The 14th century was marked by a big drop in the world’s population. At international level, the number of people getting ill was continually on the rise, agriculture was suffering, most farmers being unable to practice their work, and people would die of hunger. But who caused this slaughter of a fourth of Europe’s population? Who was the puppeteer behind this dark episode of history? Was it really a sign from God?
Symptoms
With its origins on the Asian continent, the Black plague, also known as the “great pestilence”, was a bubonic plague and the main actor of the 14 th century. It spread quickly and people who got it suffered from headaches, high fever, nausea and other symptoms. The plague also caused the swelling of lymph nodes, commonly known as buboes. The illness wasn’t treated and, as antibiotics haven’t been around until the 20 th century, after the infection, it didn’t take long for the illness to affect the whole organism and cause the death of the victims.
Spreading
According to scientists, the plague was a direct effect of the contamination with the bacterium Yersinia pestis. It dispersed quickly by means of trade across the whole world due to rats which carried infected fleas. Additionally, the overcrowding of the more congested areas meant unsanitary conditions and filth, which contributed to the spread of the disease.
Other theories
On one hand, pious people were truly convinced that the Black plague was a sign from God. Divinity was punishing people for blasphemy, adultery, lying and stealing. Others were
convinced that the plague was spread through a miasma, a mist which would carry the disease from one place to another.
Sanitary measures
What the plague did was teach people the need for sanitary devices. Consequently, they
developed a system with the aim of controlling the spread of the disease. It included isolation centers, disinfection measures and waste disposal. This helped urban areas in the sense that it alerted a major problem which needed to be combated in order to stop the disease from spreading.
The effect on society
It didn’t take long for the plague to infect the whole of Europe. Thus, the consequences were post-haste. The population was declining and only the strongest were surviving. Peasants were forced to leave their land, having run out of laborers and not being able to afford to pay their taxes. However, upon their return, the survivors of the plague accumulated land from their distant relatives. The lower classes also benefited from having their wages raised, since people needed to have their land taken care of.
Conclusion
The Black plague had indubitably immense consequences on society at numerous levels. It took two centuries for the population of Europe to reach its number before the plague. Even though it drastically reduced the worldwide population, it’s crucial to analyze it and see how its consequences shaped our history.
Bibliography:
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Danceof_Death_%28CCLXIIIIv%29.jpg
The OXFORD History of Britain edited by Kenneth O. Morgan
The shortest history of England by James Hawes
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