Bubonic Plague In Medieval England

The middle ages were also known as the dark ages in England. The life in medieval England was dominated by the feudal system. Many rules and beliefs caused controversy, even things that were unexpected like the bacteria borne diseases took a toll on the medieval life and its people. The Black Death, The first Barons War and The Medieval Church are all responsible for greatly contributing to Britain during The Middle Ages.
The Black Death was a deadly illness the spread through medieval England and even further, it wiped out half of the population and left people to die in the streets. According to “Express Britain”, “the black death is a bacteria borne disease from a bacteria called Yersinia pestis”. The bacteria Yersinia pestis was carried by the blood of wild black rats, also known as the ship rat. The infected rats would die but most of their fleas would live and infect more rats. Once a person is infected skin sores appear that often turn into black scabs. “The most common form of the black death is the bubonic plague”, said “drugs.com”. The bubonic plague gets its name from the swollen lymph nodes caused by the infection. The swollen nodes are known as “buboes” and they are very painful, swollen and red. “Express Britain” stated that “the infection takes three to
five days to show up and another three to five days before they die, if not treated properly” Even though before the plague people revolved around the church, they also resorted to what they knew after it took a hit. “Some people turned to contrition and prayed for salvation”. Some people also took a negative look and felt as if they had nothing to live for anymore. Many would commit sinful behavior and feel as if they could get away with it because they thought the world was coming to an end. As many people were dying the doctors and priest did not know what to do. They experimented and did their best to help. Some beliefs of the church faded away such as digging mass graves for all of the bodies, but people had no other resort. They also lost faith because they didn’t know why something so horrible would happen if what they believed in was true. The Black Death reached its worst around cities and overcrowded places like prisons. According to “express Britain”, “before the plague England’s population was a range of five to six million people and fatalities may have reached up to two million dead”. It is estimated that up to “two thirds” of the clergy died out within a single year. By the end of “1350 the plague victims had decreased but it was still floating around. Many more outbreaks occurred during the first half of the 15th century and it wasn’t until the 17th century when England had become plague free. The Black Death wasn’t the only controversy during the middle ages, the first baron’s war also took a toll on Europe. King John was once the ruler of England he also forever changed the power of monarchy. After king john tried to tell the medieval church what to do (accepting his candidate for archbishop of Canterbury) he was excommunicated. King John was left with no money so he added a new land tax for the people in Europe. According to “medieval times” “the barons and knights were very angry with this tax and started to disobey king johns rules”. King John started to inforce more rules and this made the people even angrier. The people saw this as john trying to attack their freedom. The barons created a document known as the ‘magna carta” that consisted of “sixty three” promises about what the king could and couldn’t do. There was also a set up council of barons to make sure king john kept his promises. However, king john still attempted to abuse his power. He asked the pope for permission to ignore the Magna Carta because he stated that he had been forced to sign it. The barons fought the king with physical force, they captured London in May which lead to the king being forced to meet in Runnymede in June. Once the Magna Carta was signed, the barons renewed the Oath of Fealty to the king. This resulted in, another rebellion from the barons, they helped the French invade England.
“In October 1216 retreating from the French, john lost all of his supplies and treasures”. King John was already ill. By this time and he soon died shortly afterwards. The Magna Carta had a big impact of history. It gave faith and hope to other colonies who were being treated unfairly and also gave rulers less allowance to abuse power. The Magna Carta was also used in the 17th century against King Charles he 1st while he was attempting to increase his power. The baron’s war had a big impact on history by introducing the Magna Carta, this was a time when people stood up for their rights and demanded
change.
Also, the medieval church had a great impact on Europe. “In medieval Europe the church dominated everybody’s life”. People were taught that the only way to heaven was if the church allowed them. The church had numerous rules and beliefs that people followed. One of those beliefs was that women were inferior and thought that they should be obedient to their fathers and husbands. The church also thought of peasants as inferior. Not everyone who was a part of the church “practiced what they peached” there were many scandals and sins that went on.
The medieval church was also very wealthy. “The people paid 10% of what they earned in a year to the church”. The church called this tax a ‘tithe’. The people could pay this in either money or goods. Peasants also had to pay this tax and because they worked for free on the church, they often paid with seeds, harvested grain and animals. If the peasants failed to pay the tax they were told by the pope that their souls were going to hell and that they would die. Anything that the church collected from the tax was held in a tithe barn. The barns would get infected by rat urine and also grains would get eaten. The church became so powerful in the middle ages due to money and land. The people would give the church land, meaning it held about 30% of Western Europe in land. Another reason why the church was so wealthy was because they taxed and made a lot of necessities cost. For example, you had to pay for baptism. Baptisms were very important to the people of England because if you didn’t get baptized then they believed you would not go to heaven. You also had to pay for marriage, any couples that lived together who were un-married were looked at as sinful. It was even believed that you had to be buried on holy land so your soul can make its way to heaven. Even after all of the taxes, the church payed none. The buildings, cathedrals and monasteries showed this. The church was more than wealthy while peasants lived in cruck houses and worked for free. As you can see the church was not as ‘holy” as it seemed. Even though the medieval times are thought of as dark, many great happenings and events had a great impact on the future and today. Despite all of the controversy medieval England exposed a lot of great art, music and poetry. Many people resorted to their own ways on trying to cope with their problems. Not everyone knew how to handle situations and not everyone was who they said they were. The middle ages in Europe was a tough time but it also can be looked at as a thriving time. The Black Death, the first baron’s war and the medieval church can also be looked at as thriving and dark as well. The Black Death was horrible but it bought need for more advanced medicine and doctors. People also researched about it so if anything like that were to happen we would know what to do properly. The first baron’s war was about people whose freedoms were being taken away but it also gave use many times later in the same situation, it changed history. The medieval church was one of the most powerful influence on the Middle Ages, both negative and positive and without it the medieval time wouldn’t have been the same.