The Black Death Essay

Moreover, the Black Death led to a decrease of serfs working on manors across Western Europe as well as a decrease in a noble’s economic power, which led to the undoing of

(Source 3) The Black Death arrived in Europe by ship in October 1347 when 12 Genoese trading ships docked at the Sicilian port of Messina after a long journey through the Black Sea. They were overcome with fever, unable to keep food down and delirious from pain. Strangest of all, they were covered in mysterious black boils that oozed blood and pus which gave the illness its name: the “Black Death.” Overall, the Black Death killed many people, which caused a huge change in medieval Europe. This is evident because there was a peasant uproar threatening the feudal structure; there were fewer labourers to do twice as much work; and the churches authority was question.

After the Black Death, many farmers were killed off leaving the few left as a large pillar of the economy who thrived due to the supply and demand of their crops (Notes). Also the few peasants and people who were homeless before the plague were able to come back to their city, welcomed with many vacant houses that still had valuables and goods from the previous owner (Doc 1). Because of the better economy the manorial system was left behind as many of the serfs and laborers either demanded better pay or left for the many open jobs in towns

Europe was hit with the Bubonic Plague, also known as The Black Death, in 1347 devastating the European Society. The Bubonic Plague was hard to get away from due to the conditions in Europe and took many lives. The Bubonic Plague also influenced religion and started changing the normal European society into a new one.

In the late Middle Ages the worst evil known to man terrorized Europe. People were dropping dead everywhere and there was no place to put them. This vicious culprit was known as the Black Plague. During the 14th century in Europe millions of people died from the plague and the plague brought about great change. Before the plague there was peace and prosperity in the High Middle Ages and after the plague things were different. Historians consider the outbreak of the Black Plague a watershed moment because of great social, religious and economical changes.

By 1352 it had really loosened its hold Europe’s population had been a massive hit, which had a financial impact. The work had been damaged especially for farms. The Black Death also was one of the worst pandemics in human history. Around about in the 14th century, about 75 million people on 3 countries rotten due to the painful pains, high contagious illness. Also in Europe hundreds died daily and their bodies was usually thrown into mass graves.

I think the Black Death had such a big impact because it affected nearly the whole world in a quite short period of time. Although it didn’t last very long it affected around 40% to 50% of Europe`s population. It affected generations of people and every person and family in Europe. From knowing about the plague I hope we learn how to deal with such an outbreak in the

The Black Death was devastating and was one of the most significant events in Medieval Britain. The Black Death was also known the plague and bubonic plague it describes the spread of disease that caused mass deaths throughout Britain. The disease itself was carried by fleas and spread across Europe between 1346-1353 leaving towns and city such as Siena Italy with 85% of the population wiped out. This was seen all over Europe including Britain and it can be argued economic factors was the most significant consequences of the Black Death. However there are many factors such as political, social factors and Mortality rates that were also results of the Black Death and perhaps social factors may be more significant.

The Black Death affected the European economy in a positive way. The biggest change, good for peasants, was the end of Feudalism. Feudalism is a social triangle that decided who obeyed who and many other unfair standards for all Serfs, the base of the pyramid. Due to the huge population deficit, Serfs were scarce and “Barons were now willing to pay higher wages and offer extra benefits. All their life they had lived off the serfs’ hard work, and were willing to pay them to stay on the manor to continue slaving for them” (Vunguyen). This gave the Serfs more power to ask for higher wages and the freedom to find more work if they do not get what they want. Serfs, or peasants, “began

"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 Black Death, according to Joseph P Byrne, was “a deadly epidemic that spread across Asia and Europe beginning in mid 1300’s.” It did not take long for the plague to make a big impact on the world. “By the spring of 1348, the Black Death, also known as Black Plague, spread to france, The Alberium Peninsula, and England, following trade routes and hitting big cities first before spreading to the countryside,” states Gail Cengage. In the 19th century, Europe was devastatingly hit with this epidemic that affected them greatly then and now. The Black Death in Europe affected 19th centuries economics, population, and literature. Its effect on Europe is an interesting topic that shaped history and our lives today. This topic is widely covered as Molly Edmonds writes her findings from other sources. These sources will be used to describe the effect the Black Death had on Europe.

Both flagellants and anti-Semitism broke out across Europe, with flagellants publically beating themselves to beg for atonement and many others placing the blame for the disease on the Jews, resulting in mass killings (Sayre 450). As the lower class, which was mainly made up of serfs, was affected the worst, feudalism as a whole was also greatly affected and even destroyed forever in certain areas of Europe ("Serfdom: Western Europe"). The great morbidity of the plague and the society resulting from its influence greatly affected the literature and art of the time period. Both began to become very realistic, whether it was in the expansion of detail and description in literature or in the gruesome depictions of death and its related matters found in art. For example, illustrations found in a Book of Hours, commissioned by Bonne of Luzemborg, shockingl decaying human bodies (Sayre 450-451).

The church could not save people from this disease, so it led to many people questioning and giving up on their religion. Doctors did not understand the origin of the disease, so most civilians believed the cause of the Black Death was from supernatural powers. They saw the disease as divine punishment, which is god punishing them. Many people thought they could beat themselves to atone for their supposed sins. The church lost power and influence in society because they failed to protect the civilians and the clergy from the horrid diseases. Many civilians lost faith and found a scapegoat to blame for the cause of the plague. The most popular scapegoat in the 14th century plague was the Jews. This religious group was accused of creating and spreading the plague because most Jews were merchants and the diseased rats were carried by the merchants. Persecution of the Jews continued out through the late Middle

Upon infection of the bubonic plague, a variety of symptoms appeared quite quickly. During the first few days, victims would develop a headache, chills, a fever, weakness, an increased pulse, and a white tongue. As the disease progressed, red and black spots, also called gangrene, appeared due to the body’s tissue dying, and buboes, swollen lymph nodes filled with blood, puss, and bacteria, appeared on the victim’s groin, neck, and arm pits (Zahler 26-27). As the plague progressed, the bacteria began running rampant throughout the victim’s body, eventually developing pneumonic plague, a plague within the lungs (Cartwright and Biddiss 30). The symptoms of pneumonic plague mirror the symptoms of en exceptionally virulent pneumonia. Bubonic

​In the course of Medieval Europe, Black Death played a major role in the way people lived and it changed different areas of society. As with other plagues or diseases, this caused unusual hardships and economic downfall. Black Death made it difficult for people to live and survive during this time. Survival of the fittest or those that could adapt to this would be the only ones to survive the impending changes in society. Black Death had many impacts on the economy, survival aspects and cultural life of medieval Europe.