Essay about Taking a Look Back at the Black Death

As a result of the Black Death, Europeans rebelled while Empires of Islam did not react unmanageably. As the disease became increasingly prominent, Europeans acted rebelliously. According to William Dene, a European chronicler, laborers and skilled workmen had such a spirit of rebellion that no higher authority could curb them (Document 6). This demonstrates how the Black Death changed the lifestyle of Europeans, causing people to resort to problematic alternatives for survival. Muslims, however, did not rebel in any way. Michael Dols stated there was no evidence of messianic movements within the Muslim society associated with the disease, unlike Europeans (Document 10). This shows that Islamic empires respected authority and did not rebel, as opposed to the Europeans. In contrast to the Muslims, who respected authority and remained peaceful during the Black Death, Europeans became defiant and rebellious.

Both religions believed that God sent down that disease. Christians thought they were being punished and lost hope in God. Although some did stay truthful to God, others didn’t and rebelled. In document six, a passage from a chronicle, written by an eyewitness account, William Dene, indicated that European Christians become more malicious and rebelled; they didn’t care about their salvation, since death was nipping at their heels. The point of view of this document showcased a negative perception of Christianity. On the other hand, Muslims become more religious; they believed this epidemic was a divine act from God and that they should act upon it. In document nine, a passage from a travel diary, written by the world traveler, Ibn Battuta, expressed that Muslims fasted, went to the mosque and prayed endlessly. This behavior shows that the Muslims turned to God in this time, unlike their Christian counterparts. The point of view of this document stressed a greater emphasis on how focused and religious the Muslims were. The Jews and Christians were also mentioned, however, they were not expressed in great detail than the Muslims. Possibly, Ibn Battuta witnessed more righteous behavior from the Muslims or he preferred them to the other Abrahamic faiths. Both religions inexperienced the horrors of the Black Plague, but their responses were quite

During the time when the Black Plague struck there were two main religions in the world, Christianity and Islam. Christianity follows the teachings of Jesus Christ, God’s son. The book of the Christian is the Bible. The religion of Islam deals with submission to God, and following the teachings of Mohammed, which are spelled out in the Koran (The DBQ Project, Background Essay). An interesting topic that one might discover of this time is, how did these two religions react to the plague. Could it be possible that they acted as everyone else did at that time, or did they hold strong to their beliefs? When they Black Plague struck, the Christians and the Muslims had similar ways of dealing and responding to it.

The Black Death was a catastrophic event, it caused many innocent people to lose their lives. The people had different responses to the Plague. In this specific DBQ the topic will be “How Different Were Christian and Muslim Responses” (The Black Death: How Different Were Christian and Muslim Responses, 2010). The Christian and Muslims had somewhat different and the same responses. They would either turn to religion or they divert their own path away from religion. Both Christians and Muslims had different theories on why the Black Death came to be. Either it had something to do with their religion or it was a punishment for their sins or they would blame people such as the Jews.

     Scientists and historians are still unsure about the origins of the bubonic plague. Medieval European writers believed that it began in China, which they considered to be a land of almost magical happenings. Chroniclers wrote that it began with earthquakes, fire falling from the sky, and

In 1346, Europeans were experiencing odd changes around them; like earthquakes, floods, locusts, famine, and the deadly plagues. The Christians and Muslims beliefs about the Black Death was different in most but similar in some. The Christians believed the plague was caused by God, but they believed it was a curse and a punishment because they believed God was upset with them. But the Muslims believed it was also caused by god, but they believed it was a blessing and a sign of the Messiah.

As we know, the back death was the greatest health disasters in human history. I will be discussing each point of view, the cause of this disaster, and finally compare how Christian and Muslim societies explained the Black Death. The Black Death swept through Europe, the near East, and north Africa from 1346 to 1350. In Origins of the black death by Gabriele De’ Mussis one can see that his argument goes towards God who the Christians think he created this decease, that he wants to destroy his own creation and the human race.

