Special Sub-Topic: The Black Death Click Here To Play: The Black Death

The Black Death continued to appear after medieval times.

t. In 1347 A.D. a ship returned to Sicily from the Middle East, bringing with it the Black Death. (It had started in Mongolia). Though the worst outbreak was in medieval times, it kept reappearing. Some examples are in London in 1665 and in Marseilles around 1715.

What were the actual disease(s) nicknamed the Black Death?

Bubonic Plague, Pneumonic Plague. They were called the Black Death because the black swelling the bubonic plauge caused( It was much more common.) At the time it was called the 'great plague' or the 'great pestilence'. The term 'Black Death' appears to date from the early 1830s.

Where in Europe did people have the best chance of avoiding the Black Death?

Poland. Amazingly, most of Poland wasn't affected in in the 1350 outbreak. Definitely not Italy because that's where the ship landed! Spain and The Holy Roman Empire were close. Poland's isolation meant it didn't get the plague until the 1360s and 1370s.

What was the best way to repel the plague?

Stay away from other people as far as possible and avoid rats. Fleas living on infected rats are what spread the plague, and contact with other people didn't help. If you stayed in bed all day you were more likely to be bitten. At church you were also likely get a flea bite. ( No offence to Christians)

If you got sick what would people do to your door?

Mark it with a red cross. They would mark it so others would know not to go in. If you were dead, people wearing bird masks (to protect them from the plague) would throw you on to a cart and then bury you.

Which of these is now widely thought to have played a key role in the spread of the Black Death?

The start of the Little Ice Age. A series of very poor harvests in 1314-17 and cold, wet weather followed by further cooling and famine are widely thought to have marked the begining of the Little Ice Age. It meant that when the Black Death reached Europe in 1347 much of the population was already physically weak from undernourishment. Black rats (with fleas) multiplied very well in the cold and crowded conditions and therfore many people got bitten and then killed.

What group of men thought the Black Death was a punishment from God and went from town to town whipping themselves?

The Flagellants. The Merry Men are from Robin Hood. The College of Cardinals are a group of church figures that elects the Pope. Crusaders were the people who traveled to the Holy Land to win it back from the Muslims. Flagellation remained popular for the rest of the Middle Ages and beyond.

What actually spread the Black Death?

Fleas. It was fleas who lived on rats who spread the disease. The fleas got infected, then bit the rats and got them sick, then the fleas bit the people. Then humans spread it by coughing, sneezing, etc.

Which years was MOST of Europe infected?

1347-1349. After beginning in Italy, traders from Venice quickly spread it to southern Germany and Austria. From Genoa it spread to Spain and Marseilles. It continued to spread when it hit Paris in early June, 1348. From there it spread later the same month to England. It finally reached the Low Countries in the summer of 1349.

When was the worst outbreak of the Black Plague?

1350s. A good reason it was the worst was because people just threw trash and such out the window and people were just getting used to the Little Ice Age. Thanks for playing and please comment and rate.