Consequences Of The Black Death
Michael Robinson
History Final
His 101
Before and After Consequences of the Black Death
The Black Death was a plague that began in Asia and moved throughout Europe killing one third to half of population of everywhere it touched. During the the fourteenth century, Europe had been at the peak of a population boom. (Perry, M)The large increase in population coupled with torrential downpours of rain and a reliance on grain farming led to a long famine. The famine in turn made people living in 14th century Europe weaker and more susceptible to the plague. The popular opinion is that the plague was a bacteria that began to explode in population in Asia, and was then brought through the ports of Sicily by sea traders. The bacteria lived in fleas …show more content…
It wasn’t uncommon for a serf to live in a thatched roof one room house, alongside his pigs.Even in the streets of the cities, animals lived closed to humans and animal feces covered the sidewalks. Medieval Europe was a tinderbox for disease. When the plague arrived in Sicily, it took a few weeks to reach critical mass. First a few isolated cases, then it quickly grew until almost half the population lay dead. No one at the time understood what the disease was or how it spread. After Sicily it moved on to France and England. The tight spaces of urban living and dirty roads and living areas made it explode throughout Europe. Eventually it made its way to even remote locations in Europe and Russia. No one was safe. It’s thought that one third of the world population died from the Plague (Perry, M) People would die in the middle of the night and be buried by morning. So many people were dying at such a rate that proper burials couldn't be made in time, and the pope consecrated large pits into which to dump the bodies. Even this was not enough to keep with the large volumes of dead bodies coming in. The Pope then blessed the river so that bodies could be thrown into …show more content…
While it was devastating during the decades that the sickness came in and out of europe, the long term effects were beneficial to Europe. Serfdom came to an end in western Europe. Lower classes, younger siblings and women all gained more rights of inheritance. Finally, the drop in population led to an abundance of food which provides time for more artistic creativity and eventually led to the renaissance.
References
Christakos, G., Olea, R. A., Serre, M. L., Wang, L., & Yu, H. (2005). Interdisciplinary Public Health Reasoning and Epidemic Modelling: The Case of Black Death. Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.
Decameron Web. (n.d.). Retrieved May 25, 2016, from http://www.brown.edu/Departments/Italian_Studies/dweb/plague/effects/social.php
Foa, A. (2000). The Jews of Europe after the black death. Berkeley: University of California Press.
Perry, M. (1992). Western civilization: Ideas, politics & society. Boston: Houghton
History Final
His 101
Before and After Consequences of the Black Death
The Black Death was a plague that began in Asia and moved throughout Europe killing one third to half of population of everywhere it touched. During the the fourteenth century, Europe had been at the peak of a population boom. (Perry, M)The large increase in population coupled with torrential downpours of rain and a reliance on grain farming led to a long famine. The famine in turn made people living in 14th century Europe weaker and more susceptible to the plague. The popular opinion is that the plague was a bacteria that began to explode in population in Asia, and was then brought through the ports of Sicily by sea traders. The bacteria lived in fleas …show more content…
It wasn’t uncommon for a serf to live in a thatched roof one room house, alongside his pigs.Even in the streets of the cities, animals lived closed to humans and animal feces covered the sidewalks. Medieval Europe was a tinderbox for disease. When the plague arrived in Sicily, it took a few weeks to reach critical mass. First a few isolated cases, then it quickly grew until almost half the population lay dead. No one at the time understood what the disease was or how it spread. After Sicily it moved on to France and England. The tight spaces of urban living and dirty roads and living areas made it explode throughout Europe. Eventually it made its way to even remote locations in Europe and Russia. No one was safe. It’s thought that one third of the world population died from the Plague (Perry, M) People would die in the middle of the night and be buried by morning. So many people were dying at such a rate that proper burials couldn't be made in time, and the pope consecrated large pits into which to dump the bodies. Even this was not enough to keep with the large volumes of dead bodies coming in. The Pope then blessed the river so that bodies could be thrown into …show more content…
While it was devastating during the decades that the sickness came in and out of europe, the long term effects were beneficial to Europe. Serfdom came to an end in western Europe. Lower classes, younger siblings and women all gained more rights of inheritance. Finally, the drop in population led to an abundance of food which provides time for more artistic creativity and eventually led to the renaissance.
References
Christakos, G., Olea, R. A., Serre, M. L., Wang, L., & Yu, H. (2005). Interdisciplinary Public Health Reasoning and Epidemic Modelling: The Case of Black Death. Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.
Decameron Web. (n.d.). Retrieved May 25, 2016, from http://www.brown.edu/Departments/Italian_Studies/dweb/plague/effects/social.php
Foa, A. (2000). The Jews of Europe after the black death. Berkeley: University of California Press.
Perry, M. (1992). Western civilization: Ideas, politics & society. Boston: Houghton