The Black Death

• Bubonic plague

  • caused headaches, high temperature, pus-filled swellings
  • Spread by rats on ships, but was believed to be caused by God, Jews, miasma and more
• Pneumonic plague

  • Airborne
  • Attacked lungs making it painful to breathe and patients to cough up blood
• 1/3 of the British population died due to the Black Death
• Cemeteries were filled so new cemeteries were built outside of town to prevent the spread of disease
• In January 1349, King Edward III closed parliament to prevent the spread of disease