preview

Bubonic Plague Dbq Essay

Decent Essays

In a time of political failure, economic disintegration, and constant religious disagreement, Europe was already entering the Dark Ages. Then, in the 14th century, the Black Death struck. A disease transmitted through infected flea carrying rats, the Bubonic Plague was devastating to European society not only because it was highly contagious and very lethal, but also because it had unknown origins. A highly contagious disease, the Bubonic Plague, spread swiftly throughout European trade routes. It is believed that the disease originated in China, and spread to Europe via the Afro-Eurasian trade network. The great contagion of the black death is reflected in Document 1. The first record of the black death in Europe was on June 30th, 1347, …show more content…

Appropriately nicknamed the “Black Death”, the plague often “began with swellings in the groin and armpit, in both men and women, some of which were as big as apples. (Doc 2)” The disease then “began to take on qualities of a deadly sickness, and the body would be covered with dark and livid spots, which would appear in great numbers. (Doc 2)” These symptoms were quickly followed by death. The lethalness of the disease is expressed in Document 4, which describes the burial of the deceased as “layers of cheese in a lasagna.” In other words, there were too many dead for each one to have his or her own grave. More concrete statistical evidence can be found in Documents 8 and 9. According to Document 8, population decline per region ranged from 20% to 37%, with over 4.5 million deaths in France, 1.2 million in England and Wales, and 16.2 million deaths throughout all of Europe combined. Document 9 also shows similar long term results as Europe’s population fell from 83 million to 60 million between 1345 and 1400. This astronomically high death rate didn’t only impact the emotional and social stability of all who remained alive, but also sent Europe into complete bankruptcy, destroying trade, agriculture, and

Get Access