The Black DeathThe Black Death

Learning Objective

To find out when the plague arrived in England and what caused it.

Key questionsKey questions

There are There are 33 questions that will be questions that will be asked during the course of the asked during the course of the lesson;lesson;

1.1. What is the What is the ““Black DeathBlack Death””??

2.2. What caused the Black Death?What caused the Black Death?

3.3. What were the consequences?What were the consequences?

The plague arrivesThe plague arrives--Plague arrived in England during the summer of 1348Plague arrived in England during the summer of 1348

-Fall of 1348 it spread quickly through the south west-Fall of 1348 it spread quickly through the south west

-Few villages escaped, churchyards full with bodies.-Few villages escaped, churchyards full with bodies.

-Spread quickly during the winter of 1348-1349 to the north of -Spread quickly during the winter of 1348-1349 to the north of England. England.

- By 1350, nearly all of Britain was infected- By 1350, nearly all of Britain was infected

At the end of 1350 nearly two and a half million people were At the end of 1350 nearly two and a half million people were dead!dead!

Where did the Black Death Where did the Black Death come from?come from?

What happened when you got the plague?What happened when you got the plague?

Ring Around the RosieRing Around the Rosie

Ring around the rosieRing around the rosie

Pocket full of PosiePocket full of Posie

Ashes, AshesAshes, Ashes

We all fall down!We all fall down!

What does each line of this common What does each line of this common rhyme refer to?rhyme refer to?

What What causedcaused the plague? the plague?

The question that you are probably The question that you are probably thinking is this;thinking is this;

Q: Who or what caused the Q: Who or what caused the Black Death?Black Death?

A: This is your answer!A: This is your answer!

The Oriental Rat Flea!

How was the plague How was the plague transmitted?transmitted?

We now know that the most common form of We now know that the most common form of the Black Death was the the Black Death was the BUBONIC PLAGUE!BUBONIC PLAGUE! This disease was spread by fleas which lived This disease was spread by fleas which lived on the black rat. The fleas sucked the raton the black rat. The fleas sucked the rat’’s s blood which contained the plague germs. blood which contained the plague germs. When the rat died the fleas jumped on to When the rat died the fleas jumped on to humans and passed on the deadly disease.humans and passed on the deadly disease.

What were the symptoms of the

plague?

1. Buboes2. Vomiting3. Spasms

4. Painful death

What caused the Black Death?

Fleas – carried by rats

What were buboes?

Painful swellings in armpit and groin.

Usually the size of an egg.

How did the plague manage to How did the plague manage to spread?spread?

Medieval towns were dirty places – people emptied chamber pots into the streets below.

There was litter and rubbish everywhere

People did not know about germs or how diseases spread

There was a lack of medical knowledge.

-Religious people thought that if they whipped themselves, God would forgive their sins and save them from the plague

Medieval CuresMedieval CuresIf a person gets the

disease, they must be put to bed. They

should be washed with vinegar and rose

water

We should not eat food that

goes off easily and smells

badly such as meat, cheese

and fish. Instead we should eat

bread, fruit and vegetables

The streets should be cleaned of all human and

animal waste. It should be taken by a cart to a field outside of the village and

burnt. All bodies should be buried in deep pits outside

of the village and their clothes should also be

burnt.

Place a live hen next to the swelling to draw out the pestilence from the

body. To aid recovery you should drink a glass of your own urine twice a

day.

Mass burial of the dead. Most people were not given coffins as there were too

many to bury

On average, between 30-45% of the general populace died in the Black Death of 1348-50. But in some villages, 80% or 90% of the population

died

Think About It: Think About It:

1) Why was it called the Black Death?1) Why was it called the Black Death?

2) Which theme of Geography encourage 2) Which theme of Geography encourage the spread of the Black Plague? Give the spread of the Black Plague? Give examples for support. examples for support.

3) What is different about our society 3) What is different about our society that may stop the spread of a plague?that may stop the spread of a plague?

4) What do we come into contact with 4) What do we come into contact with daily that could promote the spread of daily that could promote the spread of a plague?a plague?

Day 2: Effects of the Black Day 2: Effects of the Black DeathDeath

What was the effect on Britain?What was the effect on Britain? Huge impact on Huge impact on

societysociety

Fields went Fields went unploughed as unploughed as there were not there were not enough men to enough men to work on the landwork on the land

What was the effect on Britain?What was the effect on Britain? Animals died – Animals died –

there were not there were not enough people to enough people to look after themlook after them

Food shortagesFood shortages

Inflation – food Inflation – food prices went up prices went up because it was hard because it was hard to come by.to come by.

EPIC FAILEPIC FAILFFields unattendedields unattendedAAnimals diednimals diedIInflation ($$)nflation ($$)LLack of foodack of food

Memory Aids

There were more effects!There were more effects!

Feudal LawFeudal Law said said that a peasant that a peasant was not allowed was not allowed to leave a village to leave a village unless they had unless they had the Lordthe Lord’’s s permissionpermission

-Many lords were short of desperately needed labour for their land

After the Black Death, lords encouraged peasants to leave their villages to come to work for them.

Peasants could demand higher wages as they knew that a lord was desperate to get in his harvest.

This meant lots of peasants This meant lots of peasants roaming the land looking for workroaming the land looking for work

The government didn’t like this.

They wanted to stick to the Feudal System!

Statute of LabourersStatute of Labourers - 1351 - 1351

“No peasants could be paid more than the wages paid in 1346. No lord or master should offer more wages than paid in 1346. No peasants could leave the village they belonged to“

How would the peasants react to this?

1381 – Peasant’s Revolt

Black Plague: The EndBlack Plague: The End

No obvious No obvious reason why the reason why the Black Death Black Death started to declinestarted to decline

A few theories, A few theories, probably a mix of probably a mix of these, led to it’s these, led to it’s passingpassing

TheoriesTheories

1) Quarantine: Non-1) Quarantine: Non-infected people infected people stayed in their stayed in their house, rarely house, rarely leaving. Rich people leaving. Rich people would buy large would buy large estates out in the estates out in the country, away from country, away from the dirty cities. the dirty cities.

TheoriesTheories

2) Hygiene: More 2) Hygiene: More people people showered, boiled showered, boiled drinking water, drinking water, and burned and burned bodies rather bodies rather than mass than mass burialsburials