Origins
⋅ the spread of the black death
The Black death or Magna Mortalitas (Latin for ‘Great Mortality’) was the worst known pandemic in history, a highly infectious disease involving all three forms of plague (Centres for Disease Control & Prevention, 2018). Each of these strains can be complications of each other, or occur alone. Pneumonic plague is extremely infectious, it occurs when the bacterium is inhaled and effects the lungs. Septicaemic plague, a bacterial infection of the blood, is almost always fatal. Lastly bubonic plague. The most prominent and painful symptom, involving the swelling of lymph nodes, blackening of the skin (hence the name) and other horrifying deformities. The Black Death likely featured all three. While the strains differ, they all stem from Yersinia Pestis, a plague causing bacterium carried by rodent fleas capable of transmitting the infection to humans
Migration
⋅ fleeing the plague
The conditions found in large cities were terrible, even before the Black Death. A typical plague infected city was crowded with corpses, smelled of rotting flesh, and had a poisoned food and water supply. The Black Death wasn't the only danger, the mountains of bodies being a breeding ground for other illnesses like hepatitis and tuberculosis (Te Whatu Ora, N. d). The high population density and proximity meant the Black Death could quickly spread through an entire a population. One can imagine the need to flee such conditions. Millions of people migrated towards rural areas, as the plague move slower by land, though bringing with them the plague they wanted to flee (J. Mark, 2020).
Fall of Feudalism
⋅ the Black Death's effect on England's economy
The conditions found in large cities were terrible, even before the Black Death. A typical plague infected city was crowded with corpses, smelled of rotting flesh, and had a poisoned food and water supply. The Black Death wasn't the only danger, the mountains of bodies being a breeding ground for other illnesses like hepatitis and tuberculosis (Te Whatu Ora, N. d). The high population density and proximity meant the Black Death could quickly spread through an entire a population. One can imagine the need to flee such conditions. Millions of people migrated towards rural areas, as the plague move slower by land, though bringing with them the plague they wanted to flee (J. Mark, 2020).