Religion has always been a major theme in history, and even now does not fail to play an important role. The desire to gain more believers and convert people makes up the base of the reason for the differences in Muslim and Christian responses the Black Plague. As Gabriele de Mussis, a Christian chronicler during the Black Death, states, “I am overwhelmed, I can’t go on!...The hand of the Almighty strikes repeatedly to greater and greater effect.” On the contrary, Muhammad al Manbiji, an Islamic scholar, said that “…the plague is a blessing from God; at the least, a Muslim should devoutly accept the divine act.” (doc. 4) These two viewpoints of the plague are complete opposites; Christians are overwhelmed that their population is dying out while Muslims are accepting it as a blessing that their rival religion is suffering. These documents were combined to emphasize the contrast between

In the middle ages people had no idea about how any disease such as the Black Death could spread. The Europeans think “it disseminated by the influence of the celestial bodies, or sent upon them by God in his just wrath” (Boccaccio). In other words, they think the plague came from the sky or sent by God. They think maybe it is God’s way of cleansing the earth or punishing them for their unfair behaviors. Some think that a supernatural origin caused the disease. This disease is a bacterium infection which has a variety of symptoms, such as, nose bleeding, tumors in the groin or armpits and black spots or

In addition to creating a social divide, the Plague also forced many people to reconsider where they were living causing a social “reorganization.” Despite the religious taboo against fleeing from a disease ridden area, many Muslims departed the infected cities for regions believed to be untainted. At the same time, a far larger number of rural Muslims

It is the fourteenth century, and there is a horrible plague making its way through Europe and North Africa. It has been labeled the Black Death, and it is killing scores upon scores of people. With an act of God this awesome (or awful), there are bound to major responses from religions all across the known world, in particular Christians and Muslims. The responses of Christians were vastly different from that of Muslims, though (in some minor cases) they had similarities.

In 1346 European traders began to hear reports about earthquakes, floods, locusts, famine, and plague in faraway China. They knew very little then that the plague they were hearing about would follow the same trade routes to the Middle East, North Africa, and Europe that they themselves used. (doc. 1) In five short years, the plague killed between 25 and 45% of the populations it encountered. (doc 2) So how different were the Christian and Muslim responses? In 1348 Christianity and Islam came face to face with the Black Death. (doc. 3A) In truth, Muslims and Christians responded in many different ways. Their ideas for what caused the Black Death were somewhat different from each other also. Even the way they thought they could cure the

“The Black Death” is a pretty historically accurate movie. The costumes in the movie, the plot of the movie, the cause of the Black Death, how the Black Death spread, how to cure the Black Death, what the Black Death looked like, some of the sets in the movie, and the origin of the Black Death were all depicted extremely accurately. However, some of the sets in “The Black Death” were not completely accurate. The movie “The Black Death” gives the viewer a great deal of accurate information about the Black Plague; however, there are a few historical inaccuracies as well.

Christianity and Islam each had their own beliefs about the Black Death. The Muslims thought the plague was a blessing sent from God, Allah. In Document Four, Section two, it stated “Prayer for lifting the epidemic is abhorrent because plague is a blessing from God; at the least, a Muslim should devoutly accept the divine act.” However, Christians thought it was a punishment from God. In Document four, section one, it said “What shall we do? Kind Jesus, receive the souls of the dead, avert your gaze from our sins and blot out all our iniquities. We know that whatever we suffer is the just reward of our sins. “Even though each religion had different beliefs, the plague killed many and impacted countless lives.

In the early 14th century a widespread pestilence broke out in 1333 China, soon spreading to European countries and the Middle East by 1346. Within five years the disease killed between 25 and 45% of the populations it came upon. Due to the severity of this disease, some might ask how did the different cultures/religions responded? The Christian and Muslim responses were vastly different. For example, their ideas of what caused the plague were, how they believed the widespread death could be stopped, and their overall actions during the time of a grand pestilence are just some of the ways their reactions were different.