The Black Death

The Black Death

The History of the Bubonic Plague

Open Ended

Describe what you see in this image. What is happening? There are no wrong answers. Please use complete sentences.

Multiple Choice

What percentage of Europeans died within 4 years of the plague?

• 25%

• 50%

• 75%

• 100%

Multiple Choice

What were two ways the plague changed the life of people in the middle ages for the better?

• There was more food to go around and survivors could fight off diseases better

• There were better doctors who knew what caused the disease

• People knew that washing their hands and social distancing was important

The Spread of the Plague

• The bubonic plague - named the Black Death by later historians - was caused by the yersinia pestis bacteria, which lived in rodent populations and was spread by fleas that had bitten infected animals.

What was the impact of the disease?

• Once the plague transferred to animals that were in close contact with humans and to humans themselves, it began to spread along established trade routes.

• The spread of disease and trade went hand in hand, and no event illustrates this relationship better than the outbreak of the bubonic plague in the mid-14th century

Multiple Choice

How was the disease spread throughout Europe?

• In the mail

• Festivals

• Trade Routes

The impact of the disease on Feudalism

• There was a shift in power from nobles to the common people. One reason for this was a desperate need for workers because so many people had died. The workers who were left could, therefore, demand more money and more rights.

impact on Feudalism

• In addition, many peasant and some serfs abandoned feudal manors and moved to towns and cities, seeking better opportunities. This led to a weakening of the manor system and a loss of power for feudal lords.

Other impacts of the Black Death

The fear and confusion caused by the plague sometimes led to violence, in part because of a lack of medical knowledge regarding how the plague spread. Jews, Romani, lepers, and other religious and cultural minorities were sometimes blamed for causing or spreading the plague and became targets of attacks. It should be noted that the plague did not cause these social tensions, but rather created a context that made these tensions stronger and more likely to lead to violence.

Open Ended

How did the plague disrupt economic and social activity?