DIFFERING RESPONSES TO BLACK DEATH: CHRISTIAN

AND MUSLIM

In 1346 European traders began to hear reports about earthquakes, floods, locusts, famine, and

plague in faraway China. They knew very little then that the plague they were hearing about would

follow the same trade routes to the Middle East, North Africa, and Europe that they themselves used.

(doc. 1) In five short years, the plague killed between 25 and 45% of the populations it encountered.

(doc 2) So how different were the Christian and Muslim responses? In 1348 Christianity and Islam

came face to face with the Black Death. (doc. 3A) In truth, Muslims and Christians responded in many

different ways. Their ideas for what caused the Black Death were somewhat different from each other

also. Even the way they thought they could cure the disease was almost entirely different. With

evidence and accounts of people that exist from the Bubonic Plague, one may come to a conclusion

that Christians were actually much more out of control than Muslims were during this time of need.

Responses that Christians made were much different from Muslims during the Bubonic Plague.

William Dene described Christians as being in such chaos that “The labourers and skilled workmen

were imbued with such a spirit of rebellion that neither king, law nor justice would curb them.” (doc.

6) What Dene is basically describing is that because of the Black Death Christians were in such moral

disarray that they were starting to become completely out of control. Dene also stated in is writing

that “The people for the greater part ever became more depraved, more prone to every vice and more

inclined than before to evil and wickedness, not thinking of death nor of the past plague nor of their

own salvation.” (doc. 6) Christians were throwing away their religion and were slipping into a life of

wickedness and evil. Ibn Battuta describes in that “(As a result of the plague) the