The Black Death And Its Effect On Medieval Europe

The Black Death had profound effects on Medieval Europe. Although most people did not realize it at the time, the Black Death had not only marked the end of one age but it also denoted the beginning of a new one, namely the Renaissance. Between 1339 and 1351, a pandemic of plague called the Black Death, traveled from China to Europe affecting the importance of cities, creating economic and demographic crises as 2/3rd of the European population was eradicated. In the beginning, the Italian town of Genoa was one of the busiest ports in Europe. Ships sailed from there to trade all over the Mediterranean Sea. In October of 1347, 12 merchant ships sailed to Italy. After docking, it was discovered that a strange disease had infected the†¦show more content†¦They grew to the size of a small apple or an egg, more or less, and were vulgarly called tumours. In a short space of time these tumours spread from the two parts named all over the body. Soon after this the symptoms changed and black or purple spots appeared on the arms or thighs or any other part of the body, sometimes a few large ones, sometimes many little ones. These spots were a certain sign of death, just as the original tumour had been and still remained.† (Boccaccio, 1353) The bubonic plague was the most commonly seen form of the Black Death. The symptoms of the bubonic plague were swellings called buboes, much like tumors, and dried blood under the skin that appeared black. These buboes appeared on the neck, groin, and armpits of the victim’s body. The term bubonic refers to the characteristic bubo or enlarged lymphatic gland. Victims were subject to headaches, nausea, aching joints, fever of 101-105 degrees, vomiting, and a general feeling of illness. Symptoms took from 1-7 days to appear. No medical advice or medications could help relieve or kill the Black Plague. In fact, the filthy and dense conditions in which they were living allowed for the bacteria to flourish. Very few recovered from the disease because there was no medical treatment available. The plague was highly contagious and could be spread veryShow MoreRelated The Black Death in Medieval Europe Essay1612 Words   |  7 PagesThe Black Death in Medieval Europe The Bubonic Plague, more commonly referred to as the Black Death, ravaged Europe between the years 1347 and 1350 (Herzog, 2000). During this short period, according to Herzog (2000), 25 million people (which were about one third of Europes population at the time) were killed. In another article, Herlihy (1997), however, claimed that two thirds of Europe’s population were killed. 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