Bubonic Plague: The Black Death

Kristian Slaby

HIS-105 OM2

Professor Laurents

18 December 2022
 Bubonic Plague: The Black Death

Europe has experienced terrible diseases that have affected the area massively. The Bubonic

plague (The Black Death) became of the deadliest diseases to ravage Europe ever. Introduced from

rodents in China, the disease was spread through trade routes along the Mediterranean.

The Black Death forced a multitude of changes onto the Europeans including demographic,

social, and religious effects:

Demographic Changes

Demographics were changed drastically because of the appearance of The Black Death into

Europe. Areas such as Milan and Flanders were able to escape many of the tragedy that occurred across

Europe, compared to areas who were not so lucky including Catalonia and Tuscany. Many of the areas

along the coasts of major ports became prime areas for the spread of The Black Death (Fig. 1, Siuda).

Cities in the central areas of the continent

became the safest places from the plague

because there was less interaction from

people with the disease. However, during the

1300’s people were not able to pinpoint

where the disease had come from until after

the disease was tamed.

Social Effects

Many social changes came about from the disaster during this pandemic. One of the biggest

changes for families was abandonment of family members and friends. Many people in major European

cities fled because of their fear of the plague. Another effect of The Black Death was change in funeral

styles. The mass amount of people who died during this pandemic became so overwhelming for the
people of Europe that mass graves were created to get rid of disease-ridden bodies (Zapotoczny, 2006).

This effect on funeral traditions also affected religious practices because of a lack of service for those

who had passed. The disease has affected some areas of Europe by whipping out over 50% of their

population at the time (Brittanica, 2019).

Religious Effects

Many of the breeding grounds for The Black Death became areas where people would meet the

most. One of the most popular places became churches of worship, when people would pray for better

days away from the disease. This became a huge problem for the European countries that resorted to

faith during this pandemic.

Some Christians in Europe turned their frustration and anger to the Catholic Churches because

of a lack of help from their religious figures. There was a decline in faith for churches during and after

the Bubonic Plague had struck Europe. Many priests either died from The Black Death or fled their

parish because the fear they had during these events (Zentner, 2015). European’s trust in faith declined

massively and there was a lack of priests to lead services.

Conclusion

The Black Death created several changes to society that would linger even past the end of the

plague. Demographics began to change because of more people flowing into central areas of the

continent. Socialization became much different with the fleeing from families and friends from fear of

catching of the plague. Religion became more fragile for people to worship since there was skepticism of

how effective churches were in impacting peoples live. In conclusion, the Bubonic Plague caused a great

change in how Europeans operated during and after the disease’s tenure.
 References

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Encyclopædia Britannica, inc. (n.d.). Black death. Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved

December 18, 2022, from https://www.britannica.com/event/Black-Death

The political and social consequences of the Black Death, 1348 – 1351. (n.d.). Retrieved
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