The Black Death Plague Analysis
Intro
In Northwestern Europe, around 1339, the population began to outgrow the food supply and a horrendous economic crisis began to take shape. Due to there being very cold winters and very dry summers, very low amounts of crops yielded from the harvest and the ones that grew ended up drying very quickly. The people began to worry about their survival, as Inflation became a common occurrence and as a famine broke out. The period of time between 1339 and 1346 approximately is known as the period before the plague. These seven bad years of weather and famine lead to the greatest plague of all time. Starting in 1347, endemic to Asia, The Black Death began spreading through parts of western Europe. This devastating pandemic took Europe …show more content…
At this time in history, Christians persecuted Jews in Europe and blamed them for bad luck and even bad weather.”(Middle Ages - Medieval Resources 2011). This forced the Jews to live in the suburbs of the town, in places called ghettos. Also the Jews weren't allowed to work in government. This isolation gave them a bit of time because the plague hadn't reached them yet. The people wondered why the Jews were not getting sick and automatically assumed that they were poisoning their wells as payback for their isolation. The Jew were thought to be scapegoats and irrational. However once the plague caught up with the Jews, and the Jews started to get sick from the plague as well, people began to calm …show more content…
Along with these people, the church was severely affected. The church, before the Black Death occurred, had nearly absolute power. The people, however, after the plague hit, became less inclined to follow canon law. The church began to suffer, because of this. Prior to the Black Death, the church had many followers. However, the Black Death depleted this amount because the people believed that this plague was somehow caused by the church. The church had no explanation from this outrage, so the people were infuriated. The church began to lose spiritual authority over its people. The church was said to be omniscient, but the priests and bishops could not give them
In Northwestern Europe, around 1339, the population began to outgrow the food supply and a horrendous economic crisis began to take shape. Due to there being very cold winters and very dry summers, very low amounts of crops yielded from the harvest and the ones that grew ended up drying very quickly. The people began to worry about their survival, as Inflation became a common occurrence and as a famine broke out. The period of time between 1339 and 1346 approximately is known as the period before the plague. These seven bad years of weather and famine lead to the greatest plague of all time. Starting in 1347, endemic to Asia, The Black Death began spreading through parts of western Europe. This devastating pandemic took Europe …show more content…
At this time in history, Christians persecuted Jews in Europe and blamed them for bad luck and even bad weather.”(Middle Ages - Medieval Resources 2011). This forced the Jews to live in the suburbs of the town, in places called ghettos. Also the Jews weren't allowed to work in government. This isolation gave them a bit of time because the plague hadn't reached them yet. The people wondered why the Jews were not getting sick and automatically assumed that they were poisoning their wells as payback for their isolation. The Jew were thought to be scapegoats and irrational. However once the plague caught up with the Jews, and the Jews started to get sick from the plague as well, people began to calm …show more content…
Along with these people, the church was severely affected. The church, before the Black Death occurred, had nearly absolute power. The people, however, after the plague hit, became less inclined to follow canon law. The church began to suffer, because of this. Prior to the Black Death, the church had many followers. However, the Black Death depleted this amount because the people believed that this plague was somehow caused by the church. The church had no explanation from this outrage, so the people were infuriated. The church began to lose spiritual authority over its people. The church was said to be omniscient, but the priests and bishops could not give them