Black Death Lectures Flashcards
How did the Black Death spreaD?
Spread from Asia to Europe Via the Silk Road: enabled Mediterrianian people, particularly from Italy, from India and China
“The Little Ice Age, 1200-1600”
drop in the average temp throughout the world of 1 or 2 degrees, shortened the growing season
Little Ice Age resulted in the Great Famine (1315-1317)
due to shortened growing season, resulted in death and malnutrition and immune compromisation, more susceptibility to typhus, smallpox, dysentery and the bubonic plague
Epidemiology of Bubonic Plague
Result of bacterium Yersinia pestis transmitted from black rats to humans via the oriental rat flea (Zenopsylla cheopis)
Fleas would bite the open wounds of humans and transfer bacteria into humans
CROWD DISEASE:
needs a lot of people in very close contact to spread it; Worst in communities of 2,000 people or more
Blood Libel and accepted causes for the plague
Jews were blamed, Blood Libel: Jews are subjected to torture because they were unwanted
Bubonic plague and the great chain of being
The Bubonic plague killed ALL races, ranks, and religion”: impacted the efficacy of the Great Chain of Being
The Bubonic plague killed ALL races, ranks, and religion”: impacted the efficacy of the Great Chain of Being
trying to balance the bodily humors through purging, blood-letting, cooling and warming: physicians were completely incapable of dealing with the black death
Impacts of Black Death on the Church
Doubt and mistrust in the Catholic Chrurch: questioning why was God angry, why did the church have no answers, why did the priests cloister themselves instead of help (priests lived a Contemplative Life instead of ministering to the people)
John Wycliffe and the lollardy movement
John Wycliffe: lollardy movement, translated Catholic Vulgate in Latin to English, so that individuals who weren’t members of the church had the capacity to read (vernacular, simple)
Jan Hus:
Hussite movement, wanted a religion that was easier to understand
Malleus Maleficarum
In Defence, the Church comissioned Malleus Maleficarum (1486) to deflect blame for themselves and instead target witches, said the Black Death was not from God or the failure of the church, but instead the devil that used witches (LED TO INCREASE IN WITCH PERSECUTION)
Black Death and the state
State expansion: to restore order and economy, and enforce the feudal order that was deteriorating among the artisanal ranks in society due to the plague
Restoration and support of foreign trade networks: STATE BECOMES MORE CENTRALIZED
Impacts of Black Death on Feudalism
With decline of labourers and loss of artisans, peasants demanded better terms from landlord
People began Resiling themselves from feudal contarcts to take up wage labour which paid more, and did not require them to have a landlord relationship
People would then be able to make more money in order to become master artisamns
STATE RESPONSE: State responded by freezing wages at pre-plague levels and demanding fulfillment of feudal contracts
Black Death and peasant revolts
DEMANDS: bring an end to feudalism, freedom to travel and work for higher wages, end of oligarchy
Burned the homes of landlords, burning evidence of feudal contracts they had signed:
State suppressed most of these rebellions (people were not well-armed)
