Notes on the Black Plague
by
Paulette Damm, HIS 111, April 2008

 
 

Introduction

Scholars have differing opinions as to when the earliest outbreak of the bubonic plague occurred in Europe. But certainly the best known pandemic of bubonic plague (known commonly as the Black Death) occurred in the Middle Ages in the 1300s. There were three kinds of plague: the bubonic plague, the pneumonic plague which affected the lungs, and the septic plague, which affected the blood. None of those stricken by the pneumonic or septic plague survived. Among those who got the bubonic plague, a few survived. The bubonic plague usually started with shivers, followed by a high fever. Some people got a nosebleed, others started to cough blood and all of the sick had a nasty smell and horrible breath. Most got headaches and thought their head would burst. The ill suffered terrible thirst and could not get enough to drink. They also got apple-sized boils in their armpits, groin, or neck. When the disease affected the brain, some got confused or went insane. About half of those who were ill died within 24 hours.

The bubonic plague was spread by fleas which lived on rats and humans. It started in Asia and traveled to Europe by rat-infested Italian ships trading goods across the Mediterranean Sea. The plague reached England by 1348, and by 1351 it had killed over a million people. As the people died out so did the plague. Although the Black Plague is considered a disease of the Middle Ages outbreaks are still reported worldwide, the most recent in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The disease can now be treated with antibiotics although the most virulent forms will still kill if not treated within 24 hours.

Effect on European Civilization contains an excellent summary of the effects that the Black Death had on Europe. In an effort to satisfy my own interest in the impact of disease in world history I have found some very readable books and useful websites that were able to provide a considerable amount information about the Black Death. Here is a listing of some of the internet material I have discovered and a brief description/evaluation of each.


Some Images:

carrying a dying man through the streets during the Black Death
Hulton Archive/Getty Images
The Black Death in a European town

Map of Black Plague Progress
The Plague's Progress

Burying Plague Victims
Citizens of Tournai bury plague victims. These are fortunate to have coffins. Most victims were interred in mass graves.

 
 

Website descriptions:

How Stuff Works - How the Black Death Worked - by Molly Edwards

history.howstuffworks.com/middle-ages/black-death.htm

The How Stuff Works site is an amazing resource for finding out how something (almost everything) works. I was able to easily retrieve much information regarding the black plague through the ages as well as for the Middle Ages. This site is easy to navigate and includes search capability. The sources of information for each topic are identified and information on the author's credibility is provided on the site. The accuracy of the site's information can be easily verified as all information sources are clearly listed. No grammatical or spelling errors were present. There is no bias or alternative agenda associated with this site there is however commercial advertising.

British History - Middle Ages - Black Death - by Dr. Mike Ibeji www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/middle_ages/black_01.shtml

This Black Death site from BBC - History is a rich source of information on the Black Death in Europe. I was able to easily retrieve the information provided. This site is easy to navigate and includes printing and search capability. The sources of information for each topic are identified and information on the author's credibility is provided on the site. The accuracy of the site's information can be easily verified as all information sources are clearly listed. No grammatical or spelling errors were present. There is no bias or alternative agenda associated with this site there is however commercial advertising.

The Middle Ages - The Black Death - by Skip Knox
history.boisestate.edu/westciv/plague

This Black Death site from Boise State contains an extensive amount of information about the Black Death. This site is easy to navigate and includes search capability. The sources of information for each topic are not well identified and information on the author's credibility requires additional research. The accuracy of the site's information must be assumed as very little of the information is backed up by a source. No grammatical or spelling errors were present. There is no bias or alternative agenda associated with this site and there is no commercial advertising.

The Middle Ages.Net - The Black Death: Bubonic Plague - www.themiddleages.net/plague.html

This Black Death site from the Middle Ages.Net is a rather rich site in itself that has been enhanced with the addition of links to other sites (EyeWitness to History, Public Health in Renaissance Europe, and Insecta Inspecta World) in order to provide even more content. I was able to retrieve the internal site information regarding the black plague easily but the external site information did not always return me to my original point of origin in Middle Ages.Net. This site is easy to navigate and includes search capability. The sources of information for each topic are identified and information on the credibility of every author involved (internally and externally) is provided. The accuracy of the site's information can be only be verified by researching all information sources. No grammatical or spelling errors were present. There is no bias or alternative agenda associated with this site there is however commercial advertising.

ABC Science - Black Death Discriminated between Victims - by Will Dunham www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2008/01/29/2149185.htm

This Black Death entry (Black Death discriminated between victims) from ABC Science is small but certainly worth the time for review. With links to external sites it contains compelling evidence for the notion that the Black Death struck those individuals already in poor health in greater proportion to those in good health. This site requires no navigation except to external sites which are easily navigated. The sources of information are well identified and information on the author's credibility requires no additional research. The accuracy of the site's information can be researched easily. No grammatical or spelling errors were present. There is no bias or alternative agenda associated with this site and there is little commercial advertising.

Historyworld.Net - The History of the Black Death - www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/PlainTextHistories.asp?HistoryID=ab94&ParagraphID=#  This Black Death site from Historyworld.Net contains an extensive amount of information about the spread of infection and poisoned wells (an effort to explain the cause of the Black Death - interestingly but not surprisingly attributed to the Jews resulting in their persecution and flight into Poland and Russia). Although only a page in length the internal links enhance the information provided. Attempts to find out more about Jewish persecution during the Black Plague did not result in much additional information. This site is easy to navigate and includes search capability. The sources of information for each topic are not well identified and information on the author's credibility requires additional research. The accuracy of the site's information must be assumed as very little of the information is backed up by a source. No grammatical or spelling errors were present. There is no bias or alternative agenda associated with this site and there is no commercial advertising.

British History - Middle Ages - Black Death: The lasting impact - by Professor Tom James www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/middle_ages/black_impact_01.shtml

This Black Death (lasting impact) site from BBC - History is another rich resource for finding more information on the lasting impact the Black Death had on Europe. I was able to easily retrieve the information provided. This site is easy to navigate and includes printing and search capability. The sources of information for each topic are identified and information on the author's credibility is provided on the site. The accuracy of the site's information can be easily verified as all information sources are clearly listed. No grammatical or spelling errors were present. There is no bias or alternative agenda associated with this site there is however commercial advertising.

A photograph of a lone grave stone surrounded by trees
Villages lost up to a third of their populations during the Black Death.

ps.

Another excellent website is The Bubonic Plague in Europe from the Warts Information Center, of all things!
 
 

This page is copyright © 2009-16, P. Damm and C.T. Evans
For information contact cevans@nvcc.edu