The Black Death

The Black Death

From the mid 15th to the early 16th centuries, a terrible plague that killed millions struck Europe-The Black Death. During this period of time two important factors helped spread this disease throughout Europe; the Age of Discovery and trade. The Age of Discovery sparked a new interest in foreign lands, so the people started to trade there. The plague was primarily spread by rats that were on the trading ships. Many people were scared that the plague would eventually spread to their town when traders came and then they would become a victim to it. This fear caused many to take drastic measures like isolating themselves from the community and being extremely cautious when deciding what to buy. Gradually, people overcame their fear and they started to go back to their regular routines and communicate with others.

One of the major actions taken by the people of Europe during the time of the Black Death was isolation. When the plague hit, fear swept over the people. Noone wanted the disease and to make sure that they didn't get it people started to stay away from the community. When the plague killed students, enrollment rates at those schools went down and people didn't go to get an education. Instead they stayed in their homes where it was safe. They went out only when they absolutely needed to and when they did it was only to get food. Many were reluctant to buy goods and they thought that if they bought something it might be infected. People blocked roads and highways so that visitors couldn't get in and trading decreased because cities blocked their ports from foreign ships. This had a large negative effect on European countries. When people isolated themselves, goods weren't sold and when goods weren't sold, the economy went down. Countries became self sufficient because everyone was worried that if they interacted with other countries they would get the disease.

People became greedy and irrational. Those that had the plague hung toads around their necks because they thought that this would "draw the poison of the disease." They did this because of their of their desire to communicate with others. When people had the disease, no one wanted to interact with them because they didn't want to catch it. People with the disease's solution to this problem was wearing the toad around their neck. If others saw them wearing it, they would interact with them and think that the disease was gone. People cared about themselves more than they did about others. Crime and scandal took place that took advantage of the plague. Power and money were main elements during this time. Those that wanted power would offer others money to do dirty deeds that would make them ruler quicker.

When something went wrong in the Middle Ages, people thought that it was God's way of punishing them for something that they did. So it was no surprise that religious element was strong during the Black Death. Although many people during this time cared only about themselves, there were some that cared about others, such as the clergy. They took in the people that had the plague and cared for them, even though that gave them a better chance of catching the disease. They did this because it was part of their duty to do so.

As time went on, people had less fear and began to go about with their daily routines without caution. Ports reopened and trading started to take plague again. Some were bold enough to travel to other places even though they knew that the plague was still there. This was because their artistic desire to see Europe overpowered their fear of the plague.

The 15th and 16th centuries for Europe had a huge impact on the people of the time. Countries became isolated and self-sufficient, but as time progressed the fear of catching the disease wore off a good amount. People went back to their normal routines and eventually the plague disappeared. This time in history is a great example of how peoples thoughts change over time. If Europe had stayed isolated the entire time, their economy could of completely collapsed and Europe might not have been what it is today.