The Black Death

The Black Death was one of the world’s worst pandemics that spread through Europe from 1347 to 1351, had claimed the lives of 25 to 50 million people, which was nearly a third of the European population during that period. This catastrophe is also referred to as the Bubonic Plague and had social, economic, and cultural implications that changed the history of Europe.



The disease began in the dry regions of central Asia and traveled through the trade routes of the Silk Road to Crimea in 1343. The Black Death was mainly due to the bacterium Yersinia pestis, which spread among people through bites of fleas that were hosted on black rats. Such rats were frequently found on merchant ships, which allowed the plague to spread through trade channels. The first epidemic in Europe occurred in the port city of Messina, Sicily in the year 1347. From there, it grew rapidly and affected other cities in Europe including Marseilles, Paris, and London within a few years.



Signs of the Black Death were a high fever, shivering, vomiting, diarrhea, severe joint and muscle pains, and in days, death. The most distinctive sign of the plague was the buboes: aching tender glands that enlarged in the groin, armpit, or neck. When contracted, the disease was known to be fatal with the likelihood of the patient dying within days of infection. Due to the high velocity and deadliness of the plague, there was heightened tension all over.



The effects of the Black Death on society were extensive and far-reaching. As the death rate reached 60% in some European regions, the lack of workforce left the landlords struggling for control over the remaining labor force. The free peasants and serfs who were tied to the land in the feudal system discovered that their services were in great demand. It also led many to be able to negotiate improvements in working and living conditions and to the slow decline of the feudal system.



Economically the black death hurt trade as well as farming. There was a reduction in the population of many towns and cities thus reducing the market and shrinking of the economy. However, over the long term, the depopulation led to a glut of goods and the lowered cost of living for the remaining occupants. This in turn had implications for social equity since land and resources were made more accessible to a limited number of people. Thirdly, scarcity of workers gave rise to mechanization and enhanced productivity in manufacturing techniques.