The Plague: The Black Death In Western Europe

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Over a thousand years ago, death and sickness took over the cities of Europe leaving everyone with the cries of fright and despair. It was known as "The Black Death,” a disease was described as a combination of bubonic, pneumonic, and septicemic plague strains, which lead to a dramatic loss of life for all Europe and Asia in the thirteenth and fourteenth century. As a coincidence, each region recorded the plague to be the most devastating during the times of population growth. The result led to greater mortality percentage for these regions leaving the lucky countries with a twenty-five percent loss, while the more harmed countries encountered a sixty-five percent decrease in population. Originated from China, historians believe that fleas …show more content…
However, no matter the odds the Islamic faith faced, their heads were not bowed in disappointment and rather looked at this time as a blessing from God. Islamic culture was as dependent on their God as any other culture yet according to Michael Dols, "[there] is no evidence for the appearance of messianic movements in Muslim society at this time that might have associated the Black Death with an apocalypse," unlike Catholic …show more content…
Thought to be a punishment for everyone’s sins, believers of Catholicism feared this punishment as the end of the world was upcoming, leaving everyone to believe that survivors were the ones whom were forgiven. But this fear only grew as travelers from Italy, France, and Spain were migrating from city to city attempting to avoid the disease yet unknowingly carrying it around. One account of these actions was the increase of ship travel throughout Europe. Europeans of this day knew but never fully understood that rats can swim off infected ships and, in doing so, carry fleas and bubonic plague with them. Soon thereafter the Black Death appeared in Pisa, Marseilles, and Alexandria as well as any greater port cities. And the citizens were not the only who were trying to escape. Clergy and priest sought out to leave too as some of their religious affiliates contaminated themselves during the process of anointing the sick. Fear in this culture consumed within itself like no other culture present. Blame was the next product of their fear as some Catholics theorized that Jews were contaminating the water supply leading to another extreme response. Overwhelmed by the amount of death and upset believers, the Catholic clergy took action to eliminate Jewish
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