ipl-logo

Black Death In The Middle Ages Essay

539 Words3 Pages

The economic impact of this contagious disease which spread across Europe during the Middle Ages affected the entire continent. It is, however, extremely difficult to gather the data needed to calculate the economic consequences of these infections. An analysis of various medieval infectious diseases can add to enlightening the possible economic and cultural consequences of plagues. The outcome of every epidemic is a systematic study and its effects are not always the same. However, some regularity does exist in these events. Although very difficult, information following the impact of high mortality on early farming economies could be estimated. The effect of these outbreaks is highlighted through the observation of some familiar developments in the economy of medieval Europe. It is estimated that in the 14th century 25 million people died as a result of Black Death (Martin, 2008). In simple economic perspective, we understand that productivity diminishes as a result of a shortage of labor force. The Black Death destroyed people but not the capital or resources available to have a fertile economy. As a result of a shortage of workers’ wages rose in agriculture immediately following the end of the plague and then slowly declined as the population rebounded (Martin, 2008). Contact with animals has been the cause of the worst contagious diseases that has affected humans in past societies. Resistant strains of plague, smallpox, influenza, and others were triggered by infections which first affected domestic animals. Various non-domestic species which also came in contact with humans such as mice, fleas or lice …show more content…

This would be one of the most important events of the era. Death came to many while others prospered. Seemingly overnight the population was erased by half. Some believed this was the wrath of God while others blamed people for bringing the plague to

Show More
Related

Summary Of The Great Mortality By John Kelly

1845 Words | 8 Pages

The book, “The Great Mortality” by John Kelly, explores how the Black Death spread across Europe and Asia from 1347 to 1351 and left a trail of terrors in its path. Kelly describes the history of the plague from witnesses of the disaster. It describes how the black rat flea, Xenopsylla cheopis spread the infection throughout this region, killing over half of the population. Kelly describes the measures taken by the town, the church and health organizations to prevent the Plague from spreading. Although there are many important issues brought to light by Kelly, some offer more discussion and though than others.

Read More

How Did The Bubonic Plague Affect Medieval Europe

500 Words | 2 Pages

The Black Death was an outbreak of bubonic plague, which is a highly contagious bacterial infection and disease. The Bubonic Plague spread across Europe in the years 1346-53. 25% of the European population was wiped out by the disease. People knew when they had the black plague, when the symptoms started to show. The black plague came to Europe from Asia, and had social and economic effects on Medieval Europe.

Read More

Black Death DBQ Essay

1445 Words | 6 Pages

It is no wonder that the Europeans felt that their economic environment was vulnerable and uneasy, “European economy slowly improved, and agriculture and manufacturing production eventually reached pre-famine levels” (Nelson, Insert Year). The economy impact of the Black Death must start with the historical context that the economy was not as sturdy as other time periods or European history. For this reason, the set back, economically speaking, was an enormous strain on European life. With population decreasing drastically, and the economy barely trying to recover from the famine, the Europeans suffered in terms of having workers to produce into the economy--especially to create food for what was left of the population. For these reasons, the Black Death took a major toll on the economy of Europe and created relentless heart ache, “Many people touched by the plague moved away from medieval cities and towns to unaffected areas.

Read More

The Plague Dbq

140 Words | 1 Pages

The plague then started to infect thousands and thousands until 35% of Europe’s population was deceased. This reduced the world population in total to seventy-five to one hundred million people. Massive loss of life was caused. For a short time war stopped and trade declined. Many of the serfs died, so the remaining ones demanded higher wages.

Read More

Black Plague Research Paper

696 Words | 3 Pages

Insects have been biting and sucking the blood of humans and animals throughout history. Plague swept through early civilizations, killing millions of people. The Black Death was a plague pandemic that swept through Asia and Europe, killing possibly as many as 25 million people. It wasn't until the late 1800s that researchers figured out what caused this horrible disease that kept reappearing throughout history. They discovered that rats were also getting sick from the plague, and that infected people had fleabites from rats.

Read More

Black Death Dbq Essay

995 Words | 4 Pages

All plagues strike by uprooting individual lives and society as a whole. Nevertheless, the particular circumstances regarding the government, and religious and cultural beliefs in the affected lands influence the specific results of the tragedy, as witnessed through the Black Death and smallpox. Although both diseases led to drastic economic changes, they caused different overturns of religious beliefs, and only the Black Death resulted in the creation of public health services and the marginalization of groups of people. A lack of labor precipitated alterations to the economy--the end of feudalism in the case of the Black Death and the creation of the Transatlantic Slave Trade in the case of smallpox.

Read More

Pneumonic Plague Dbq

987 Words | 4 Pages

The disease wreaked havoc on the continent for three long years, and it eventually went into Russia (Whipps). Many people believed that the plague was God’s wrath upon man, and they prayed for long hours about this. Due to the danger of trading goods, the economy went through inflation. The prices of goods spiked, and land workers (serfs) were dying very rapidly. This created a huge demand for land workers, and it gave serfs the ability to choose whom they wished to work for (“Social and Economic Effects of the Plague”).

