Tuesday, July 23rd, 1349
The Medieval Times
Black Death Strikes Europe
Written by Shalena Lazoruk, and Monica Camplair.
Renaissance Italy;
As we look around us we see death, people dying. The black Death, also
known as the bubonic plague, came in 1346, and has left millions dead.
Trade is parTly being blamed for The breakouT. “ my manor has gone
bankrupT”, saTed lord Jacob Salvatore, “ nobody wants to work because
they are going to die anyways, and those who do choose to work require
more pay.” farming has become difficulT, because The laborers have
chosen to enjoy their last days instead Of slaving away. People are
Questioning the church and Losing faith
in both the church And god. The pope is
saying that The plague is a punishment
from God, buT prayer isn’T making iT go
Away. The dead are being buried in
large Pits, on the outskirts of towns
Because The cemeTeries can’T cope With
all the bodies. Survivors of the Black
Death are inheriting land and wealth
A picture of a town that has been hit by
the Black Death
from those that have died. People are stealing from the homes of the
dead and it seems that no one is immune to this disease.
Religion plays a Part
During the middle ages, the Catholic Church was the only church in
europe. chrisTianiTy is a huge parT of The european lifesTyle. “life is
JusT a gaTeway”, said fiona duomo, “whaT we do in
life decides whether we are going to heaven or
hell.” The bishops and arch bishop’s from The
Catholic Church siT on The king’s council and play
leading roles in government. Bishops are often
wealthy, and rule over groups of parishes,
called diocese. {A diocese was a group of
churches that one arch bishop controlled} Parish
priests are more humble, and have had little
Stained glass window from
a cathedral in the middle
ages
education. The village priest tends to the sick and poor who live in the
village, and if he can, teaches Latin, and the bible, to the youth in the
village. The monks and nuns of the church provide for the less fortunate
of their community. People here take great pride in their cathedral;
they are trying to make the tallest most beautiful cathedral in all of
Europe. Schools are popping up around the church too. It is plain that
religion plays a big part of this European lifestyle.
A place among power
There are three hierarchies here. The feudal
system, where the head of power is the king, then
the barons/abbots and bishops, the knights, and
lastly the commoners, {freeloaders or serfs}.
The church hierarchy has the pope as the head of
power, then the arch bishop, the bishops, the
priest, and at the bottom, the parishioners. The rungs on the social
ladder are: the top rung is the king/pope, below them the wealthy
landowners, then the merchants, and at the bottom rung, the serfs or
peasants.