The Black Death

Paper Summary:

The paper portrays the widespread destruction and impact the Black Death had on Europe in terms of social, economic and religious change. The paper shows the changes in the artistic and musical community of Europe. The paper discusses how one tiny infected insect, the oriental rat flea, helped to change the course of history and development for an entire continent.

From the Paper:

"While it is now known that the cause of the plague was caused by the Yersinia pestis bacteria, transmitted to humans by fleas that had bitten infected rats, the causes at the time were thought to be far less scientific (Getz, 262). In a document called the Paris Consilim, prepared by forty medical masters at the University of Paris on behalf of King Philip IV in 1348, the causes ranged from celestial to terrestrial. The celestial cause was believed to be a result of the conjunction of Saturn, Jupiter, and Mars, and as Aristotle had noted, such a conjunction caused disaster. They also cited Albert the Great, who noted the conjunction of Jupiter and Mars would bring the plague (Getz, 263)."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Cartwright, Frederick F. Disease and History. New York: Dorset Press, 1991.
• Courie, Leonard W. The Black Death and Peasant's Revolt. New York: Wayland Publishers, 1972.
• Getz, Faye M. "Black Death and the Silver Lining." Journal of the History of Biology 24.2 (1998): 265-289.
• Gottfried, Robert S. The Black Death: Natural and Human Disaster. New York: Simon and Schuester, 1985.
• Marks, Geoffrey. The Medieval Plague: The Black Death of the Middle Ages. New York: Doubleday, 1971.

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