"The Black Death (also known as the Pestilence, the Great Mortality or the Plague) was a bubonic plague pandemic occurring in Western Eurasia and North Africa from 1346 to 1353."
A deadly outbreak of bubonic plague that began in Asia in the 1340s and spread to Europe, where it killed an estimated 25 million people, or one third of the population.
The Middle Ages: The historical period during which the Black Death took place, spanning from the 5th to the 15th century.
Europe's Political Landscape: Understanding how the political structure of Europe was organized during the Middle Ages is important to understand the spread of the Black Death through different regions.
The Societal Structure of Medieval Europe: Understanding the social hierarchy of medieval society and why certain groups were more vulnerable to the disease.
Science and Medicine During the Middle Ages: Recognizing the state of medicine and scientific understanding during this time will help us appreciate why the Black Death was so devastating.
Causes and Symptoms of the Black Death: Understanding the disease itself, its symptoms, and its origins will help us understand how it was able to spread so rapidly and how it affected so many people.
The Role of Fleas and Rats in the Plague: Learning about the infective agents and how they transmitted the disease can help us understand how the Black Death was able to spread so quickly.
The Black Death's Impact on Economy: Discovering how the economy was affected by the Black Death and its impact on trade, labor, and wages.
The Social and Cultural Impact of The Black Death: Examining how the psychological and cultural impacts of the Black Death played out, such as changes in attitudes toward death, religion, and superstition.
Responses to the Black Death: Detecting how different groups responded to the crisis in a bid to stop the spread and provide assistance and care to the sick.
Art and Literature Inspired by the Black Death: Analyzing how art and literature, including visual arts and folk songs, was created in response to the Black Death.
Bubonic Plague: The bubonic plague was the most common form of the Black Death during the Middle Ages. It was transmitted to humans through the bites of infected fleas that lived on rats. The symptoms included fever, chills, headache, and the development of painful and swollen lymph nodes (called buboes) on the neck, armpit, or groin.
Septicemic Plague: The septicemic plague occurred when the bubonic plague spread to the bloodstream, causing an overwhelming infection that led to blood clotting and tissue death. This form of the plague was rare but deadly, and it could kill a person within a few hours of infection. Symptoms included high fever, chills, rapid heartbeat, and abdominal pain.
Pneumonic Plague: The pneumonic plague was the most lethal form of the Black Death, as it was easily transmitted from person to person through coughing and sneezing. This form of the plague affected the lungs, causing severe breathing difficulties and pneumonia-like symptoms. It had a mortality rate of 95%, and once a person contracted pneumonic plague, death usually occurred within a few days.
"Causing the deaths of 75–200 million people."
"Peaking in Europe from 1347 to 1351."
"Bubonic plague is caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis spread by fleas."
"But during the Black Death, it probably also took a secondary form, spread by person-to-person contact via aerosols, causing pneumonic plague."
"The plague created religious, social, and economic upheavals, with profound effects on the course of European history."
"The origin of the Black Death is disputed."
"From Crimea, it was most likely carried by fleas living on the black rats that traveled on Genoese ships, spreading through the Mediterranean Basin and reaching North Africa, Western Asia, and the rest of Europe via Constantinople, Sicily, and the Italian Peninsula."
"There is evidence that once it came ashore, the Black Death mainly spread from person-to-person as pneumonic plague."
"In 2022, it was discovered that there was a sudden surge of deaths in what is today Kyrgyzstan from the Black Death in the late 1330s; when combined with genetic evidence, this implies that the initial spread may not have been due to Mongol conquests in the 14th century, as previously speculated."
"The Black Death was the second great natural disaster to strike Europe during the Late Middle Ages and is estimated to have killed 30 per cent to 60 per cent of the European population, as well as approximately 33 per cent of the population of the Middle East."
"The plague might have reduced the world population from c. 475 million to 350–375 million in the 14th century."
"The European population did not regain its current level from the 14th century until the 16th century."
"Outbreaks of the plague recurred around the world until the early 19th century."
"The pandemic was reportedly first introduced to Europe during the siege of the Genoese trading port of Kaffa in Crimea by the Golden Horde army of Jani Beg in 1347."
"Genetic analysis points to the evolution of Yersinia pestis in the Tian Shan mountains on the border between Kyrgyzstan and China 2,600 years ago."
"Spreading through the Mediterranean Basin and reaching North Africa, Western Asia, and the rest of Europe via Constantinople, Sicily, and the Italian Peninsula."
"There is evidence that once it came ashore, the Black Death mainly spread from person-to-person as pneumonic plague, thus explaining the quick inland spread of the epidemic, which was faster than would be expected if the primary vector was rat fleas causing bubonic plague."
"The Black Death was the second great natural disaster to strike Europe during the Late Middle Ages (the first one being the Great Famine of 1315–1317)."
"The European population did not regain its current level from the 14th century until the 16th century."