The Late Middle Ages

The Bubonic Plague aka The Black Death

Introduction

• The Black Death– 1348-1350 • Swept Europe and took about two-fifths of the

population• Transformed many pious Christians into believers in the

great power of Death

The Black Death

• Background– 9/10 of the population worked the land• As the supply of food grew so did the population but. . . • Now there is not enough food to feed the people nor

jobs• The Struggle is already real and now we are going to

add the black death on top of all their troubles

The Black Death

• Where did it come from?????– Trade Routes • From Asia into Europe• Spread by the fleas that lived on the rats that were on

ships• Entered Europe through ports in places like Venice,

Genoa, and Pisa and then swept rapidly into Europe

Black Death

• Popular Remedies – The disease would start in the lungs and cause

sneezing and wheezing where it would then spread from person to person

– Catastrophe with no explanation and no known defense• Poisonous fumes released by earthquakes – one idea

Black Death

• Popular Remedies Cont.– Aromatic amulets that were worn around the neck– Some would live a life of moderation while others

would give in to their passions– Flight and Seclusion was probably the best method

people took – Flagellants was an option

• Religious fanatics would beat themselves in penance• The dirty bleeding bodies may have spread the disease• The church finally outlawed the beatings

Black Death

• Social and Economic Consequences– Whole villages vanished, labor supply declined,

and the value of the estates diminished– Farms Declining• Farm laborers decreased while skilled artisans rose• Agriculture products were not in demand but luxury

items were • Rents declined after the plague

– Why stay on a farm which cannot pay well?

Black Death

• Peasants Revolt– Landowners began converting arable land to

sheep pastures • Abandoned farms to the highest bidder

– Restrictions• English Parliament passed laws that limited wages to

pre-plague levels and restricted their ability to leave the land

Black Death

• Cities Rebound– Cities prospered because of skilled artisans– Laws that were made for the cities were extended

to those surrounding areas– Expensive clothing and jewelry were in high

demand • The country workers migrated from the countryside to

the city and learn new work

Black Death

• New Conflicts and Opportunities – Merchants and Patrician classes were having

trouble maintaining their traditional dominance – Guild masters were given voices in the

government • Restrictions caused conflicts

– Master artisans wanted to keep their numbers low and expand industry at a snail’s pace

Black Death

• Dealing with Death– “Dance of the Death” • Reminded rich and poor, young and old of mortality• Two sides emerged

– Overpopulated medieval society that was facing death – Abstinence, late marriage, birth control, and diplomacy

Black Death

• Life was a progressive dying and death was a promise of everlasting death– Almost everyone, by the time they reached teens

and adulthood, suffered from some chronic illness, debilitating condition, or life threatening infections• Lorenzo de’ Medici

– Early Twenties he suffered from leg ulcers and syphilis– 25 years old he received a head wound that was treated by

boring holes into his skull – he also developed an abscessed foot that did not heal

– 26 years old he had chills, fever, diarrhea, vomiting, joint pains, and anorexia – he died a short while later due to tuberculosis

Black Death

• Dealing with Death– Life was horrible cont. • Frederick III rolled about his castle on a primitive wheel

chair while he suffered from kidney stones– He later died from a septic infection and kidney failure because

the stones were too numerous and too large to pass

– Afflictions allowed people to find themselves between God and the physicians• People feared both dying and dying out of God’s grace• Priests guided the dead through purgatory assisted

through indulgences and masses– Church sacraments and commemorations exploited and eased

the feared passage into eternity