Download What was the Black Death?

THE BLACK DEATH AND ITS
EFFECTS ON EUROPE
What was the Black Death and how did it effect
European society during the Middle Ages?
The Black Death was contagious!
INFECTED
Whenever you see a RED DOT
appear on a slide, if you are
infected with the Black Plague,
pass it on to the people in front,
behind, left and right of you!
Then, those people will pass it
on the next red dot! Let’s see
how fast it spreads!
Brainstorming

After viewing the trailer from
the 1995 movie Outbreak,
staring Dustin Hoffman and
Morgan Freeman, consider the
following question:
How might a large-scale
epidemic (like in the trailer)
effect a person’s society or
culture?
What is an epidemic?

An “epidemic” is
rapidly spreading and
extremely infectious
disease that targets a
specific area
 Effects
many people
all at once
What was the Black Death?

The Black Death was a
deadly bacterial disease,
which spread rapidly
throughout Europe



1300’s & 1400’s
Also known as the Black
Plague or the Bubonic Plague
It kills by attacking the
immune system




Swollen glands
Breaking blood vessels
Fever
Death
Physical Effects of the Black Death
“The Blisters” - The “Rosies”
RING AROUND THE ROSIE
Ring around the rosie
A pocket full of posies
Ashes, Ashes
We all fall down
The lyrics of the song are based ONLY off of the Black
Death. Ring around the rosie is a reference to the black
sores that would appear on your body as part of the
plague. Your "rosie" is around the center of the back of
your hand. A pocket full of posies: is a reference to
people would carrying posies (flowers) around to not
smell the sickening scent of dead bodies everywhere.
Ashes, Ashes: signifies the ashes from all the bodies
being burned on pyres. Bodies couldn't be buried or
else the infection would spread. We all fall down:
signifies death. The meaning wasn't later realized until
a while after the Black Death had occurred. It still
shocks many people to know that such an innocent song
we used to sing when we were little has such a
horrifying and disturbing meaning. Now when you hear
this song will you think of it the same way you did
before?
How was the Black Death transmitted from person to
person?

The Black Death was transferred through two
(2) ways:
1.
2.





Direct contact with infected fleas
Through airborne elements from infected humans
The plague started in Europe in 1328 and lasted
until 1351 although there were outbreaks for the
next sixty years
The Black Death was spread by fleas that were
carried by rats of other small rodents
The spread of the Black Death followed all of the
Trade Routes to every country
Believed to have been carried by rats on sailing
vessels from Asia to European cities
Nearly one third of the population died in Europe
Where did the Black Death originate?

Many historians believe that
the Black Death originated in
Asia


Central Asia
The Black Death spread
rapidly for a number a
reasons:



Trade routes (land & sea)
Armies
Early biological warfare
European Trade Routes (1300’s)
Faith in Crisis

The spread of the deadly plague in
England was fast, and the death
rate was almost 50% in isolated
populations such as monasteries

The church could offer no reason
for the deadly disease, and beliefs
were tested

People began to question
religion

Those doubts led to the
English Reformation
What efforts where done to try and stop the
spread of the Black Death?

Many misguided efforts to
stop the plague:




Medical workers
Burning cloves / scents
Ringing bells
Blessed keepsakes
 The

“cat burnings”
Methods that did work:


Quarantines
“Pope’s torches”
What did The Black Death Medical
Workers Look Like?
THIS
NOT THIS
Plague Medical Workers
The Brotherhood of Flagellates
Black Death Art
Black
Art
Black Death
Death Art
How did the disease effect European
society?

Drop in population


Feudalism continues to fall
apart


Economies failed
Loss of knowledge


25-50 million people died
(1/3rd)
No education during the
epidemic
Beginning to question the
Church

Priests promises of false help
Is anyone left alive?

How many remain?