The Black Death Flashcards
What Latin word does the plague come from?
Pestis
What was the first known endemic?
The Justinian Plague in the 6th Century. It spread through Constantinople and the Byzantine Empire
Where did the Plague first come from?
It started as an epidemic in China in 1334 and was brought westward by Mongols
Had there been any other major epidemics before the mid 14th Century?
No
Between what years was there a major pandemic?
There was a major pandemic between 1361-1362 and there were recurrent outbreaks until the 17th Century
When was there an epidemic in Marseilles?
Between 1721-1722
What was the bacteria responsible for causing the Black Death?
Yersinia Pestis. It was discovered at the end of the 19th Century by Alexandre Yersin (1894)
What are some of the names that the Black Death is known by?
Great Pestilence, Great Plague, Great mortality
What were the two forms of the Plague?
The Bubonic Plague and the Pneumonic Plague
Information about the Bubonic Plague
It was transmitted by rodent flea bites and generally caused death within two weeks. There was a high mortality rate with 20-40% chance of remission. Symptoms of it included fever, swelling of the lymph node as and buboes
Information about the Pneumonic Plague
This was 100% lethal and was spread through the air. It could also pass from human to human. It is the most virulent and least common form of the plague. Symptoms included fever, coughing, chest pain, blood, shock, coma and death within 2-3 days
Why were the infectious origins of the Plague not very well understood in the Middle Ages?
They had different beliefs about how the disease spread due to the GrecoIslamic tradition of late medieval western medicine which was based on the interrelationships between the four elements (earth, fire, air and water), the four qualities (hot, cold, moist, dry), the four humours of the body (blood, phlegm, black and yellow bile) and the planetary and zodiac movement
What were some of the believed causes of the plague?
Bad air due to the unbalanced humours in the body
Celestial movements
How did they understand the “contagious” factor?
They believed that when a sick person looks into the eyes of a healthy person, the poisonous nature of the eye passes from one to another
What were some of the ways they believed they could prevent the Plague?
Prayer and penance Flight, ventilation an fumigation Avoiding sexual intercourse No exercise No bad emotions
How did they try to treat the Plague?
Concoctions with gold and herbs
Diets avoiding liquids and spices
Bloodletting
What were the demographic and economic impacts?
There was a high fatality rate and decimation of population (however it is now believed that it was not a third of Europe which was decimated)
In Florence, according to Boccacio, there were 100 000 victims however this was only 20-30% of the population
About 30-50% of the population in Europe died between 1347 and 1352
Dense populations had a higher death rate
Agricultural and trade collapse, massive inflation
Social impacts of the Plague
Overpopulation prior to the pandemic was solved
Declined of serfdom (in Western Europe)
Revolts against the “Nouveaux Riches” and aristocrat accumulating lands
Increase in urban tensions with the governing oligarchies questioned (Revolt of the ciompi in Florence 1378)
What did many people believe was the cause of the plague?
Many believed that it was God’s punishment for the sins of the people (examples included seven plagues of Egypt and the Muslim conquest of Spain in 711)
The Church was overtaken due to a confidence crisis, clergy punished too?
What were some of the scapegoats that people searched for?
Lepers, Jews, non-infected people, shepherds, merchants
When was the Movement of the Flagellants?
It occurred between 1348 and 1349
What was the movement of the Flagellants?
It was a radical form of ascetism and begun as a private lifestyle due to the reactions of many. It soon became collective and public
What did the movement of the Flagellants do?
They went form town to town whipping themselves as a demonstration of their devotion to piety and call for God’s mercy. There were 33 day processions traveling from town to town
When did it first appear?
It first appeared in 1259 in Perugia and reappeared with the pandemic of the Plague
