Transcript The Effects of The Bubonic Plague

The Effects of the
“Black Plague”
in Europe
Background: The Black Plague
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Also famously known as “Black Death”
Started in eastern europe-1348
Took 3 years to spread
Killed 25+ million people, 1/3 of the Europe population
caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis
Spread bubonically, pneumonically, septicemically
kills about 2/3 of infected patients in 2–6 days without
treatment
It spread by infected fleas attaching themselves to rats
and then to humans
Effects on the People
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Death:
-slow, painful
-life expectancy up to 1 week
Bubonic (most common form)
-enlarged and inflamed lymph nodes in arms,
neck, groin
-headaches, nausea, aching joints,
high fever, vomiting, extreme fatigue
Pneumonic (2nd most common form)
-airborne
-infected lungs
-sputum (saliva, mucus, blood) spat out
Septicemic (least common form)
- high fever
-skin turned deep purple from DIC (disseminated intravascular coagulation)
-*certain death almost always same day as symptoms appeared
Effects on the People (continued)
Children
-abandoned by parents who did/not suffer from plague
-female children especially unlucky because parents favored male
children to carry on the family name
Adults and the Elderly
- could not care for children, help or get needs
-marriage rate rose rapidly (men married rich orphans/widows)
-doctors suffered-couldn’t cure patients
* Huge increase in violence
Effects on Economy
Lack of peasants/laborers-higher wages
 Value of land dropped
 Serfs gained power
 Decrease in architects, unfinished castles/churches
 Basically, labor shortage  no action being taken
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Effects on Art and Music
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Changed as depression surrounded
Before the Black Death, music was happy
During the Black Death, music sounded dismal
or never played
Skeletons- reoccurring symbol in art
Plague was depicted in art: suffering and
carnage
Style of danse macabre – Dance of Death
“Black Death”
By Gilles Le Muisit
“The Dance of Death”
Hans Holbein the
Younger
Effects on the Church
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Christian church- one of the groups that
suffered most
Promised cures, treatments
Explained to victims that it was God’s will but
the reason for punishment was unknown
No answers
Clergy abandoned duties
Effects on Politics
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Was not drastic but took its toll
King Alfonso XI of Castile was the only reigning
monarch to die of the plague
The Hundred Years' War was suspended in
1348 because so many soldiers died, but later
resumed