Black_Death___Bubonic_Plague

Black Death / Bubonic Plague In the late Middle Ages, the growth of population was so great that it caused somewhat of a famine. In the early 14th century, crop problems created an even bigger famine and caused great suffering. Overpopulation and famine created starvation, bad health, and opened up the chance for the bubonic plague, which struck in 1348. After its first appearances, the bubonic plague spread through Europe like wildfire and created havoc. The bubonic plague, or “Black Death”, was most likely caused by seaborne rats that followed trade routes across Eurasia. Common symptoms were fever and swelling in the groin. Sicily was one of the first cities to see the plague, from where it would then travel into Venice, Genoa, and Pisa. Furthermore, the plague spread to the coastlines around France and Spain causing even more damage. An estimated loss of population was approximately 40% loss in the early fifteenth century. The plague which was transmitted by rat or human-borne fleas would reach the human lungs and then be spread through coughing, sneezing, or wheezing. The virulent effects of the disease caused it to spread quickly, not to mention that rodents that enjoyed free rides on the trading boats could also spread plague, caused, spread, people, disease, society, population, one, famine, death, created, bubonic, black, wages, time, through, somewhat, resulted, quite, quickly, order, medieval, loss, lords, laborers, industrial, higher, great, first, even, europe, early, clue, century, approximately, after