Medieval times - Black Death Flashcards
When does the Medieval period begin and end?
1250 - 1500
What are some features of religion in Medieval Britain?
Most of the country was Christian ( Christian community), nuns & monks live in churches & monasteries, the Church was under control by the Pope and his Bishops
Who held the most power in the Medieval times?
The King/the monarchy
What was the role of the King?
To defend the nation, to put law and order in place and to encourage trade
Who controlled the towns/cities?
mayors and the town council
Features of houses in the countryside
Insulated by wattle and daub (bad ventilation), thatched rooves
Features of a house in towns
Thatched rooves, tightly packed houses
What where toilets called in the Medieval times?
Privies/latrine- a hole in the ground with a cesspit underneath
Who cleaned the latrines?
Gongfermers- they would scoop out all the mess and take it away out of town (sometimes to sell to farmers) but some would break the law and dump the waste into rivers
Features of a Medieval diet
Pottage (vegetable stew), veg, milk, cheese, fish, smoked meat, bread rye (caused egotism)
strong brewed ale, small beers
How did people get water?
Streams provided water and fled into the village- this water would be contaminated as animals and people bathed upstream
Some people had their own wells
conduits (had spring water) and water carriers
What is the Black Death?
Caused by a germ known as Yersinia Pastis, which lives in the guts of fleas
It started in Asia - trade routes and the Gobi desert- and was spread through rats where the fleas would then jump onto merchants.
Killed 1/3 of the European population
What are the three types of Black Death?
Bubonic plague- buboes, death after a few days
Pneumonic plague- infects respiratory systems, coughs up blood
Septicemic Plague- infects circulatory systems, bleeding internally
What were some of the beliefs of the cause of the Black Death?
Miasma- bad air, people tried carrying herbs and flowers with them
4 humours- blood, phlegm, yellow bile, black bile,the belief the humours were not balanced
God- Some believed that God was punishing us for our sins
What were some treatments for the disease?
Camomile lotion, live toads & chickens were tied over buboes to soften them,
blood letting , drank 10 year old treacle
What was public health like before the Black Death?
King Edward III- reported dungheaps on the streets of Carlisle (1345)
King Edward I- Shrewsbary was given permission to raise money to pave the town (1226)
Butchers guild of Winchester (1329)
What was public health like before the Black Death?
King Edward III- reported dungheaps on the streets of Carlisle (1345)
King Edward I- Shrewsbary was given permission to raise money to pave the town (1226)
Butchers guild of Winchester (1329)
What was public health like after the Black Death?
1488- under ground passage made from the shambles to the Thames
1385- Wardens put in place
1415-Mayor of London ordered the rebuilding of Latrines
1417- stews r closed down
How did Medieval people who lived in towns get their food?
Marketplace
Why were Drovers a risk of health in towns?
They left animal carcasses in the streets
What did Rakers do?
They were paid to clear the streets
What year did the Black Death hit England?
1348
What % of the population were killed by the Black Death?
60%
Name two people responsible for the public health in towns?
mayors & town council & alderman
What diseases were prevalent in Medieval Britain?
Plague (black death), influenza, tuberculosis, dysentery, childbed fever
Give one reason why monasteries needed clean water?
for masses
What were some powerful machines at the time?
Water mills & wind mills
Why did people have different beliefs on how the disease was spread?
Germs were unknown