of groups of outsiders, such
as strangers or witches (in Europe
Jews were blamed).
Holding a piece of bread against
buboes and then burying it in ground.

18. Fasting and praying.
Eating cool things
Carrying herbs and spices to smell.
Walking in procession to a church, saying
prayers and whipping each other.
Cut open the buboes and drain the pus.

19. Activities of groups of outsiders, such as
strangers or witches (in Europe Jews were
blamed). Jews were said to have poisoned the
water supplies and in some places were
burned.
Holding a piece of bread against buboes and
then burying it in ground.

20. Fasting and praying.
Eating cool things. As this would balance out the four
humors.
Carrying herbs and spices to smellas this would
block out the bad smells.
Walking in procession to a church, saying prayers
and whipping each other.This is known as
flagellation.
Cut open the buboes and drain the pus, this would
potentially prevent the spread of disease…