The Black Death began in the 1320s in Mongolia and spread through Asia and Europe by fleas on rats. It reached Europe in 1347 and killed over a third of the population by 1351. There were three main types: bubonic, pneumonic, and septicemic. The plague had huge social and economic impacts, including a labor shortage and increased wages for peasants. It also led to changes in religious practices and a shift toward individualism.

1. The Black Death By: Clarissa Funaki P.2

3. It was known as one of the most deadliest diseases in this time.

4. It was spread by fleas carried by rats and small rodents.

6. Since the towns and cities were so close together and populated with a lot of people, it was easy to pass on the disease.

7. The people who handled the dead bodies, easily caught the disease because they did not protect themselves.

8. If one person in a family caught the disease, soon enough the whole family would have it.

10. It began by swelling up the skin, turning it red at first, hut then as it got worse it turned dark purple and even black. If blood became exposed, it would be black, thick, and have a nasty smell.

11. A man named Giovanni Boccaccio lived through plague in Florence, Italy.

13. The most common one was the bubonic plague.

14. It caused the swelling of the skin, and turned it black. This was the main plague that swept Europe.

15. The symptoms of the pneumonic plague were different from the bubonic.

16. If you had pneumonic plague, you suffered chest pains mainly in the lungs and coughed up blood. If you had this disease, it was rare if you survived.

17. The last one was the septicemic plague.

19. Between 1320 and 1347, it killed twenty-five million people in some parts of Asia, as well as the Mideast.

20. In 1347 it arrives in Messina, Sicily, and spread to all of Sicily and Venice.

21. In 1348-1349, the plague goes through most of Italy, into France, and all the low countries.

23. There was an end in wars, and a drop in trade for a period of time.

24. Since so many labors had died, there was a mass reduction of agriculture. This deeply affected the growth of crops.

25. The few laborers that were left, had to substitute their wages on place of labor services.

27. The Black Death had an impact on human behavior and psychology.

28. The number of people that died in England in 1349, doubled compared to the number in 1340.

29. The result in many homes and fields abandoned, peasants took over tools and processions from their masters.

30. Since the population had decreased so much, prices went down dramatically. Peasants were able to purchase luxury goods that they had never before been able too.

32. Some areas experienced more death than others. It only took a couple of months for many to die, as the plague moved across the continent.

33. People became so helpless they started questioning their beliefs. No one knew who to believe or what to think.

34. Eventually, they no longer trusted the priests and practiced their religious ways on their own.

35. The Black Death led to individualism and gradually transformed medieval society.

36. This horrible disease killed many people and destroyed society.

39. Corozine, Phyllis, John Dunn M. The Black Death, Life During the Black Death. San Diego: Lucent Books, 1997, San Diego: Lucent Books, 2000.

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