The black death, also known as the bubonic plague, swept across Europe in the 14th century. During its time the plague claimed an estimated seventy five million lives. The plague though not longer existant, made a large impact as it was spread rapidly through the population. The plague first arrived in Europe in 1347. It made its first appearance on Genoese trading ships which docked in Sicilian ports with a most deceased crew. Those who were still living, were gravely ill. These sailors were all overcome by fever, unable to eat, and most mysteriously of all, they were covered in oozing black boils. These boils gave their illness a name: The Black Death. Though the ships were immediately turned away, it was too late, this mysterious illness …show more content…
The Great Plague of London claimed seventy five thousand to one hundred thousand lives of their population of four hundred sixty thousand, from 1664 to 1666. The epidemic raged through Cologne and the Rhine from 1666 to 1670, the Netherlands from 1667 to 1669, soon following it subsided in western Europe. This this was followed with outbreaks in North Africa, Poland, Hungary, Austria, and Germany. Malta lost eleven thousand people in 1675, Vienna lost at least seventy six thousand in 1679, and Prague lost eighty three thousand in 1681. Germany also was a victim of the plague’s carnage until it disappeared in Germany in 1683. France saw the end of the plague in 1668. The plague did not make another appearance until it showed itself again in Marseille in 1720, there it claimed at least forty thousand lives. One of the reasons that the Black Death reeked such havoc was because it was so poorly understood. At the time it was thought the illness could be removed from the body by coughing, vomiting, bleeding, sweating or, bowel movements. Some people even turned to witchcraft in an act of desperation. People believed that an affected person could simply “cough up” the germs that were blamed for the plague. People would feed the patients ashes in order to induce coughing and hopefully remove whatever was infecting the …show more content…
“Ring Around the Rosie” is actually an account of the times when the epidemic reigned. The familiar line stating “ring around the rosie” is a reference to the swollen, red rash that people affected by the plague would develop, specifically around the eyes. “A pocket full of posies” refers to how people would carry around fragrant flowers to mask the lingering smell of death that was so familiar. Some herbs were also believed to ward off the illness. The third line “ashes, ashes” refers to people feeding the ill ashes in order to expel the illness. This line is also substituted with “achoo, achoo” also referring to the inhalation of ashes. Finally, the song closes with “we all fall down’ a gentle way of saying everyone’s dead. It is a long debated subject if the song truly is composed about the plague but the evidence is very convincing and lines up rather perfectly. It seems very plausible. Though it seems impossible because of how long it has been since the plague reigned and how safe our earth may seem, scientists are now staging a fair warning: the plague may return to earth. Because of the way that it spreads: from rodents to humans, and can raise and fall so quickly, there is realistically not reason to convey that this could not happen again. It is in fact very possible. If other epidemics can come and go without knowledge of origin, What is to say another can’t do
The black plague, also known as the bubonic plague, swept its way across Europe beginning in 1346 A.D. , killing an estimated thirty to fifty percent of the total population. The plague was spread by fleas infected with Yersinia pestis, and was carried over oceans by hitchhiking rats and pet gerbils. The plague outbreak that decimated the population was transported by infected Christian merchants
By the time the plague began to decline in the 1400s, half of Europe’s population had perished from the effects of the plague (document 9). The following essay will explain why the Bubonic Plague was so devastating to European society because of how quickly the disease would spread, the passing of millions of people, and the lack of treatment and physicians. To begin with, not only had the Plague kill millions of people, but it affected families as well. The death of many loved ones caused family relationships to go downhill.
The Black Death was one of the worst pandemics in history. The disease ravaged Europe, Western Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa between 1346 and 1353 (Horrox 1994). It is difficult to understand the reality of such a devastating event, especially given the fact that science during the middle ages was severely underdeveloped. No one knew about bacteria, viruses, or other microbial agents of disease (Benedictow 2004). They had no way of protecting themselves during that time and no one was safe from the effects of the plague. Those who wrote chronicles claimed that only a tenth of the population had survived, while others claimed that half to a third of the population was left alive (Horrox 1994). In 1351, agents for Pope Clement VI predicted the number of deaths in Europe to be 23,840,000 (Gottfried 1983). Obviously, not all regions experienced the same mortality rates, but modern estimates of the death rate in England give the first outbreak a mortality rate of about forty-eight percent (Horrox 1994). That is, England lost half of its population in about a year and a half. Clearly the chroniclers ' who claimed that ninety percent of the population had died were overstating the magnitude of the plague, but this overemphasis demonstrates how terrifying the pandemic was to those who experienced it (Horrox 1994). The Black Death had huge consequences on the lives of those who were impacted directly, as well as major religious and cultural effects that came afterward.
