The Black Death: The Bubonic Plague

Words: 1175
Pages: 5
Open Document
The Black Death
The Black Death: the Bubonic Plague. Despite such horrible connotations, one can look upon this sickness as a harbinger of positive change within Europe. Brought from China to Sicily by rat and by ship, it was one of the biggest tragedies and losses of life in European history. Although it was a terrible plague, the Black Death led to improvements within Europe due to the destruction of the feudal system, an increase in wages, and the subsequent betterment of public health.
The feudal system is a socio-economic system that plagued Europe for centuries. “In particular, the Black Death terminated serfdom in Europe— serfs were virtual slaves, peasants who were ‘tied to the land’ and obliged to farm certain areas for no other …show more content…
Simply put, supply and demand dictated that with fewer laborers available the demand for labor rose, and so did the price paid to acquire it. This caused the balance of power, the hierarchy of medieval Europe to be less one sided. To continue, “Landlords were now paying more for labor at the same time that their rental income was declining” (World History, 378). With the financial swing going towards the favor of the working class things can only improve for them. As the serfs and peasants make more money and are able to free themselves from feudal manors they are also able to afford a higher standard of living. Finally, “The lords had to make changes in order to make the situation more profitable for the peasants and so keep them on their land” (Decameron Web). Prior to the plague, when Europe was bursting with people and everything was in full swing the peasantry and serfs were highly expendable. Following the plague millions of jobs were left empty by the deceased and lords were scrambling to hire laborers. Thanks to the plague those who were sparred were able to bargain for better wages, leading to an increase in the quality of lives the common people were able to …show more content…
The Black Plague was the cause of death for upwards of thirty percent of the population of Europe (Time). This is without a doubt a tremendous loss of life that cannot be replaced. Among the twenty million plus who died could have been an amazing unrealized painter, or someone destined to be one of the great thinkers of the time, cut short by the plague. Furthermore, “since it was so difficult (and dangerous) to procure goods through trade and to produce them, the prices of both goods produced locally and those imported from afar skyrocketed” (Decameron Web). Due to the plague, production in all areas dropped to extreme lows. This nearly brought a halt to trade, not to mention the fear of the disease spreading even further. With the economy in such a hurt in such troubling times, the symptoms were only one way this disease
Show More

Related Documents: The Black Death: The Bubonic Plague

The Bubonic Plague And The Black Death

population. That disease is known as the Bubonic Plague and the Black Death. It spread over Europe in the 14th century and killed an estimated one-third of the population. The plague was a devastating pestilence that killed millions of people, included fatal symptoms, and made the people around the disease useless. Death was constant. Everywhere you went in Europe you could see people dying and the disease spreading. The conditions during the Renaissance aided the plague by giving it ways to keep spreading…

Words 568 - Pages 3

Bubonic Plague: The Black Death

The Bubonic Plague also known as the Black Death was Epidemic that caused many deaths around the world. The disease came from fleas off infected rats. Not only did it kill people within 3 to 4 days but it also decreased the population. Back in the 1300, the start and the spread of the Bubonic Plague (Black Death) began. Not only were the good and merchandise spread but the black death too because when the ships docked and the rats came off(Hazlett ). The diseased came off the fleas from the rodents…

Words 996 - Pages 4

The Bubonic Plague: The Black Death

Black Death The Bubonic Plague, also commonly referred to as the Black Death, killed over twenty five million people from 1347 to 1352 in Europe alone (The Black Death: Bubonic Plague). The disease first arrived in Europe through Genoese trade ships after an extensive journey across the black sea, which was commonly used for trade. Before these ships had even arrived in Messina port, rumors of a “Great Pestilence” were spreading through Europe and were inciting fear across the country due to the…

Words 869 - Pages 4

The Bubonic Plague: The Black Death

The Black Death was one of the most infamous disease epidemics to strike mankind. From the mid 1300s until around 1600 it wept around many regions of the western world (Most notably Europe), along with it’s near seventy percent mortality rate. Bodies lined the streets as it ravaged Europe, wiping out forty percent of its population. Giovanni Boccaccio wrote in Decameron ”It carried off uncounted numbers of inhabitants, and kept moving without cease.” And “Every hour of every day there was such a…

Words 570 - Pages 3

The Bubonic Plague: The Black Death

The Bubonic Plague was one of the deadliest pandemics in human history and it resulted in millions of deaths all over the world. The outbreak began in the 1330s and traveled all the way from China to Europe. The plague, also commonly referred to as the Black Death, affected people of all ages and social classes, which is what made it so catastrophic. People understood that the disease was extremely contagious, but there was a variety of ideas on the cause of the illness and how it was spread. The…

Words 1120 - Pages 5

Bubonic Plague: The Black Death

Alex Shifman Ms. Nehill Period F 3/2/18 The bubonic plague also known as the black death was responsible for killing a third of the population in China and Europe in a span of 7 years. The Bubonic plague was referred to as the Black Death, because of the blackening of the skin due to the dried blood that accumulated under the skin's surface (Lerner). From 1346 to 1353, the black plague ravished across Europe and Asia (Cohn). People first suffered fever, chills, headaches and nausea, then they…

Words 1184 - Pages 5

Comparing The Bubonic Plague And Black Death

I. Introduction A. Brief overview of the Bubonic Plague/Black Death and its significance in history B. Thesis statement: The Bubonic Plague was an important period of history that affected the lives of many individuals. II. Background and Context A. How the plague started to spread and the cause of it (Yersinia pestis) B. The number of deaths due and how many areas were affected by it. Timeline of Events 1 - 1. 1347: Plague/Black Death travels from China to Europe due to an attack on a trading port…

Words 379 - Pages 2

The Bubonic Plague: The Black Death In Europe

The Bubonic Plague, or the "The Black Death" as its mostly known as, broke out in Europe in about 1347. The Black Death affected the European society in quite a few ways which include a reduce in population which affected the economy, hatred for Jews and damaged the feudal system. The plague destroyed about one quarter of the European population, because of all the deaths of so many people it caused wages to go up which gave some the chance to get a better condition of employment. Because of illness…

Words 142 - Pages 1

The Black Death Bubonic Plague DBQ

The Black Death was a dark age that caused the downfall of European civilization by killing nearly half of it’s population. The Black Death, also known as the Bubonic Plague, was a disease that spread from Asia to Europe. The Black Death spread through trade routes from China by infected fleas on rats during the 14th century. The plague affected all aspects of society, economic structure, and morals through it’s large death toll that killed millions of people in Europe. Economic structure was severely…

Words 928 - Pages 4

Bubonic Plague: The Black Death In The Middle Ages

die. Back in the Middle Ages the Black Death, Bubonic Plague, was one of the most horrific pandemic in the entire history. In the span of five years it killed over 20 millions people. Although the Black Plague was a devastating event at the time, there were some from this medical and social catastrophe. Because of the Bubonic Plague the human population evolved, changes in the medical practice occurred, and feudalism came to an end. After the events of the Black Death the population evolved. Larry…

Words 446 - Pages 2