Read More

Black Death Dbq

1163 Words | 5 Pages

The historical pandemic of the Black Death (1347-1352), which killed 25 million people, greatly impacted the European history of the Middle Ages. Originating from China and Inner Asia, the infection of the bacterium Yersinia pestis had widely spread, rapidly infecting those who encounter the infected. The main cause of the spread derived from flea-infected rats on boats or the fleas on the bodies and clothes of the travellers. People at the time had limited understanding of the world, so they believed that the Black Death had an association with supernatural forces such as God’s punishment for sin and demonic acts, along with performing medical procedures that were futile for the disease. The era was highly affected by the plague,

Read More

Essay On The Plague Dbq

1258 Words | 6 Pages

The plague raged throughout Europe from the fifteenth to the eighteenth century evoking various responses from the people who experienced its terror. It affected all regions of Europe, killing one-third of the population. Various responses to the plague expressed different beliefs and concerns including exploitation, fear, and religious superstition. During the course of the plague these beliefs and concerns underwent change. During the outbreak of the plague fear dominated Europe, and as time passed fear became more irrational and superstitious.

Read More

How Did The Bubonic Plague Affect European Culture

601 Words | 3 Pages

Often as a result of overpopulation, pandemics—like swine flu and ebola, for instance—have affected life on Earth for centuries; one of the most well-known, and possibly the most unforgiving epidemics was the Bubonic Plague, also known as the Black Death . Although the first symptoms of the Plague trace back to the Mongol Empire in 1331, the disease first struck Europe in Venice and Genoa during the winter of 1348. In the following years, the Bubonic Plague spread rapidly throughout Europe, killing roughly a third of its population. It is suggested that the rapid spread and extreme severity of the Black Death was partially due to the weakened immune system of the Europeans, which had been caused by the Great Famine, a period of food scarcity that affected Europe from 1315 to 1322. Additionally, the lack of knowledge about the spread of

Read More

Bubonic Plague Dbq Essay

1198 Words | 5 Pages

In the spring of 1348, the most devastating pandemic in European history infected it’s first victim along the coast of Italy. The Bubonic Plague had established a foothold and would continue to rip its way through Europe for the rest of the 14th century. The Bubonic Plague is a vector borne illness that is transmitted by a flea that is typically found on rats. The plague originated in Eastern Asia, but found its way to Europe along trade routes carried by rats on Genoese ships. The Bubonic Plague was extremely devastating to European society in several ways including: major population destruction, harsh invalid accusations, and compounding medical issues.

Read More

Ordinances Against The Spread Of The Plague

489 Words | 2 Pages

The Black Death was a disease that had a catastrophic impact on Europe. Reaching Europe in 1347, the plague killed an estimation of one-third of the population in the first wave. Each document varies with its reasons for the cause of the plague and how to deal with it. The first document Ordinances against the Spread of Plague seemed to blame Pisa and Lucca for the plague and thus, began to forbid contact with those places. It was forbidden for citizens of Pistoia to go to, or have contact with anyone or anything from Pisa or Lucca.

Read More

Response To The Plague Dbq Essay

1097 Words | 5 Pages

During the mid-fourteenth century, a plague hit Europe. Initially spreading through rats and subsequently fleas, it killed at least one-third of the population of Europe and continued intermittently until the 18th century. There was no known cure at the time, and the bacteria spread very quickly and would kill an infected person within two days, which led to structural public policies, religious, and medical changes in Europe. The plague had an enormous social effect, killing much of the population and encouraging new health reforms, it also had religious effects by attracting the attention of the Catholic Church, and lastly, it affected the trade around Europe, limiting the transportation of goods. As a response to the plague that took place

Read More

The Black Death: The Hundred Year's War

1668 Words | 7 Pages

It was the Spring of 1348, and the citizens of Europe were malnourished due to limited food supplies for such a large population. This made them more susceptible to the outbreak of the Black Death. The Black Death originated in Asia, then moved westward into Sicily. From Sicily, the plague crept its way up through Europe infecting millions of people, in total killing more than one third of Europe’s population. In fact, over fifty percent of the population of Siena died, along with fifty percent of Paris, eighty percent of Florence, and over two thirds of Venice.

Read More

God's Role In The Black Death

777 Words | 4 Pages

Gods’ Hand in Devastation In the sixteenth century, a highly infectious disease known as the Black Plague, began to spread across the shores of Europe. The term the Black Plague was quickly recognized and feared by all Europeans. In just a short amount of time the disease had spread throughout the entire continent of Europe, killing roughly fifty percent of Europeans. Those who survived the disease were left wondering “why did this happen?”.

Read More

More about Black Death In The Middle Ages Essay

Related Topics

Open Document