Preview

The Black Death

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
539 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
The Black Death
What was the Black Death, and what was its impact on European society?

The Black Death was a bacterium which was carried by flea infested rats. This disaster spread across Europe quite rapidly.

Much accusation for the cause of the plague was pressed onto the Jewish community.

The most common plague was the bubonic plague, although the pneumatic plague also existed.

This disaster caused economic, social, political and cultural havoc.

Approximately 50% of the infested population died, which, was estimated between 19 to 38 million.

During this occurrence 25 to 50 percent of the population throughout Europe decreased.

The plague began around 1347 and did not end until around 1369.

What major problems did European states face in the fourteenth century?

There was economic mayhem during 1347-1351 caused by drop in population, which was caused by the immense amount of deaths caused by the Black Death.

Peasants salaries were increasing where as aristocrats' loss around 20 percent of their income. This caused social instability and lead riots.

Peasants revolted against the nobles which affected commercial and industrial activities.

The political structure changed causing instability. This was due to internal conflicts on who should lead to bureaucracy.

How and why did the authority and prestige of the papacy decline in the fourteenth century?
The papacy began to lose control when King Philip IV chose to tax the French clergy, without the pope's consent.

The Struggle was based on authority between the papacy and the royal sovereignty of the monarch.

The church also lost a great deal of their prestige when the cardinals had elected two popes, Pope Urban VI and Pope Clement VII.

Soon after a third Pope joined the crowd in an effort to resolve the problem of the two first Popes, although this only caused more chaos.

What were the major developments in art and literature in the fourteenth century?

The most prominent

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Better Essays

    The rise of the papacy came at a time when the Roman Empire collapsed and there was chaos as it related to the bishops who held office in Rome and what religion would be at the forefront of the representation of the west or east of Rome since its demise. The term “papacy” (papatus), meant to distinguish the Roman bishop’s office from all bishoprics (episcopatus), and The Head of the Roman Catholic Church the pope is considered the successor of Peter and the vicar of Christ (Elwell, p. 888). The “pope” is a terms of endearment which means “father” and this was the title of the most important and influential bishops in the early church. The church at Rome nevertheless enjoyed and wanted to preserve the original apostolic faith and the prominence, and they as bishops also owned its apostolic “founders” and to its political setting, and this led to the inspiration of these bishops to exercise greater leadership in Rome and abroad (Elwell, p. 888). Most emperors and patriarchs of Constantinople, challenged the bishops and their beliefs by saying that the church in Rome is new and improved but that they are still believe in the old Roman church. The popes or bishops were not moved by their words and they knew that they were not living up to the apostolic ways of the founding fathers who came before them and that their primacy was derived from Peter and not from their political setting which in turn made their claim to fame to be truly based upon the “apostolic”(Elwell, p. 888). The Apostle Peter was sent to Rome by Jesus to build God’s Church. In Matthew 16:18, NLT, says 18 Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘rock’),[a] and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell[b]…

    • 1506 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    The fourteenth century was a era of crisis. A “little ice” age led to famine, but a greater disaster followed:…

    • 916 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    William Henry Pope

    • 353 Words
    • 2 Pages

    - Father MacDonald and William Pope had clashed in public concerning the temporal powers of the papacy.…

    • 353 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    During the Middle Ages the struggle of power between the monarchy and the church was an ongoing battle from the time of Charlemagne until the time of the Renaissance. I believe the Pope or high up church officials had more power over the king and in the eyes of the people.…

    • 822 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Black Death was a horrible plague that hit Europe in the 1200 to 1600 time frame, wiping out about a third of its population. The disease was very contagious, for example, if a mother who carried the disease sneezed on her child her child would catch it a week later and die. Europe’s population fell tremendously making it hard for survivors to find labor, unfortunately a lot of the peasants…

    • 1297 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Brian Toh Mr. Smith English 2 Honors 13 October 2014 Shrew Search 1. Black Death Summary: The Black Death, or the Bubonic Plague, surfaced in Europe in the 1300s and persisted into the late sixteenth and seventeenth centuries during the Elizabethan era when Shakespeare lived. The plague was the most devastating disease in that era, killing more than 20 million people, or almost one-third of Europe’s population.…

    • 2237 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    became corrupt as popes seemed to have a stronger interest in the luxury and power that was…

    • 800 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Black Death, also known as the Black Plague, or the Bubonic Plague killed one third of the population of Europe during its reign in the 13th and 14th centuries. The arrival of this plague set the scene for years of strife and heroism. Leaving the social and…

    • 1325 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The black death had a huge effect on Europe. The black death is also known as the bubonic plague. If people are near the plague for within 3 to 7 days of exposure to plague bacteria they will eventually get sick. Usually when you get the black death plague It starts from getting bit by an infected flea the once you get bit by the infected flea you end up spreading it by someone touching an open cut or any fluids from your body.…

    • 369 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    The Black Death is one of the most deadly epidemics in human history, and is taught in schools throughout the world. Though it is most known to have killed 50 million people in Europe it also ravaged Asia killing 25 million people. The Black Death is a type of plague called the Bubonic plague. Encyclopedia Britannica defines the Bubonic plague as, “an infectious disease caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis. Bubonic plague is the most commonly occurring type of plague and is characterized by the appearance of buboes—swollen, tender lymph nodes, typically found in the armpits and groin.” The Bubonic plague has surfaced nine times in human history: the Plague of Justinian (541-542), the Black Death (1346-1353), the Great Plague of Milan (1629-1631),…

    • 1230 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Black Death first arrived in Europe by sea and the sailors aboard were mostly dead by the time they reached the dock (Black Death). When the black death arrived in October 1347 there were 12 Genoese trading ships docked at the sicilian port of Messina after a long journey through the Black Sea (Black Death). When the Genoese trading ships docked within three year it had spread throughout the continent (Hallon, 254). Even before the “death ships” pulled into port at Messina, many Europeans had heard rumors about a “Great Pestilence” that was carving a deadly path across trade routes of the near and far East (Black Death). The sailors that had died or were near dying were covered with black boils that oozed blood and pus (Black Death).…

    • 626 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Black Death, or Black Plague, was one of the most devastating pandemics in human history. It began in south-western Asia and spread to Europe by the late 1340s, where it received its name Black Death. The total number of deaths worldwide from the pandemic are estimated at least 75 million people. The Black Death is estimated to have killed between a third and two-thirds of Europe's population.…

    • 677 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Black Death was caused by a bacteria named Yersinia Pestis. This bacteria was transferred from rats, to fleas, and then onto humans. This disease spread very quickly, because of the high number of rats in Europe. Also, health was not very important back then, so no one really cared about how clean anything was. Sanitary conditions were very bad, which only increased the number of victims. When someone was first infected, the bacteria moved from their bloodstream, traveling to the lymph nodes.Symptoms of the plague were body…

    • 703 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Plague: The Black Death

    • 267 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The black plague: The black plague also known as the black death started in the years 1346-1353 leading in the deaths of 75 to 200 million deaths, almost a third of the population. The black plague is also known as the black death because, of the dark patches on the skin caused by subcutaneous bleeding. The black plague was one of the most devastating pandemics in human history. A deadly epidemic known as the Sixth-Century Plague or Justinian's plague struck Constantinople and parts of southern Europe 800 years earlier. The Black Death returned several times throughout the rest of the century. (mid 14 century)…

    • 267 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Once the protestant reformation started and warfare had been happening. The declines of popes had begun to start.…

    • 218 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays