The Spread of the Black Death

Paper Summary:

The paper discusses the rapid spread of the black death that was one of the most significant factors in its dramatic effects in Europe in the 14th century. The paper explains how the relatively quick long-distance trade networks that had been established throughout Europe and into Asia were the primary factor that increased the success of the disease in infecting such a large body of people in such a short amount of time.

From the Paper:

"The Black Death was quite simply the most devastating natural disaster in European history. Though we don't necessarily think of plagues as natural disasters, they are. This makes them somewhat unpredictable and difficult to control. Compounded by the general lack of knowledge of pestilence and the spread of disease in the Middle Ages, Europe was poised to take significant human losses when the Black Death first entered Europe in 1347. Interestingly, though, the most important contributing factor in the spread of the Black Death throughout Europe was actually a function of the prosperity and general economic growth that had occurred on the continent at the end of the 13th century."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Benedictow, Ole J. "The Black Death: The Greatest Catastrophe Ever." History Today 53.3 (Mar. 2005): 42-49.
• Duiker, William J. and Spielvogel, Jackson J. World History Volume I: To 1800. 2nd ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, 1998.
• Olea, Ricardo A. and Christakos, George. "Duration of Urban Mortality for the 14th-Century Black Death Epidemic." Human Biology 77.3 (June 2005): 291-303.

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