Causes
Spread
Symptoms
Medieval reactions & treatments
Effects
History Skills
100
What was the Black Death caused by?
Fleas on rats
100
Where did the Black Death originate?
Central Asia (near China)
100
Why is it called the Black Death?
Because the buboes/ spots on the skin were often dark purple/black in colour.
100
Why did people flee towns/cities?
they wanted to escape the Black Death
100
What percentage of Europe's population was killed by the Black Death?
33-40%
100
Primary sources are _________ and provide us with firsthand, direct evidence
from the time period being studied
200
According to people in the Middle Ages, what is one supernatural factor was believed to have caused the Black Death?
Punishment from God
Alignment of the planets
Bad spirits
200
What was the name of the land trade route along which the Black Death spread from Asia to Europe?
The Silk Road
200
Which strain of the Black death gave people buboes?
Bubonic
200
What were two ways that people tried to treat the Black Death?
Blood-letting
Dried toads
cutting or burning the buboes
fig/onion/butter/yeast mixture
poultices
resin, roots, faeces mixture
Loud noises
200
What were two of the demands of the Peasants during the revolt of 1381?
An end to Serfdom
To be paid a fixed, fair wage for their labour
The removal of certain officials
An end to the Poll Tax
Equality under the law
Pardons for the rebels
200
Secondary sources are _________ and provide an analysis or interpretation of events
from after the time being studied
300
According to people in the Middle Ages, what is one natural factor was believed to have caused the Black Death?
Miasma
Imbalance of the 4 Humours
300
Which type of ships helped spread the Black Death across the sea to new countries?
Merchant/trade ships
300
Name three symptoms of the Black Death (any strain)
Fever and chills
Headaches and exhaustion
Vomiting and nausea
Painful swollen lymph nodes (buboes) in groin, neck, armpits
Black or purple spots on skin
Abdominal pain
Pneumonia
Chest pain/shortness of breath
Bleeding
300
Which minority group did some people blame for the Black Death because they thought they had poisoned the wells?
Jews
300
How was religion/ the church effected by the Black Death?
Disappointment and anger of many ordinary people increased and the Church’s position in society weakened
300
Arrange these groups from most powerful to least powerful
- peasants/serfs
- Greater lords (nobles, clergy)
- King
- Lesser Lords (knights)
1. King
2. Greater Lords (nobles, clergy)
3. Lesser Lord (knights)
4. Peasants/serfs
400
How did living conditions in Medieval Europe contribute to the rapid spread of the disease?
Towns were overcrowded, dirty, and full of rats and fleas that carried the infection
400
What did plague doctors wear to try stop the spread of the Black Death?
A mask filled with flowers
400
What symptoms indicated that the infection had reached the lungs?
Severe coughing, chest pain, and difficulty breathing
400
Why were treatments at the time ineffective?
People at the time did not understand the causes of the Black Death or how it spread, so they did not know how to treat it effectively
400
How did the Black Death weaken the feudal system?
Lower population -> higher demand for workers -> peasants could demand higher wages -> class structure was less rigid
Knights and workers could demand money for their services, rather than working for land/protection
400
Usefulness = S________ vs L_________
Usefulness = Strengths vs Limitations
500
What is the name of the bacteria that causes the plague?
Yersinia Pestis
500
What are two ways the Black Death could be transmitted?
Flea bite
Airborne particles/droplets from an infected person
Bodily fluids (e.g. pus or blood)
500
On what parts of the body did buboes form?
Armpits
Groin
Neck
(near lymph nodes)
500
What did flagellants do in response to the Black Death?
They whipped themselves in public to ask for God’s forgiveness
500
In what ways did medical knowledge improve after the Black Death?
doctors and scholars began focusing on clinical medicine
an increase in autopsies and dissections of human corpses to develop a better understanding of human anatomy
500
“Such was the terror this [the Black Death] caused that seeing it take hold in a household, as soon as it started, nobody remained ... No doctors were to be found, because they were dying like everybody else ... Sons abandoned fathers, husbands wives, wives husbands, one brother the other, one sister the other.”
Excerpt from Giovanni Boccaccio’s The Decameron, written in the 14th century
Is this a primary or secondary source of historical information?
Primary source as it was created at the time of the event.