The Black Death in Europe
1347-1352 AD · Medieval
The Black Death was a bubonic plague pandemic that devastated Europe from 1347 to 1352. Believed to have originated in Asia, it spread to Europe via trade routes, first arriving in Sicily in October 1347 from ships coming from the Black Sea region. The pandemic killed between 30% to 50% of Europe's population, with estimates of 25-50 million deaths. The plague was caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis, spread by fleas carried by rats and through person-to-person transmission.
Key Figures
Jani BegPope Clement VIGiovanni BoccaccioGabriele de' MussiGuy de Chauliac
Locations
FlorenceCaffaMessinaAvignonPiacenza
Topics
medicinemiddle-eastEuropepeople
Connected Events — 2 Connections
Massive population decline from plague created labor shortages that empowered English yeomanry, the social class from which Henry V's devastating longbow archers were recruited Battle of Agincourt
Same pathogen (Yersinia pestis) causing the second major pandemic wave, demonstrating how the bacterium evolved and persisted in rodent populations between major outbreaks Justinian Plague: First Major Recorded Pandemic
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