The Black Death DEATH CHANGES EVERYTHING Death by

The Black Death DEATH CHANGES EVERYTHING

Death by Trade The Mongols, nomadic warriors, conquered a vast empire The Mongol Empire stretched across Eurasia The Mongols controlled the Silk Roads and provided security on the route Trade increased but so too did the spread of disease Caravans invested with rats spread the disease

The Black Death Also known as Bubonic Plague The disease had been around for centuries It was often spread by infected fleas on rats As trading caravans infested with rats travelled – so too did the disease

Arriving in Europe The disease appeared in Western Europe in 1346 The city of Caffa on the Black Sea had been under attack by Mongols The Mongols, with their troops dying, called off the attack In anger they also threw bodies of infected soldiers into the city From this trade colony, Italian ships carried it into Europe

The Disease From the bite of the infected flea, a painful bubo, or tumor-like swelling grew in the infected person It was most often in the groin, armpit or on the neck The infection took three - five days to incubate before a person fell ill And another three - five days before, in 80 per cent of the cases, the victim died

The Impact One-third of the people of Western Europe died Trade declined and wages rose sharply because workers were few and in demand Fewer people meant less demand for food and food prices fell

Weakening the Feudal System Landlords found they had to pay workers more and charge lower rents Peasants bargained with their lords to pay rent instead of owing services Serfs were no longer bound to their lords’ lands The plague, like the Crusades, weakened the feudal system

Video – The Black Death https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=MYn. MXEc. HI 7 U What is plague; how does it spread; and how did plague impact human history? Answer the multiple-choice questions in today’s packet