Mid-Term Essay
Consequences Of The Black Plague
What were the consequences of the Black Plague? "How was the Black
Plague made?" Some people ask, "Where did it originate?" Other people
might ask. The Black Plague started around the year 1347 to 1352 in
medieval Europe. The army of Kipchak khan Janibeg caused it. They
catapulted dead bodies over the wall of Genoese, so they could kill the people
in the walls so they could besiege it without problems. They didn't know that
they catapulted dead bodies into one of the busiest trading ports. The Black
Plague spread across Sicily, North Africa, Italy, Spain, France, Austria,
Hungary, Switzerland, Germany, etcetera, because the traders would get
infected and travel. It didn't help that rats also carried the disease. The biggest
question remains: What were the consequences of the Black Plague?
One of the many consequences of the Black Plague was the number of
lives the plague took, about 350,00 to 450,000 people or ⅓ of the population.
Imagine A once beautiful land in chaos. The pandemic destroyed entire
communities and families. Children left without parents, and sometimes it
was the other way around. It was the parents watching their children die. The
plague took up to 90% percent of the population in China. According to my
source, up to 35 million Europeans died. Many people fled, leaving behind
crops on their farms to go and survive the plague. Oddly enough, many
people fled to larger cities leaving their small villages, which had also been
torn apart by the epidemic. Many believed that the black plague was God's
wrath, and he was punishing the sinful. Oddly enough, the Black Plague had
affected architecture by introducing a Gothic-like style too; churches, castles,
housing, and other various buildings.
On a better note, the land was cheaper because of the population's
decrease, so now the average peasant could buy some land. Food had become
a bit more affordable, and as peasants bought this now free land, they
climbed through the social class and were no longer peasants. The practice of
medicine was significantly altered as well. Doctors at that time used a form
of medical practice called alchemy. These doctors would brew potions and
medicines to cure diseases, but these potions didn't work half the time and
typically made the patient sicker. Doctors also dressed in a Plague Doctor suit
with a wide-brimmed black hat, a gas mask with a long beak, and a black
coat. They would also carry a walking stick.
In conclusion, It took a long time for the human population to recover,
but we eventually made it. The Black Plague affected many people. Many
people died, and the economy suffered due to the lack of people. This was
due to the risk of contracting the Black Plague or transferring it onto someone
else. The way we built buildings had changed. A lot of people have changed
the way they look at religion. Peasants moved up in the social class as they
could afford land and decent food. Due to the tragedy, doctors had become
more knowledgeable and could move from Alchemy to a more scientific way
of doing things.
Sources:
Consequences of the Black Death - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (umich.edu)
https://www.britannica.com/event/Black-Death/Effects-and-significance