The Plague

Origin of the black death:

- 1347, 3 continents
- One third of the population died in Europe
- ORIGINATED in Mongolia in the early fourteenth century
o Spread along trade routes, military expeditions
o 1346, Tartars, the Mongols-attacked the Black Sea port city of Caffa
▪ Then started to sick, and die
▪ Started to throw dead bodies over the walls of Caffa into the city,
trying to infect the people inside (The first biological war)
▪ People escaped on ships, led the disease to Europe.

What was the black death:

- 3 forms:
1. Most common: Bubonic Plague (named for buboes on body)
2. Pneumonic Plague, affected respiratory system
3. Septicemic Plague, affected the blood
- Final stage, skin turn purple-black nervous system affected.
- Source of disease was bacteria found in rats, in unhygienic environments, rats bred
quickly, moved to other animals and people.

Treatments:

- Doctors knew nothing

o Believed from stink, gave patients nice things to smell
o Cut out buboes to squeeze out bad blood, but only spread disease further.
- Panic made things worse
- Many believed it was God punishing them
o Group called the Flagellants, whipped themselves for ‘forgiveness’
▪ Blood from whip, spread disease
- No one connected the plague to rats, so hygiene was overlooked
- Some groups were blamed for the Black Death
o Lepers hunted down and murdered
o Jews murdered.
Effects of the Black Death

- A third of European population died within 4 years

- Villages deserted
- Feudal system weakened
o Demanded higher wages, lower rents
- Power of Church weakened
o Lost respect to people who prayed
o Few priests left
- Farming changed
o Few workers- turned to livestock