Late Middle Ages & Black Death

crisis of the 14th century

start of “little ice age”, famine, religious conflict, hundred years war, plague

plague pathogen

yersinia pestis (bacteria)

animals that transmit plague to humans

fleas, rats, cats, dogs

bubonic plague

2-8 day incubation, swollen lymph nodes, bacteria spreads to other body parts if not treated

plague (black death)

fever, headaches, chills, weakness

pneumonic plague

24 hrs or less incubation, terrible lung cough, most serious plague, watery/bloody lung phlegm

septicemic plague

incubation within days of exposure, abdominal pain, shock, bleeding into organs, body tissue dies and turns black

when did the black death happen?

late middle ages (1347)

where did the black death originate?

started in asia, went to sicily first, spread around europe

what did the paris faculty think of the cause of the plague?

the result of the constellations corrupting oceans and the wind spread the infection to land into people

what did ibn al-wardi think of the cause of the plague?

the plague was god’s punishment to the world

florentine chronicle by marchionne di coppo (1370s-80s)

timeline book of the effects of plague in florence, italy. the author was a child in florence during the plague

the decameron by giovanni boccacio (1349-53)

book of short stories about the plague in europe. author witnessed the plague but wasn’t in florence during the plague

flagellants

though plague was god’s punishment, public whipping themselves, self punishment was repentance to god and forgiveness from him, caused emotional frenzy and hysteria

blaming jews

jew blamed in some parts of europe, “poisoned wells” some jewish communities destroyed, catholic church opposed blaming jews because they were also suffering from plague

plague death toll

between 1/3 and ¼ of europe’s population (as many as 50 million), entire villages and town left vacant and abandoned

plague social and economic impact

many laborers had died so peasant wages increased, peasants rebelled against nobles, new opportunites to move around,

plague cultual impact

new interest in death and mortality, danse macabre, decanmeron, canterbury tales