the black death ( medieval era ) Flashcards
which 2 diseases did the black death consist of?
bubonic and pneumonic plague
how was bubonic plague spread?
spread by bites of fleas from rats carried on ship
what did bubonic plague cause for victims?
headaches, high temperatures and pus-filled swelling on skin
how was pneumonic plague spread?
airborne and spread by coughs and sneezes
how did pneumonic plague attack victims?
attacked lungs and made breathing difficult, causing victims to cough up blood
when did black death arrive and how many people did historians believe it killed?
black death first came to britain in 1348 and historians believe about of 1/3 of britains population died
some people believed black death was a punishment from god, how did these people react to black death?
they prayed and repented
some people blamed humour imbalances caused black death, how did these people react to black death?
people tried to balance 4 humours by bloodletting or purging
some people believed in miasma theory, how did these people react to black death?
they carried around strong smelling herbs or lit fires to purify air
some people believed in the supernatural, how did these people react to the black death?
they carried around charms or used “magic” potions which contained arsenic
what did people in winchester believe about the black death?
some believed bodies of victims would cause plague if you got too close, so when the cemetery was full, more cemeteries were built outside of city centre
when did the disease reach london, and how did king edward 3rd react?
disease reached london in november 1348, and kind edward 3rd closed parliment in january 1349
cost of land decreased, what did this mean for peasants?
it meant peasants could buy land for the first time
many people died, this meant there were fewer workers around, what did this lead workers to do?
demand higher wages and moved around to find better work
