Hass

Silk Road

An ancient trade route between China and the Mediterranean Sea extending some 6,440 km (4,000 mi) and linking China with the Roman Empire.

Positive impacts of trade

Spread of culture and ideas, more profit for merchants

Negative impact of trade

Spread of disease

Living conditions in Medieval cities

Human waste and animal waste, no sewerage system living among animals and rats

Where did the black death originate?

Gobi Desert

Symptoms of black death

high fever, aching limbs and fatigue, then, lymph nodes will start to swell and turn black

Why was the disease able to spread so easily?

Way of living, lack of knowledge about the spread of disease

Bubonic Plague

common variety of the disease. It's named after the swollen lymph nodes (buboes) that typically develop in the first week after you become infected.

pneumonic plague

affects the lungs. It's the least common variety of plague but the most dangerous, because it can be spread from person to person via cough droplets

Septicemic plague

plague bacteria multiply in your bloodstream

Why was the flea the carrier?

Plague in the gut of the flea. When living on rats or people it can pass the disease on.

Short-term Consequences

Immediate effects of the Black Death, including massive loss of life, economic disruption (production of food), and fear.

Long-term Impact

Lasting effects such as social changes (feudalism), economic shifts (trading and merchant class), and advancements in medicine and hygiene.

Peasant Revolt

Uprisings by peasants in response to harsh conditions made worse by the Black Death.

Dance Macabre

Artistic genre depicting the universality of death, popular during and after the plague.

Loss of Authority in Church

Decline in the influence and moral authority of the Church due to its inability to prevent or explain the plague.

Flagellants

Groups of people who whipped themselves in public to show God they were sorry, hoping it would stop the plague.

Superstitions

false beliefs based on fear and ignorance

Burning Herbs or Incense

People believed that bad smells caused the plague, so they burned strong-smelling herbs like rosemary or lavender to clean the air

Wearing Charms or Amulets

People wore magical charms, religious relics, or amulets to protect themselves from evil spirits or divine punishment.

Avoiding Strangers and Foreigners

Some communities blamed outsiders and thought avoiding them would protect the town

Ringing Church Bells

People thought the vibrations from loud sounds like church bells or cannons could cleanse the air of disease.

Urban

A place that is a town or city, where many people live close together and there are lots of buildings, shops, and services.

Rural

A countryside area with fewer people, farms, open space, and small villages.

feudalism

A political system in which nobles are granted the use of lands that legally belong to their king, in exchange for their loyalty, military service, and protection of the people who live on the land

Pandemic

A disease that spreads across many countries or even the whole world, affecting lots of people.

Tithes

A type of tax in the Middle Ages where people had to give 10% of their crops or money to the Church.

plague doctor

A doctor who treated victims of the plague, wearing a long coat and a mask with a beak filled with herbs to protect from "bad air."

Revolt:

When people rise up and fight against their rulers or leaders because they are unhappy with how they are being treated.

Buboes

Swollen, painful lumps that appeared on the neck, armpits, or groin of people infected with the Black Death. They were a key symptom of the plague.

Rat

An animal that carried fleas infected with the plague bacteria. Rats were common in towns and ships.

Contagious

A disease that can spread easily from one person to another.

Quarantine

Keeping people or ships isolated to stop the spread of disease. Some cities used this method during the Black Death.

Mortality Rate

The number of people who die from a disease out of the total number infected.

trend

A pattern or general direction that something is moving in over time — for example, whether numbers are going up, going down, or staying the same in a graph.