The Black Plague came to life in the 1300s, and carried on through the Elizabethan Era. It was first seen on trading boats crossing the Black Sea. “The Plague was a bacterial disease that started from small fleas
The black death arrived in Europe in October of 1347. It was brought by twelve Genoese trading ships that docked at the Sicilian port of Messina after a lengthy expedition through the Black Sea. The people that were gathered on the docks to meet the twelve ships were greeted with a terrifying surprise: the majority of the sailors that were on they ship were dead, and the ones that were still alive were somberly ill. They had fevers, were unable to hold down food, and were delirious from pain. They were covered with big black boils that oozed pus and blood. The illness was named the “Black Death” because of the black boils.
The Black Death, also known as the Bubonic plague, was a serious pandemic that killed more than one-third of Europe’s population. Between 1347-1352, the Black Death had “reportedly killed more than 20 million people.” The plague originated from Asia before traveling throughout Europe and the Mediterranean by fleas infested rats transported through ships. The infested ships had then landed in European ports such as the following: “Genoa, Venice, Messina, and other more.” Thus, the starting the pandemic by the spreading of the highly contagious bacterial infection disease around Europe along with their imports and exports.
Starting in the early 14th century and ending around 1353, the Black Death was a horrific time in history. The Bubonic Plague killed about sixty-seven percent of Europe’s population. People living in Europe at the time of the Black Death responded differently to the devastation around them: many people fled, some stayed to investigate, and others saw it as an opportunity to obtain what others had lost, mostly money.
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 14th century, trade was a necessary means of exchanging and transporting goods. In this era, the spice trade between Asia and Europe was in full productivity. The transmission of the plague was first introduced to the new world through Europe around 1340 during the trade from Asia. This happened when 12 Genoese trading ships docked in Messina by route of the Black Sea and unleashed the deadly disease. As the ships docked in new ports, it brought sickness and death to the inhabitants. The plague had already been eradicated on the trading ships and a handful of sailors were alive to tell their daunting experiences.
The Plague that struck Europe and Asia in the 14th century was probably the most devastating disease or natural disaster the world ever faced. The Bubonic Plague or Black Death killed an estimated 25 million people from 1347 to 1352 in Europe which accounted for one third of Europe’s population.??-1 It is believed to have started in Asia and then spread to Europe. The Bubonic Plague was not just limited to this period in time. It would reappear through the centuries including the Great Plague of London around 1656 in which 20% of London residents died from it.??-2 Although some of the latter breakouts of the plague were also catastrophic, this paper will primarily focus on the plague from the 1300s. More specifically, this paper will
When Bubonic Plague visited England in 1348, it was called the Great Mortality. We know it as the Black Death that lasted until 1352 and killed vast populations in Asia , North Africa , Europe , Iceland , and Greenland . In total, it extinguished as much as fifty percent of the world's population.
The Black Death was the greatest biological destruction of all time. Originating in China, the Black Death spread through Mongol trade routes into Europe. Starting in 1347, Europe was ravaged by the the bubonic plague. The death toll was as high as 50 percent in many cities. With such a high mortality rate fear quickly escalated. Europeans' reactions to the plague varied greatly; many turned to faith and religion while others breed fear and violence. Explanations for why this devastation was occurring also varied, though the majority narrowed it down to god's wrath or scientific explanations.
In October, 1347 a devastating disease called the Bubonic Plague was brought to Europe leaving ⅓ of the population dead. This disease was also known as the Black Death. It was brought over via trade routes on Genoese ships. The main source of the plague was from rats which traveled to Europe on the ships. The fleas who had been hosted on the rats contributed to the spread by coming in contact with the humans.
Sometimes, like most explanations back then, it was the work of God and punishment afflicted upon Europe for whatever reasons of the time. For these people, the only cure was to be somehow forgiven by God. This was usually done by people carving or painting the symbol of the cross on the front doors of their house with the words “Lord have mercy on us” either near it or on it. Another great contributor to the destruction of the Black Death was the Great Fire of London which helped eradicate most of the rats that carried the disease and wiping out most of the people with the disease. The plague actually repeatedly continued to remain in Europe and the Mediterranean throughout the centuries. The major occurences of the plague happened around the year 1346 and 1671. The Second Pandemic Black Death was pretty active in the years 1360 and 1667. All of Europe was ravaged and it impacted Europe so devastatingly that it took 150 years for the population of Europe to be fully recovered. Quarantining people was another way of combating the plague in ancient times. Taking anti-bio tics was advised was advised in case you came into contact with a victim of the disease. In early 2011 it was discovered that the bacteria Yersinia Pestis was actually the culprit for one of the most devastating pandemics ever to surface in the world. While
‘The Black Death ‘was initiated in the 14th century by infected rats that had Yersinia pestis (that causes bubonic plague) inside them, it passes onto the fleas and the fleas transfer it onto humans to give them the plague (‘The Black Death’). Rats went onto the tradesmen’s ships which travelled around to sell items etc, the tradesmen and multiple people with them would catch the disease very quickly and spread it around the world, it first initiated in Messina. When it first effected Europe it caused a lot of plagues into their system, for example the bubonic plague; got carried around by the germ of the fleas, infected humans which formed ring shaped marks with dark centred spots on their arms, necks, armpits and groin. They called it buboes, 70%