The Black Death, commonly known as the Bubonic Plague, swept across Europe and Asia throughout the fourteenth century, claiming the lives of anywhere between 75 and 200 million people. The disease traveled quickly along new and growing trade routes by both sea and land. Early reports indicate that the Plague moved across China, through the Middle East, and into Europe. Though a clear consensus has not been reached, it is believed that between 30% to 60% of Europe’s population perished as a result of this pandemic.

Many Christians believed that the Black Death was God’s vengeance on man for giving in to sins such as greed, blasphemy, and worldliness. Modern theories suggest that the tropical rat flea served as a carrier for the bacteria, spreading the disease from rats to humans. Those infected developed buboes - large, inflamed boils caused by swollen lymph nodes- in the armpits and groin that would leak blood and pus. Accompanied by fever, chills, vomiting, and even gangrene of the extremities, bacteria in the lymph nodes spread to the blood if untreated. Between 30 and 90% of patients died within six days following exposure.

Contemporary treatments did little to slow the spread of the Plague, often aiding its rapid transmission. Unhygienic practices like blood-letting and boil-lancing allowed the bacteria to travel between bodies before the introduction of germ theory. Many city-dwellers fled to the country to avoid ‘bad air’ only to be surrounded by farm animals that could also contract and spread the disease. With very little understanding of illnesses and contagion, the Plague was often tied to folklore and superstition. The use of amulets and charms became a popular way to protect oneself and helped shape the visual and material culture of the period.

References

“Black Death.” Encyclopedia Britannica, last modified April 15, 2020.

“Black Death.” History.com, last modified March 30, 2020.

Pallipparambil, Godshen Robert. “The Surat Plague and its Aftermath.” Accessed May 5, 2020.

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Europe’s response to the Black Plague set a precedent for the way we handle infectious diseases in the Western world. For example, the word quarantine was developed to describe the forty-day period of isolation sailors had to undergo before entering Venetian ports. Still, the bubonic plague did not disappear in the fourteenth century. As recently as 1994, an outbreak in western India claimed the lives of 56 people.

In spite of the many tragedies brought about by the Black Death in Europe, it is widely believed that the innovative cultural renewal of the Renaissance was made possible by the population’s upheaval. This time of crisis led people to reconsider their understanding of the world and their role in it. The resulting social, economic, and cultural changes allowed for new voices to emerge, changing the arts and humanities in ways that still resonate. We can already see similar phenomena emerging today as society experiences the changes brought by COVID-19.