Plague in the Medieval World

Paper Summary:

The paper discusses the topic of the plague in history and summarizes how this plague, also known as the Black Death was perceived in the ancient and medieval worlds. The paper records that one of the worst outbreaks occurred in Europe when it decimated the population. The paper concludes that many historians believe this helped develop the forward-thinking age of the Renaissance, a time of learning and personal growth.

From the Paper:

"In 14th century Europe, agriculture was the major industry, and there was still a much-layered society made up of serfs and peasants on one hand and lords and landowners on the other. Plagues had occurred before the Black Death, and societies reacted to them in various ways. In the 7th century, a plague hit the Muslim society, and they reacted by turning to Islam for answers to their questions about the plague. They learned to control panic and guilt when a plague occurred, which helped them deal with the Black Death in the 14th century.
"In contrast, Europeans viewed the plague with "fear, flight, and guilt" (Hays 2007, 37), and many felt the plague was sent from God to punish them for some wrongdoing or sin. While Muslims had developed tools to help them deal with the plague and keep society for widespread panic and hysteria, the European society had not developed these skills, and so the reacted quite differently to the disease. "

Sample of Sources Used:

• Benedictow, Ole. A Turning Point in History. The Black Death. 387-395. -- 2005. The Black Death: The Greatest Catastrophe Ever. History Today, March, 42+.
• Hays, Jo N. 2007. Historians and Epidemics. Plague and the End of Antiquity: The Pandemic of 541-750. Lester K. Little, ed. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 35-56.
• Hatcher, John. 1994. England in the Aftermath of the Black Death. Past and Present, No. 144. . 3-35.

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