The Black Death

where it began

• began in England in 1347 lasting around 4 years 
• entered in south-western city Bristol and traveled north along the coast
• It flourished in Bristol because of the bad conditions of the town

Untitled Slide

• The Black Death arrived in Europe by boat 
• 12 Genoese trading ships docked at the port of Messina
• Most of the sailors aboard the ships were dead or gravely ill
• This resulted from the bite of an infected flea or rat

the rats

• The bacteria responsible was Yersinia Pestis
• It was carried by oriental rat fleas and black rats 
• Most likely causing several forms of the plague
• Regularly on the ships having spread the disease throughout Europe

the plague

• The plague attacked in three different forms
• Bubonic plague - swelling or bubbling of the neck, armpit, or groin
• pneumonic plague - attacked the respiratory system
• septicemic plague - attacked the blood system

God's punishment

• People who did not understand sciences believed this to be Gods punishment
• The only way to overcome the plague was to obtain God's forgiveness
• Some people believed ridding the town of  heretics&troublemakers would do 
• Because of this many Jews were massacred
• The others fled to sparesly populated regions

effects on population

• estimated 75-200 million deaths 
• wiped out 30-60% of Europe's population
• took over 150 years to restore the population
• The black death was gone by early 1350's 
• The plague reappeared every few generations for centuries