Context
What years marked the beginning and end of the Middle Ages in Europe?
c. 500CE - 1500CE
What bacteria caused the Black Death?
Yersinia Pestis
In what year did the Black Death first reach Europe?
1347CE
What proportion of Europe's population is estimated to have died from the Black Death?
Around one-third to one-half
What reason did the Catholic Church give people as to why the Black Death was occurring?
God's punishment
What was the dominant social and economic system in Medieval Europe?
Feudalism
What insects were the immediate carriers of the plague?
Fleas
Where did people believe the Black Death originated from?
Central Asia
How did the Black Death affect Europe's labour supply?
It caused shortages as people were too sick to work
What did doctors wear to protect themselves during the plague?
Beaked masks and plague doctor outfits
Which class of people made up the majority of Medieval European society?
Peasants and serfs
Which animals hosted the fleas that carried the plague?
Rats
The Silk Road
What impact did the plague have on feudalism?
Feudalism was weakened as peasants demanded better wages and rights
What group of religious people whipped themselves in public to seek God's forgiveness?
Flagellants
Which religious institution held great spiritual and political power across Europe during this period?
The Catholic Church
Why did poor hygiene and sanitation in medieval towns contribute to the spread of disease?
Waste and filth created ideal conditions for rats and fleas
Why did trade ships play such a big role in spreading the Black Death?
Rats and fleas infested the ships and spread disease to new ports
What group's power increased in the short-term as people sought explanations for the plague?
The Church (long-term, its authority was questioned)
Many people blamed minority groups for the Black Death. Which group was particularly targeted?
Black Death, The Crusades.
BONUS: Hundred Years' War, Norman Conquest of England
What did many Medieval people (wrongly) believed caused the plague?
Poisonous air, imbalance of the Four Humours
Name two ways/reasons the plague spread so rapidly across Europe.
Technological advancements, ship and caravan trade routes, crowded towns, poor hygiene, incorrect medical knowledge
Decline of feudalism, growth of towns/trade, shifting art to focus on death/mortality
What was one common medical 'cure' attempted during the plague?
Bloodletting, herbs, burning incense