Bubonic Plague Dbq

Europe in the fifteen hundreds was a dangerous, local, hierarchic, tradition-bound, slow moving, and poor filled with the tasks of providence, salvation and community.

Europe during the fifteen hundreds were a dangerous place; disease, famine, and violence all prevented the population of the era to live a long life. One of the major killers during the time was disease. Disease and plagues killed major parts of the population, the bubonic plague, for example, claimed the lives of perhaps a third of Europe’s population in five years. They were able to spread and kill to the extent they did due to the lack of medical knowledge at the time and the lifestyle during the era--A poor diet, lacking hygiene, abundant rats and lice all contributed to

For them, hell and the devil were very real realities. It did not help that Gd was quick to punish his creations, regardless of whether they were dead or alive. Religion had three crucial tasks that shaped the lives of the people: providence , salvation and community. Providence was God’s will on Earth; to the people living in this time period, everything was God’s will. In a society where death was common, but the causes not, God was the one who caused it. Whether an event was good or bad, it was God’s will and the person deserved it. God’s will came also from Mary and other saints, churches held holy objects and were wanted by the people due to their providential power. Church and religious rituals were also important to the people because they offered Salvation. Going to Mass and praying were a big part of life, it was necessary lest they wanted eternal damnation. People prayed not only for themselves, but their family, for their loved ones so they could go to heaven. The Church also held a lot of power, due to the land it owned--be it monasteries, schools, or something else--it also held the power as it controlled time and ethics. The Church made the week, created the calendar and the days it held holy days, it could even ring bells to signal the hour. The Church was one of the governing forces in medieval times. The moral code was set up by the Church and people obeyed it; the Church

However, this could be better seen in their form of government. Feudalism was a system that had land owners at the top (Kings and lords) and those who worked the land and keep the community safe at the bottom. It was basically impossible to move between social classes, and a desire to keep the rich with the rich meant that one couldn’t marry into money It was a social, economic, political, and legal system that stood in place for hundreds of years. The system, however meant that the government was weak, and it rarely stretched far; the larger the kingdom, the harder it was to keep it working. It also meant there were a lot of poor people living in the fifteen hundreds. In order to work it also required the loyalty of those who worked and a sense of community.

Community was important because it was impossible to survive by one’s self. The more hands that could work meant the more food that could be harvested. Society in medieval ages was held together by loyalty and honour. Honour codes were set in place, and the people followed them. These traditions were able to keep the group alive as the individuals were willing to sacrifice for the others. One of the most essential parts of the community was family. The family was the smallest