© boardworks ltd 2003 why was the black death so terrifying?

© Boardworks Ltd 2003

Why was the Black Death so Why was the Black Death so Terrifying?Terrifying?


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What was the Black Death?What was the Black Death?

The Black Death is more commonly called the plague. In the fourteenth century it spread rapidly across Europe and caused a massive reduction in population.

People who caught the disease had swellings on their bodies, sometimes as big as eggs. Then the black spots would appear, which gave the disease its name.

A Medieval Description of the Plague:

“…emergence of certain tumours in the groin or armpits, some of which grew as large as a common apple. Black spots appeared on the arm or the thigh…”

Why do you think people called this disease the “Black Death”?


Were any of these ideas correct?


The Spread of the PlagueThe Spread of the Plague


How did the Plague Spread?How did the Plague Spread?

There were two types of plague:

Bubonic Plague was the more common and is carried in the bloodstream of rats. Fleas bite the rats and become infected. They then hop onto humans, bite them and pass on the disease.

Pneumonic Plague was more deadly. It is caught by breathing in the germs when an infected person coughs or sneezes


How did the Plague get to Britain?How did the Plague get to Britain?

The Black Death travelled along the trading routes. Merchants ships frequently had rats on board. The ones which got on in China and India, where it is thought the disease began, transferred the disease to the sailors on board who transferred it to people working at the docks where they landed.

Where do you think the plague first broke out in each country and why?


The Spread of the PlagueThe Spread of the Plague

“In the East in a place near India there were horrors and storms for three days. On the first day, out of the sky fell frogs, snakes, lizards…and other poisonous animals. On the second day there was thunder and lightning…On the third day fire and stinking smoke came down from heaven. This killed all the remaining men and animals…” Description of the Plague, 1345 by the chronicler of the Italian town of Este

“In the month of August 1348, after the evening sun began to set, a very bright star appeared above Paris…The star seemed much nearer the earth than stars usually are…it seemed to me…that the star stayed in one place…At last darkness fell. Then to the amazement of all of us, the star split up into many different rays. It shed these rays towards the east, over Paris. The star then completely disappeared.” Description of the plague reaching France by Jean de Venette, Friar

What do these sources tell you about the sort of reasons people

were giving to how the plague started? Why did many people blame God?


How did People try to Prevent the Plague?How did People try to Prevent the Plague?

Medical Remedies

by Guy de Chauliac:“[Toads] should be placed on the plague boil. The toad will swell and draw out the poison of the plague to its own body…”

It was thought that by bleeding people, they could get rid of the bad blood which caused the plague.

Flagellants were people who believed that if they whipped themselves and hurt themselves, God would take pity on them .

Would any of these actually work?


The Effects of the Black DeathThe Effects of the Black DeathIt is believed that at least one person in every three died from the Black Death.

50%

Exeter

49%

Norwich

48%

Ely

Percentage of Priests dying from the Black Death

Why do you think that a

higher percentage of

priests died than ordinary people?


Was the Black Death all Bad?Was the Black Death all Bad?Some good things did come out of the Black Death.

In many areas, villages were deserted, so there was more good land for people to grow crops on. In many areas, village populations were greatly reduced, so villagers could ask for higher wages, and serfs could demand their freedom.

“At Woodeaton there were only two farmers left and they would have gone away if the abbot had not made a new agreement with them to reduce their work service…” from the records of Eynsham Abbey, c.1385

“As soon as masters accuse their workers of bad work…they leave quickly and find jobs in new places at higher wages. Masters dare not upset their workers…” from Introduction to a Law, 1376


What do you notice about the growth of population before and then after the plague?


What do you notice about wages as population drops?


Summary

Drag and drop the words so that they complete the gaps in the sentences


Incorrect!

Avoid breathing in bad smells

Eat more fruit and vegetables

Burn the bodies of victims

Although the pneumonic plague could be caught from other people’s breath, it

had nothing to with bad smells in general

Pneumonic plague was spread by breath, bubonic plague was spread by rats and

their fleas, a corpse could not infect people

Although a healthy diet is important generally, it is no defence against beinginfected by a flea bite or airborne germs


Correct!Correct!

Inspect ships coming into Britain from overseas

Disposing of sewage and rubbish quickly

People spread pneumonic plague.Fleas spread bubonic plague, butboth rats and people transported the fleas, so preventing movementcould help to contain the spread

Because rats and their fleas spread bubonic plague, preventing

them form thriving would prevent the spread of plague

Rats and fleas from the Eastbrought plague to Britain. Ships with plague on board should not

have been allowed to unload.

Ban the movement ofpeople from villages with

outbreaks of plague


Only one of the following slides has statements correctly listed under science and religion or myth? Which is it?Remember, Science: can be provenReligion/myth: cannot be proven (just people’s beliefs….and often means people are wrong)

• A) Science

•Fleas spread bubonic plague•rats carried fleas

•bleeding could get rid of bad blood•priests were more likely to die than commoners

•Toads could draw out the infection•whipping could show God people were sorry

•sneezing spread pneumonic plague•bad smells carried plague

Religion/myth


• B) Science

Religion/myth


•sneezing spread pneumonic plague•priests were more likely to die than commoners

•Toads could draw out the infection•whipping could show God people were sorry

•bleeding could get rid of bad blood•bad smells carried plague


• C) Science

Religion/myth


•bleeding could get rid of bad blood•Toads could draw out the infection

•priests were more likely to die than commoners•whipping could show God people were sorry

•sneezing spread pneumonic plague•bad smells carried plague


• D) Science

Religion/myth


•bleeding could get rid of bad blood•sneezing spread pneumonic plague

•priests were more likely to die than commoners •Toads could draw out the infection

•whipping could show God people were sorry•bad smells carried plague


The answer is BThe answer is B

• If you had been around during the Black Death, do you think you would have fallen for the myths and religious explanations?

• Why do you think people came up with these ideas

fear confusion

Rats and fleas live

blameThe Church

Clues:


1. Why was this disease known as the 1. Why was this disease known as the Black Death?Black Death?

• A) it was caused by black rats

• B) black spots appeared on the victims body

• C) it killed in the night

• D) victims coughed up black fluid as they died


2. Why did some people called 2. Why did some people called flagellants whip themselves?flagellants whip themselves?

• A) to bleed out the bad blood

• B) to forget the pain of the disease

• C) so God would not want to punish them any more

• D) it was their punishment for spreading the plague


3. Where did the plague begin?3. Where did the plague begin?

• A) China & India

• B) Africa

• C) France

• D) Russia


4. Which of the following is TRUE?4. Which of the following is TRUE?

• A) The bubonic plague was spread by the bite of an infected rat.

• B) The bubonic plague was spread by the bite of an infected flea.

• C) The pneumonic plague was spread by the bite of an infected rat.

• D) The pneumonic plague was spread by the bite of an infected flea.


5. Which of the following facts are NOT 5. Which of the following facts are NOT LINKED?LINKED?

• A) dirty conditions in medieval Britain encouraged rats…….flea bites were common and so plague spread easily

• B) Plague was in southern Europe before it arrived in northern Europe………by the 1300s trade by ship was common.

• C) Plague killed about one third of people in Britain……in 1351 wages were very high in Britain.

• D) One medical remedy was to place a boiled toad on the victim to draw out poison…….priests were more likely to die than ordinary people.

© boardworks ltd 2003 why was the black death so terrifying?

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