The Black Death | Top 5 Facts
Rats, fleas and big black buboes, here’s five shocking facts on the Black Death.
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Can you answer this quick question about the terrible disease?
Where did the Black Death first land in England?
A) Southampton
B) Weymouth
C) Dover
Email your answer to [email protected]. Good luck!
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There were some crazy cures!
The Black Death peaked in Europe during the mid 14th century and struck at a time when the knowledge of disease, was…well…pretty terrible. No one in the Middle Ages had any idea about germs so lots of zany ideas were put forward. These included cutting open buboes, drinking your own urine and even placing a live hen next to the swelling to cure it of its witchcraft. Needless to say, none of them worked and we all know what really spread the disease...
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The death toll was off the scale
The disease is still one of the most devastating ever to hit the human race. 800 people a day died in Paris alone and up to 200 million in total are believed to have perished in just three years in the mid 14th century. That’s an astonishing 2 thirds of the European population! In other words, it’s the same as the entire population of Brazil being wiped off the face of the Earth.
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It wasn’t always called the Black Death
After the largest outbreak, the disease continued to affect Europe for centuries afterwards. The term ‘Black Death’ is actually very recent and at the time it was known as ‘The Great Mortality’ or ‘The Pestilence’. The reason for the Black Death name is either the disease’s ability to kill flesh, turning it black or the bleakness it caused to the human race.
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Beak masked doctors are a Black Death myth
An enduring symbol of the Black Death are the beaked plague doctors who packed their snout full of sweet smells to protect from the miasmas that were believed to have caused the disease. However, these bird like doctors were not around during the period and only appeared later, in 17th century outbreaks.
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It changed society
All the death and destruction caused by the Black Death changed the way Europe was run. As the dwindling population came to terms with what was happening, some became depressed, others went mad and others lived out their last few days immorally while some simply accepted their fate. Many thought it was genuinely the end of the world. As the largest outbreak of the disease died down, the lower classes demanded change and the Feudal System and the ways of old began to disappear. It took 150 years for the population to recover. Did the Black Death help instigate the Renaissance? Quite possibly.