Download The Black Death: Plague in Medieval Europe

The Black Death:
Plague in Medieval
Europe
Mrs. Watson
Kraemer Middle School
What is the “Black Death”?

Nickname for the plague:
an infectious, deadly
disease that killed up to
½ Europe’s population,
beginning in 1347.
Where did the plague
originate?
From Southeast Asia
(beginning ~1320), the
plague traveled across the
Silk Road to Constantinople,
and then to Europe.
 Plague bacteria is carried
inside fleas, who rode on
camels & horses with
merchants, then jumped on
rats, who traveled on ships to
the cities of Europe.

How do people become
infected? – Bubonic Plague
Bacteria, carried in fleas
 Fleas bite you, bacteria enters blood
stream

What are the symptoms of
Bubonic Plague ?
High fever
 Convulsions
 Vomiting
 Buboes


Swelling of
lymph nodes
What is the prognosis for
people with Bubonic Plague?
65 – 80% of infected people died
 Death within 3-5 days of infection

How was Pneumonic Plague
different?
It affected the lungs (“pneumo”)
 Spread easily: person-to-person
by sneezing, coughing, speaking
or breathing
 Symptoms did not include
buboes, did include difficulty
breathing; feeling of drowning
 100% fatal – within hours!

Who was susceptible to the
plague?

Everyone!
 Men & women
 Young & old
 Rich & poor
What remedies did medieval
people try to avoid, treat or cure
the plague?

Religious Ideas:
 Punishment from God
 Give alms to the Church
 Prohibit swearing on the Sabbath
 Whip yourself in penance for sins
 Punish Jews as scapegoats (blame)
What remedies did medieval
people try to avoid, treat or cure
the plague?
Psychological Ideas:
 Avoid fear, worry,
sadness & anger
 Wealth:


Drink molten gold,
powdered emeralds
What remedies did medieval
people try to avoid, treat or cure
the plague?

Change the Air (for better or worse):
 Fill homes with flowers & rose-water
 Inhale through hand-held smelling apples
 Break up stagnant air by releasing birds
 Burn green woods for smoke fumigation
 Keep stinks of dead animals in house
 Regularly inhale the stench from privies to clear
your lungs
What remedies did medieval
people try to avoid, treat or cure
the plague?

(Semi-) Medical Ideas:
 Blood-letting to rid the body of ill humors
 Leaches,
 Do
cutting
not bathe (opens pores to bad air)
 Bathe in urine
 Use of pastes to cover & protect
skin/pores
Which ideas were effective?
 Burn
the clothes/bedding of
diseased people.
 Limit contact with people.
 Avoid
 Leave
markets, church, funerals…
town for isolated areas with
clean air.
Effects of the Plague on
Medieval Society
1/3 – ½ of the population
was killed
 Not enough labor left to bring
in harvests & do needed work
 Those who would work were
few, so they could demand
higher wages
 Serfs revolted & left for cities
 Feudalism weakened

Does plague still exist today?
 Yes!
 Bubonic
plague
only
 Carried by gray
squirrels &
kangaroo rats
(vermin)
 Treated and cured
with antibiotics