The Black Death was an outbreak of bubonic plague, which is a highly contagious bacterial infection and disease. The Bubonic Plague spread across Europe in the years 1346-53. 25% of the European population was wiped out by the disease. People knew when they had the black plague, when the symptoms started to show. The black plague came to Europe from Asia, and had social and economic effects on Medieval Europe. The black plague had several progressing symptoms. A person may have certain swellings on the groin, or under their arm. The swellings were lumps that grew to the size of a small apple or egg. The bumps often changed to a black or purple color. Some survived the disease, but many died within a week. At the time of the outbreak …show more content…
The plague started in Asia. At first places such as China, Syria, and India were affected by the disease. It came to Europe by trade routes from India (where the outbreak was at the time). In response to hunger pangs fleas feed off of rodents (rats), and gave them the disease. When the rats were all dead, the fleas went to humans. Fleas were on the trade routes to Europe, where they brought and spread the plague. Poor living conditions in Medieval towns; such as Bristol, helped the Black Plague flourish. People would empty chamber pots out of their windows and into the streets. They didn’t realize the consequences of doing that. Bristol was a large city, and was a major trading route. It was a small place with many people living tightly together. With the unsanitary conditions, it is no surprise that they were one of the places hi hardest with the plague. The Black Plague had already killed 30-45% of the population between the years 1348-50. The plague caused both social and economic problems. The workforce was completely destroyed. Farms were abandoned and buildings were crumbled. The price of labor increased greatly because of worker shortage, and the cost of goods rose. However, the price of food did not go up because the population had