Black Death, Year 7, LES

What does this source tell us about the Black Death?

• It shows us where the Black Death took place

• It tells us something about the symptoms of the Black Death

• It shows us how people felt and taught about the Black Death

• It tells us how long the Black Death took place

Answer explanation

The source does not tell us concrete information like, time date or place. Neither did it show us the Black Death it self. It only shows us how people thought about the Black Death through painting chaos

2. What does this source tell you about the Black death?

1. Could you use this source on its own and know that it is about the Black Death?

Could someone with no knowledge about the Black Death, know this is a source about the Black Death

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Answer explanation

This image does not specifically show the Black Death. You would need another source that explains that people apologized to God by whipping themselves and thereby hoping the Black Death would disappear.

What does this source tell us about the explanation of the plague given by the Catholic Church in 1348?

• The plague was the result of a virus spread by rats and fleas.

• The plague was God's punishment for people's sins.

• The plague was a result of poor hygiene, which made it easy for rats to multiply.

• The plague was triggered by the bacterium "Yersinia Pestis".

Answer explanation

People wouldn't be whipping themselves if they thought it was someone else's fault.

This source tells us that people thought it was their fault or a punishment from God.

"If buboes (A symptom of the black death) appears... near the ear or the throat, take blood from the arm on that side, that is, from the vein between the thumb and the first finger. But if you have buboes in the groin, then open a vein in the foot between the big toe and its neighbor... At all events, bloodletting should be carried out when the Black Death first strikes."

This is a letter doctors sent out in 1350 CE.

What does this source tell us?

• The Christian doctors of Europe knew exactly how to react to the plague.

• The medical profession knew about bacteria but was unable to identify the bacterium.

• The medical profession, like the public, did not know of the existence of bacteria and therefore did not know what to do.

• The Church provided every possible support to the medical profession to help doctors identify the cause of the plague.

Which source tells you something about the measures people took to prevent getting the Black Death

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"The sailors brought in their bones a disease so violent that whoever spoke a word to them was infected and could in no way save himself from death. Those to who caught the disease by infection of the breath were experiencing pains all over the body. There then appeared, on a thigh or an arm, a pustule like a lentil (Buboes). From this, the infection penetrated the body and violent bloody vomiting began. It lasted for three days and there was no way of preventing its ending in death."

Michele di Piazze, letter (October 1347)

What does this source tell you about the Black Death? Write down as many reasons as possible

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