the black death

• What was the Black Death?

  An infectious disease

  spread by fleas carried by rats
• When did it arrive in England?

  1348
• what were the symptoms?

  high fever

  coughing up blood

  buboes in groin/armpits

  coughing
• what were the believed causes?

  Miasmas

  Gods will

  4 humours

  astronomy
• actual causes?


  bacteria grew in fleas stomach

  fleas travelled on rats and passed disease to humans
• Why did it spread so quickly?


  ignorance of germs

  unhygienic habits

  food shortages-poor were vulnerable and weak

  dirty streets encouraged rats to breed
• what remedies did people try?


  prayer

  moving away

  carried strong smelling herbs to ward of miasma

  apothecaries made herbal remedies
• what measures were taken to stop it?

  cemeteries built away from towns

  towns banned travellers from entering-quarantine

  people repented in hope that God would forgive them
• what were religious impacts?

  -damage to catholic church as priests died

  -showed church was not immune to diseases
• what were the political impacts

  weakened feudal system

  people began to challenge social hierarchy as rich were not immune to disease either
• what were the economic impacts?


  created food shortages

  farm workers demanded higher wages

  landowners switched to sheep farming as less workers needed
• when did the black death end?

  1350-subsided

  never died out until much later

  1/3 of Europe died