Giovanni Boccaccio: The Black Death

The Black Death “How many valiant men, how many fair ladies, breakfast with their kinfolk and the same night supped with their ancestors in the next world!” (Giovanni Boccaccio). Millions infected, millions died; This is the black death, one of the most destructive and widespread pandemics recorded in our history. Nearly 80% or more of the victims perished, their death sentence carried out within a period of days. The main cause of the black death is still between stories but the symptoms and social toll that it took on Europe are well known as well as genuinely horrifying. Between 1346-1353 a disease called the Black Death spread all through europe, devastating millions of people. In october, 1347, the Black death arrived on Genoese ships

By so doing, each one thought he would secure his own safety.”(Giovanni Boccaccio). The Black Death had a monumental effect on social and economic aspects of Europe. During the time when the Black Death spread not only disease but terror, families were torn apart. To protect herself or other children as well, a woman might leave her child all alone to die; after all, there was no cure, and no known way of protection against this disease, it was a for sure death sentence in the eyes of the Europeans. This downfall of society caused immense damage to the economy. As the population began to decline due to the deaths of all these people, there was a lack of farmers to plow fields, harvest crops, and produce other goods and services. This in turn affected the relationship of lords and peasants because the working peasants became more useful and in high demand; after learning this the peasants began asking for higher pay to work. This is how Europe was so affected by this plague, not only by death and disease, but in more questionably moral and economic aspects of