Black Death Dbq

The historical pandemic of the Black Death (1347-1352), which killed 25 million people, greatly impacted the European history of the Middle Ages. Originating from China and Inner Asia, the infection of the bacterium Yersinia pestis had widely spread, rapidly infecting those who encounter the infected. The main cause of the spread derived from flea-infected rats on boats or the fleas on the bodies and clothes of the travellers. People at the time had limited understanding of the world, so they believed that the Black Death had an association with supernatural forces such as God’s punishment for sin and demonic acts, along with performing medical procedures that were futile for the disease. The era was highly affected by the plague,

Europe in the Middle Ages was built around Christianity. The Catholic Church had a lot of power and control, being the largest landowner in Europe and owning vast amounts of wealth. However, the Church was negatively affected by the Black Plague. The quality of the clergy declined as a vast number had perished in the pandemic. The people that the Church recruited did not do a good job, resulting in the Church providing poor service to the public. The Church was a place for people to rely on in times of distress, but the Church was unable to provide the security they needed. Thus, the laity’s faith in the Church declined. Many people had believed that the Black Plague was God’s punishment for the result of sinful and demonic acts. Therefore, the Flagellant Movement was created. People would walk around Europe in groups whilst publicly flogging their own bodies, believing that if they punished themselves, they would be able to receive God’s mercy. The movement spread like wildfire, as the people of Europe were desperate to save their souls. They posed a great threat to the Church’s authority and weakened the faith of the laity. Since they could not rely on the Church to grant them protection from God’s punishments, they turned to the movement instead. Another effect that the plague had on religion was the increased persecution of Jews. During the time, accusations of Jews committing violent sins and crimes spread. Persecution of Jews originated in France in 1348. This was because Christians blamed the Jews for the cause of the Black Plague. The word of the Jews spread to more parts of Europe, encouraging others to persecute them. Despite the efforts of the Pope to stop the chaos, the people had lost faith in the Church, and they continued out of spite. Many Jews had fled, settling in Poland and Eastern Europe. It is evident