Black Plague Historical Analysis

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Paul Quintanilla Professor Johnston Hist-130: Med/Mod 7 April 2024 Historical analysis: Black Plague The black plague, one of the deadliest pandemics in recorded human history, also sometimes referred to as the Black Death, ravaged Europe and Asia in the fourteenth century. A third of Europe's population perished due to the plague, primarily caused by fleas infesting black rats and the bacterium Yersinia pestis. The documents offered during this time gave a thorough examination of the reactions to the black plague from the viewpoints of Muslims and Christians, outlining their opinions on the disease's causes, progression, and varied effects. While Muslim and Christian writers understood and responded to the black plague in very different ways, …show more content…
In terms of actionable solutions, the Muslim and Christian communities took steps to slow the disease's spread and lessen its effects. These included attempts to purify the air, sanitation efforts, and quarantine regulations. However, as a reflection of the deeply embedded faith-based responses to the epidemic, religious practices took higher importance over medical solutions. Both Muslim and Christian writers used the concept of spiritual welfare to explain the beginning and spread of the plague and emphasized the value of spiritual practices in addition to practical measures for fighting the illness. God and spiritual practices are commonly referred to by the authors in many of the sources. Many people during this time often turned towards God and asked for repentance in times of despair. God and spiritual practices during the Black Plague are highlighted in several of their historical sources, such as sources 3, 7, 13, and 4. Three people from various backgrounds assembled in mosques and churches in Damascus for prayer, carrying their respective religious texts and pleading for spiritual