The Black Death Bubonic Plague England 1348 1350

The Black Death (Bubonic Plague) England 1348 – 1350 (20 Slides) 1

Yersinia pestis n bacteria-born disease • carried in blood of black rats & fleas that lived off the rats • fleas forced to seek alternatives • including humans 2

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The Path of the Plague 4

• came from Caffa - a Crimean port on the Black Sea - thriving trade center for Italian merchants from Genoa • Tartars (Muslim Crimea inhabitants) • tens of thousands died from plague • blamed Christian Genoese 5

Reasons for Spread 6

• sent army to attack Caffa • plague struck army, many died • catapults lobbed infected corpses over walls • plague quickly spread • Genoese fled city & sailed to Italy • carrying rats, fleas, & Black Death 7

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• traveled on trade routes & caravans passing through … Italy France England Germany Denmark Sweden Poland Finland eventually reaching Greenland 9

Efforts to Stop the Plague 10

Air born (smell from the dead and dying) n burned incense - juniper, laurel, pine, beech, lemon leaves, rosemary, camphor, & sulfur n handkerchiefs dipped in aromatic oils 11

Cure of Sound n rang church bells n fired cannons 12

Techniques that Worked n isolation (quarantine) - walled up houses infected - incoming ships on a separate island - Pope Clement VI living in Avignon sat between two large fires to breath pure air. n Note: heat actually destroys the plague bacillus 13

Effect on European Civilization 14

Population • Europeans - over 38 million died • Chinese - between 40 and 60 million - cut population nearly in half 15

Christian Church - lost prestige - spiritual authority - leadership over people 16

Economy • hit the hardest • artisan skills disappeared • poor laborers given more say • peasants & artisans demanded higher wages • serfs sort liberation 17

• poor people saw so much death • wanted to enjoy life • serfs left land • no crops planted • domesticated animals roamed freely • farming communities became rare 18

• lack of sufficient law enforcement personnel resulted in lawlessness • people called “Bechini” - dressed in red robes - wearing red masks showing only their eyes - pillaged homes, murdering & raping people 19

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