o "How many valiant men, how many fair ladies, breakfast with their kinfolk and the same night supped with their ancestors in the next world! The condition of the people was pitiable to behold. They sickened by the thousands daily, and died unattended and without help. Many died in the open street, others dying in their houses, made it known by the stench of their rotting bodies. Consecrated churchyards did not suffice for the burial of the vast multitude of bodies, which were heaped by the hundreds in vast trenches, like goods in a ships hold and covered with a little earth."

o -Giovanni Boccaccio

The Bubonic Plague

Death waits for no mano  Boccaccio said that the victims, "ate lunch

with their friends and dinner with their

ancestors in paradise." o The Bubonic Plague better

known by the name the “Black Death” originated out of Asia (remember those pesky Mongols!) Scholars believe they help spread the disease from Asia to Europe during the 1300’s.

o The plague followed the major land trade routes from Asia to the Middle East where from there it was carried by boat / traders through out the Mediterranean Sea.

o Italy was the center point of trade on the Med. Sea. In 1347, a Genoese merchant landed on the island of Sicily with an infected cargo.

o From Italy area it quickly spread to the rest of Europe

and Africa.

How was it transmitted?o The Bubonic Plague is

caused by a bacteria carried in the blood stream of fleas. The fleas infested Black Rats. The fleas would quickly move to a human since hygiene during the Middle Ages was no existent. People commonly had fleas and lice infesting their cloths and bedding year round.

o Don’t let the bed bugs bite!

Symptoms:o Painful swellings (bubos) of

the lymph nodes that turned “black” in final stages. These swellings, symptoms of the deadly plague, would appear in the armpits, legs, neck, or groin. Victims also suffered a very high fever, delirium, the victim begins to vomit, muscular pains, bleeding in the lungs and mental disorientation. The illness also produced in the victim an intense desire to sleep, which, if yielded to, quickly proved fatal. 

o The black cat in folklore has been able to change into human shape to act as a spy or courier for witches or demons. When the Pilgrims arrived at Plymouth Rock, they brought with them a devout faith in the Bible. They also brought a deepening suspicion of anything deemed of the devil and were a deeply suspicious group. They viewed the black cat as a companion, or a familiar to witches. Anyone caught with a black cat would be severely punished or even killed. They viewed the black cat as part demon and part sorcery. During the Middle Ages, these superstitions led people to kill black cats. This had the unintended consequence of increasing the rat population and the spread of the Black Death (bubonic plague) and other diseases carried by rodents. There is no evidence from England of regular large-scale massacres of "satanic" cats, or of burning them in midsummer bonfires, as sometimes occurred in Europe. 

Dealing with the deado Watchmen were allocated to

watch the ' plague houses ' and the only means of sustenance was for the victims to lower baskets from an upper window for the watchman to put food into it.

o The death cart laborers generally undertook their gruesome work at night and the bodies were hurried out of the house wrapped in any kind of improvised shroud

o In later years houses containing victims were sometimes indicated with a red cross painted on the door with the words "God have Mercy". The red cross acted as a warning as there was a time when the victims of the illness were not carried away to be buried or burnt.

Monty Python “Bring out your

dead”

Dealing with the Dead

o Plague Pits were rapidly dug. These pits were approximately 20 feet deep - the width of the pit would continue to be extended as the outbreak of the Bubonic plague (Black Death) spread. A consequence of continued outbreaks was that even old Plague Pits were re-opened.

o With shortage of labor (ie everyone is dead) corpses were left rotting in the houses until they were dragged out, weeks later, to be thrown on a cart and finally disposed of. Due to the food shortages and closure of businesses those who were not struck down by the Bubonic plague (Black Death) often resorted to stealing from the dead bodies. The penalties for this were varied and severe. Many such thieves were thrown into the pits, dead or alive, with their victims.

o The western world farming communities were devastated by the spread of the disease. It became common place to see livestock abandoned, their owners overtaken by the spread of the Black Death / Bubonic Plague. Livestock and people perished. This decline of the farming communities resulted in food shortages. A major consequence of the disease was famine - and even more people perished. Surviving populations of villages and towns were forced to move or starve to death. World demographics totally altered due to the spread of the disease. And the spread still continued. The Black Death / Bubonic Plague was therefore carried by starving people and spread to even more new areas. The world was gripped by a cycle of disease followed by famine...

Economic Impact

Death takes its tollo The worst years of the plague

were from 1347 – 1351o Est. 25 Million in Europe, 35

Million in China, 4 Million Middle East. 1/3 Europe / Asia’s

population!o But the Bubonic Plague would

arise time and time again for several hundred years. By the 1800’s it is estimated to have killed over 200 million people.

God has forsaken

us!

o Many people turned to God for help not understanding the cause.

o Extreme religious groups arose when prayer did no good.

o Flagellants practiced self-flogging (whipping of oneself) to atone for sins. The movement became popular after general disillusionment with the church's reaction to the Black Death.

Desperate Measures:

Trying to save yourselfo There were all sorts of

suspicions on how to stop the plague.

o People thought it was spread by bad fumes so they carried flowers with them or scent boxes that they hung around their necks and sniffed.

o Con Artists sold magic charms and religious tokens such as digging up holy men and using their bones as holy charms.

Children’s Nursey Rhyme “Ring Around Rosy…..”

Monty Python“Plague Village”

5 mins

Long term effects of plagueo The feudal system was

crumbling. All your peasants were dying or fleeing.

o Nobles had no one to force to work land so they actually had to start paying workers!

o Roman Catholic Church lost a lot of power since they couldn’t stop the plague.

o Priest fled, or charged huge amounts to go any where near infected people to perform last rites.

Long term effects of plagueo People turned away from God to

more earthly pleasure since you were going to die soon anyway.

o “Eat, drink, and be marry, for tomorrow you may die!”

o Commoners broke into nobles homes to throw parties and rob the place since they figured they were dead anyway.

Long term effects of plagueo The Black Death had a huge

influence on art work from this time period.

This is called the “Dance of Death”

What do these people see in the mirror?

Human Population Over Time

Human Population Over Time

Video ClipsBBC: Horrible Histories….

“The Plague Report”45 sec.

“The Plague Song”4 mins

“The Peasants Plague”3 mins

“Come Dine with Me”3.5 mins

A final word o Father abandoned child, wife husband, one

brother another; for this illness seemed to strike through the breath and sight. And so they died. And none could be found to bury the dead for money or friendship. Members of a household brought their dead to a ditch as best they could, without priest, without divine offices ... great pits were dug and piled deep with the multitude of dead. And they died by the hundreds both day and night... And as soon as those ditches were filled more were dug ... And I, Agnolo di Tura, called the Fat, buried my five children with my own hands. And there were also those who were so sparsely covered with earth that the dogs dragged them forth and devoured many bodies throughout the city. There was no one who wept for any death, for all awaited death. And so many died that all believed it was the end of the world.