1. Chapter 10: Europe in the Middle
Ages: A.D. 1000-1500
The Black Death

2. Black Death..cont
• Black Death: Outbreak of
bubonic plague that struck
Europe from 1347 through
1351.
• It was the first cycle of European plague epidemics that
continued until the early 18th century
• The term Black Death is not used to describe the plague
until much later in history.

4. Black Death..cont
• The exact origin of where the Black Death originated from
is debatable, however most historians believe the
black death originated
somewhere in Asia
• The plague had spread west into the Middle East via trade
routes west from China
• It is believed that Genoese & Venetian traders brought it to
Europe from Egypt in 1347
• Or brought from the Black Sea port of Caffa

5. Black Death…cont
• Italy: The first Western
European country the Black
Death reached
• The Black Death was carried
by rodents, in particular the
fleas on rodents, and then
transmitted to humans

10. Black Death..cont
• Contemporary doctors and theologians
believed there were two
main causes
of the Black Death
• 1) Imbalance of the body’s
humors, fluids
• Emotional, dietary, or external factors like noxious orders
could result in sickness, death
• Individuals were to eat moderately & avoid anything that

11. Black Death..cont
• 2) God’s judgement on a sinful
humanity
• Flagellants: Term for those
who would ritually beat
themselves as penance for their
own & others’ sins
• These flagellants would hold processions through towns that
lasted as long as 33 days, each day representing one year in the life

14. Black Death..cont
• Overall, European population declined by
about 1/3, an estimated 25 million people
died between 1347 & 1352
• In many European cities population may
have declined by 50% or more
• Larger towns declined drastically, as their
workforces & merchant classes either died
or fled

20. Black Death..cont
• Another effect of the Black Death was the rise of intolerance towards
outsiders or non-Christians
• Jews were accused of deliberately
poisoning the water supply or air,
and therefore, many were
viciously attacked
• Persecutions only ended when the deaths from the plague began to
decline

23. Black Death..cont
• The Black Death had a profound influence on the art & music of the
time
• Many paintings were filled with images related to death, such as
skelatons
• Grim Reaper: Character who
came to symbolize the one who
brings death during the Black
Death

32. Economic Effect of the Black
Death
• Wealth concentrated in the
hands of survivors
• Wage increases, especially for
skilled artisans
• Profits for landlords &
merchants declined

33. Black Death..cont
• Governments were forced to adjust to the social disruption
caused by the plague
• Governments attempted to regulate the movement & price
of foods & wages
• Peasants’ Revolt of 1351:
Reaction to the attempt by
landlords to collect higher fees
from tenant farmers
• According to some, the Black Death helped bring the end