by Rodney Crutchfield

Created on: March 16, 2009   Last Updated: June 09, 2009

The Bubonic Plague originated in the 7th century A.D. in Asia, but possibly the most devastating outbreak of the disease was in the form of the Black Death, which hit Europe starting in Italy in 1347, and spreading each year through 1353. There were many more outbreaks of the plague in Europe in the years to come, but none were as widespread or as catastrophic.

The Black Death came to Europe carried by flea infested black rats stowing away on an Italian merchant ship returning to Sicily from a trip to Caffa on the Black Sea. From there, it was only a short period of time until the disease spread to mainland Italy, southern France, and eventually most of Europe and the British Isles. The plague was spread either by the bite of infected rats or by the flea itself. Since all of Europe was basically rat infested, the spread of Black Death was epidemic in proportion in very little time. Added to this was the fact that no one at the time knew how it was spread, and people would leave cities for the countryside, hoping to avoid the plague, but unknowingly carrying it with them.

The plague was called the Black Death because, after infection, a person's lymph glands would swell and large nodules, black in color, would appear especially under the arms and in the groin area. Since the mortality rate of the disease was so high, it was almost impossible to find anyone to treat the sick or to bury the dead. It was said by one observer that when the illness struck a household, fathers would abandon their children and wives would abandon their husbands. Due to everyone being afraid of infection, the bodies of the dead often littered the streets until some brave souls would collect them and bury them in a mass grave.

By the time this outbreak of the plague had run its course in 1351, it is estimated that possibly 38 million people out of Europe's then 75 million population had died. Especially hard hit were the crowded cities of Italy, often losing 50- 60 % of their population.

One of the main impacts of the Black Death was the dissolution of serfdom in most countries. Until this point, peasants had been bound to the land and their masters or lords in a slave-like manner. After the plague, labor was in such demand that it was much easier for serfs to win their freedom and hire themselves out for a higher wage

There was also an outbreak of anti-Semitism. In some towns, Jews were accused of poisoning the water system, causing the onset of the plague. Some of the worst attacks on Jews happened in Germany, causing the Jews to migrate to Poland and the protection of a sympathetic king.

In summary, because of the decrease in population, the labor demand went up, but the demand for food went down, causing a drop in prices. These price decreases led Europe into period of deflation lasting for the next hundred years. Serfdom and feudalism also fell victim to the plague, with freed men hiring themselves out for higher wages or becoming merchants. In many ways, even though the plague was certainly tragic, it did help to bring about these changes which would eventually modernize Europe.

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