Black Death Impact On Society

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Impact of the Black Death Yolanda Bellamy HIS 103 Marek McKenna July 2, 2012 Impact of the Black Death The Black Death also known as Bubonic Plague was all names for the horrible outbreak that claimed the lives of many during an inordinate period of our history. It is believed that the plague began in China many years before its arrival in Europe. From 243BC to 1911 million were reported dead; the cause of death reported as the Black Death. “It is estimated that, when it was over, the epidemic had killed at least 25 million people or approximately one-fourth of the population of Europe”. (Christakos, Olea. 2005) The impact from this outbreak was one of profound nature during such a time in history. This paper will explain the causes…show more content…
One of the groups that were affected was the religious aspect. The Black Death often led to cynicism toward religious officials. No one, not even the Church, was able to cure the plague outbreaks. In the religious sector there was a theory of how the plague was spreading through air, and was referred to as miasma, or "bad air". This caused society to doubt in the clergy's abilities. It was a common belief at the time that the plague was due to “God’s wrath, caused by the sins of mankind”. Certain stories began to form in Germany, about miracles that emerged from their efforts, such as a child being revived from the dead and a talking cow. These stories further fueled the belief that the flagellants were more effective than church…show more content…
The pestilence returned Europe's population roughly its level c. 1100. The Black Death, unlike other catastrophes, destroyed people but not property and the attenuated population was left with the whole of Europe's resources to exploit, resources far more substantial by 1347 than they had been two and a half centuries earlier, when they had been created from the ground up. In this environment, survivors also benefited from the technological and commercial skills developed during the course of the high Middle Ages. Viewed from another perspective, the Black Death was such a cataclysmic event and the retrenchment was inevitable, but it ultimately diminished economic impediments and opened new opportunity for society. Works Cited Bailey, Mark D. "Demographic Decline in Late Medieval England: Some Thoughts on Recent Research." Economic History Review 49 (1996): 1—19. Benedictow, Ole J. The Black Death, 1346—1353: The Complete History. Woodbridge, Suffolk: Boydell Press, 2004. Bentley, J., Ziegler, H., and Streets, H. (2008). Traditions and encounters: A brief global history (3rd ed.). New York : McGraw Hill. ISBN: 9780073534534 Joseph P. Byrne, The Black Death (London: Greenwood Predd, 2004) Sanders, T., Nelson, S., Morillo, S., and Ellenberger, N. (2006). Encounters in world history: Sources and themes from the global post volume one:
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