1

CLOSE UP

THE BLACK DEATH

2

WHAT WAS THE BLACK DEATH?The plague was actually a bacillus named yersinia pestisThere were 2 main types:

Bubonic plague - infected blood and lymph glands- victim usually was bitten by flea or possibly rat which was already infected with bacillus

Pneumonic plague - infected lungs- the deadliest and

quickest killing one!Actual bubonic plaguebacillus

Small butvery effective!

3

HOW IT AFFECTED ITS VICTIMS

• Day 1 ,1st symptoms : high fever,

aching of limbs vomiting blood,

swollen lymph nodes• Day 2/3: swellings (the buboe)

protrude, are easily visible on body

Blackish coloring gives disease its

later name• Day 3/4: Buboes burst - death

following closely after• Average time from contraction to

death for most people : 4 days.• Whole families and even villages

could be wiped out within days of

the first contraction!

A Medieval victim

A buboe starts on groin

4

Avoidance: Who Survived and How? There was no ‘proven’ way to avoid the

plague but plenty of theories on how to… Avoid breathing in same air as victim. Might

actually work in case of Pneumonic plague

Attack and kill foreigners and Jews. Many thousands did die as result of this

Sit next to blazing fire and flames. Actually could work as plague did not survive high heat

Breathe in noxious vapors sewers, rotting flesh etc - ahead of contraction.

5 % of pneumonic victims may have survived. Perhaps 10 - 15 % of Bubonic ones would

Medical Historians believe some survivors may have had better immune systems and/or were just lucky! A medieval doctor. ‘Mask’ intended

to ward off plague

5

The Numbers: How Many Died?

Historians differ on this point however, most numbers are such: 1/3 of all the peoples of Europe at time may have died: 25-30

million souls! Starting in 1347 and abating by 1350, 1 out of every 3 people in

Western Europe died of the plague! No event in history had happened such as this before or since! Venetian city records indicate 500 - 600 people per day died

during an 18 month period. The clergy (priests/friars etc) suffered huge losses because of the

nature of caring for sick. In Montpellier France only 7 of 140 Dominican friars survived!

6

The Numbers: Putting it in Perspective

• Some European citieslost up to 75% of total population

• The cities recovered quicker thanthe rural areas as many survivors made their way to the towns

• So many people were dying and so quickly that Pope Clement VI had to ‘consecrate’ the Rhone River in order to facilitate the disposal of dead bodies

Plague pits were dug outside walls and the dead were ‘buried’ en masse

• It took up to 200 years for some parts of

Europe to return to their pre-plague populations

A medieval doctor ministers to plague victims

7

WHERE DID IT COME FROM?GEOGRAPHICAL ORIGINS AND ROUTES

• Appeared in S.E. Asia, especially present day

China and Mongolia in 10th - 14th centuries

• Moved along trade routes to Middle East

• European traders reach Black

Sea trading posts in 1300’s

• How did the Europeans’ questsfor spices and riches actually ‘bring’ The Black Death’?

Origins in Far East of Asia

8

THE SPREAD THROUGH EUROPE

• Enters England via trading ships 1348. By 1349 much of England affected.

• From the seaports, panicked citizens fled to the countryside

By 1348 it was firmly entrenched in much of continental Europe

9

BELIEFS - During Black Death General world view was that the

plague was ‘God’s Revenge’ or punishment for his earthly sins

However, man still believed God would then deliver him from it

The Jewish populations of many cities and towns were also blamed; pogroms and slaughters followed

Public acts of penitence were recommended by clergy - only helped spread disease!

The flagellants roamed the countryside whipping themselves for mankind’s sins

Scents: juniper, lemon leaves and many other herb s used to ward off the evil ‘vapors . No success

A flagellant whips himself for penitence

10

‘Death’ spares neither Bishop or King

• Priests and bishops died as did their replacements; no one to hear the common man’s confession

• Many surviving clergy fled from plague themselves

• Population was generally angry and disillusioned with Church and God

• No longer held the life and death obligation to believe all things from their Mother Church

• Many in Middle Ages believed that the plague ‘was surely the end of the world’’

• When world survived, now wondered how God could have let it ever happen?

• A fundamental shift had begun in man’s worldview of the role of religion in his life

BELIEFS - Following Black Death

11

The Economic Effects Debtors died; no one to collect nor pay debts

Whole families died leaving no heirs

Construction work stopped or abandoned

altogether

Labor shortage severe; wages rise in short

term

Many farms and villages completely

abandoned

Oversupplies of unused or sold goods; prices

drop. Coupled with better wages, standards of

living actually rose - for those who lived!

The fundamental shift in the beginning of the

end of European feudalism had begun

12

Some Interesting Q’s and A’s on The Black Death

Q: What did people in the Middle Ages call this plague?

A: The historians of the time and after the plague called it ‘The Great Mortality’ or ‘The Great Pestilence’

Q: Is it true that in comparison to Christians, less Jews died of the plague?

A: Yes. Historians believe it was largely because of different diets and the fact

that many Jewish communities were already isolated from the rest of the city.

Q: What is the connection between perfume and the Black Plague?

A: Eu de Cologne, the world’s most popular class of fragrance, was actually

developed to counter the effects of the plague.

Q: Was all of Western Europe stricken equally?

A: No. There were many unexplainable ‘pockets’ of population in Europe that

did not suffer from the plague. It is not known why.

13

THE END

WE HOPE!