Essay about The Black Death - 1660 Words

Since the beginning of civilization, humanity has battled with the forces of nature in order to survive. One of the most terrifying of these forces is disease. Diseases can come in many different forms. They are caused by many things, such as viruses, bacteria, and some are even non-infectious and can be transmitted genetically. A select few of these ailments, called pandemics, are highly contagious and can afflict mass amounts of people in a short period of time. One example of a pandemic is the Black Death. It swept through Europe in the 14th century, killing an estimated 75 million people and causing the collapse of the Feudal system. The Black Death is considered one of the deadliest pandemics in history because of the speed of its†¦show more content†¦The people tried to get rid of the corpses, but it was far too late. The disease was in the city. The Tartars retreated, and the Genoese boarded ships to Sicily. As a result, the plague followed them to Europe. By spring 1348, the plague hit London, which at the time was a crowded city with a population of about 70,000 (Ibeji). Living conditions in the 1300s were filthy, and nothing like they are today. Butchers would clean animals in front of their shops and leave the blood covering the ground. The people would empty their chamber pots (a bowl shaped container used as a toilet) out of their windows onto the streets. For these reasons, along with ships full of plague victims sailing through the city, the plague flourished. In 1349 The Scots heard of this English plague and believed the English were being punished by God (Ibeji). They gathered and prepared to invade England, but without warning, soldiers began to die out in rididiculous numbers. Before they could even launch the invasion, most of the army was dead. The remaining army decided to retreat back to their home country. Consequently, soon after they returned the plague was in full swing in Scotland. In just a few short years, it had spread all the way across Europe, and massive amounts of people were dying every day. People had never seen anything like this before and were terrified to walk out of their front door. MostShow MoreRelatedThe Black Of Black Death939 Words   |  4 Pageshistory few events seem as cataclysmic as the Black Death. The Black Death was actually one of the most deadly pandemics in human history. This awful pandemics most devastating time in Europe was between 1348 and 1350. According to some estimates it wiped out at least two-thirds of Europe’s population. A Malmesbury monk from Wiltshire wrote that, â€Å"Over England as a whole a fifth og men, women and children were carried to the grave.† (James â€Å"Black Death: The lasting impact†) Many epidemiologists stillRead MoreThe Death Of The Black Death1148 Words   |  5 PagesThe Black Death, one of the greatest natural disaster to hit Europe thus causing the death of many people in the most horrific manner and cause the end of feudalism. This was a disaster that affected one third of the European continent and also one that no one was prepared to face. It killed more people than during a war and it impacted simple lives of people, their culture, religion and the economy as a whole. The origin of The Black Death has several explanations. Some people said The Black DeathRead MoreThe Death Of The Black Death905 Words   |  4 Pagesgrew were dying. On the wake of these seven distressing years of weather and famine was the greatest plague of all times, The Black Death. In 1347 AD, The Black Death began spreading throughout Western Europe. Over the time span of three years, the widespread epidemic killed one third of the population in Europe with pretty near twenty five million people dead. The Black Death killed many more Europeans than any other endemic or war up to that time, vastly impacting the Church, the people, and the economyRead MoreThe Death Of The Black Death1380 Words   |  6 PagesThe Black Death was a very important time in history and, while devastating, it led to many advances in medicine due to the mass spread of a new deadly disease. The 14th Century encompassed the time period of January 1, 1301 to December 31, 1400. When this disease struc k, Ole J. Benedictow calculates that it killed about 50 million people in Europe alone, which was about 60% of Europe’s population at the time. That being said, the Black Death, often referred to as the Bubonic Plague, clocked inRead MoreThe Death Of The Black Death2017 Words   |  9 PagesThe Black Death The pandemic known to history as the Black Death was one of the world’s worst natural disasters in history. It was a critical time for many as the plague hit Europe and â€Å"devastated the Western world from 1347 to 1351, killing 25%-50% of Europe’s population and causing or accelerating marked political, economic, social, and cultural changes.† The plague made an unforgettable impact on the history of the West. It is believed to have originated somewhere in the steppes of central AsiaRead MoreThe Black Death1386 Words   |  6 Pagesatrocious and it made the perfect place for Yersinia Pestis to thrive. Yersinia Pestis is the virus responsible for the Black Death, a deadly disease that rapidly powered through Europe, killing nearly all of the people in its way. The Black Death had a lot of gruesome and terrifying symptoms that made bystanders sick just watching. Certain people were more likely to acquire the Black Death than others. Since peasants had worse l iving conditions than the nobility, they were far more likely to catch theRead MoreThe Black Death1386 Words   |  6 Pagesatrocious and it made the perfect place for Yersinia Pestis to thrive. Yersinia Pestis is the virus responsible for the Black Death, a deadly disease that rapidly powered through Europe, killing nearly all of the people in its way. The Black Death had a lot of gruesome and terrifying symptoms that made bystanders sick just watching. Certain people were more likely to acquire the Black Death than others. Since peasants had worse living conditions than the nobility, they were far more likely to catch theRead MoreThe Black Death1349 Words   |  6 Pagesatrocious and it made the perfect place for Yersinia Pestis to thrive. Yersinia Pestis is the virus responsible for the Black Death, a deadly disease that rapidly powered through Europe, killing nearly all of the people in its way. The Black Death had a lot of gruesome and scary symptoms that made bystanders sick just watching. Certain people were more likely to acquire the Black Death than others. Since peasants had worse living conditions than the nobility, they were far more likely to catch the PlagueRead MoreThe Black Death831 Words   |  4 PagesTHE BLACK DEATH! What Is The Black Death? The Black Death is a disease that went on for over 5 years. It also spread around a wide range of places! It killled and harmed thousands upon thousands of people and had no mercy. If you were to sadly catch the Black Death, you would DEFINITELY die and there was many cures and causes however none of the causes actually worked also all of causes were thought to be a punishment from God. Once you knew you had the Black DeathRead MoreThe Black Death1203 Words   |  5 PagesWhat were the short term and long term impacts of the Black Death on Medieval society? The Black Death is one of the most fatal diseases in human history and took its peak in Europe from 1348 to 1350. Half of Europe’s population was wiped out due to this disease and the short and long term impacts greatly affected the structure of Medieval Society. The Black Death or otherwise known as the plague was thought to have begun in Central Asia, which spread down the Silk Road and eventually to Europe