Position:Home>History> Could anyone tell a short summary about the black plague?

The Black Plague (or Black death) was a massive epidemic that struck Europe in the 13th century (1340's is when it first struck)!. The epidemic was spread from port to port and then overland by fleas on rats!.

The plague was actually from 3 diseases: the Bubonic plague, where lymph nodes grew large and black (ergo the name); while this was the most prevalent form, it only killed 50% of the people who caught it!.
There was also a Neumonic plague, which was more fatal, but harder to catch!. And the third was rare, but nearly always fatal!.

The plague was believed to have come from Asia (mongolia I believe), and brought to Europe after the a siege in Crimea (southern Ukraine) after a plague broke out there (with the help of the besiegers, who would catapult their dead & diseased into the city)!.

The plague was recurrent for some 3-400 years in Europe, each 20 years or so there was an outbreak, where a population that had not been exposed to it grew to a certain size!.

The initial outbreak killed anywhere from 10-90% of a given area's population; but overall it was 30-60% of Europe's total population that died!. For example, England had 6 million people; a century later- there were 2 million people!.

But religious fervor & fear caused persecution of minorities (like Jews); the sheer scale of death caused a radical change in labor (since the poor were more effected), and a drastic reduction in the quality & quantity of priests!. Papal edicts were made to allow lay people to perform the last rites, as so many priests died or simply stayed away from the dying out of fear!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

---

---

Rats,, unsanitary conditions, supersition!.

The Jews were persecuted because they did not seem to be as affected as the Christians were due to their better understanding of personal cleanliness!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

---

---