The Bubonic Plague
By Fahad Nadeem and Akash Pandey
How It Started
The Bubonic Plague first struck Europe from 1347 to 1351. Historians think that the plague began in Central Asia and spread throughout to China, India and Eastern Europe. The disease traveled from Central Asia to the Black Sea along the Silk Road. It was probably carried to Italy on a ship and then spread throughout Europe.
The Black Death
Symptoms are signs of the plague including fever, vomiting, fierce coughing,sneezing and swelling. The name "Black Death" probably came from the black and blue bumps that appeared on the skins of many victims. The dirty conditions which people lived contributed significantly to the Bubonic Plague. The bacteria that caused the disease were carried by flees and fed on blood of infected rodents like rats. When rats died the flies jumped to other people and animals.
The Impact of The Plague
The plague took a terrible toll on the population of Asia and Europe. China's population was reduced by 50% between 1200 and 1393. Travelers reported that dead bodies covered the ground in Central Asia and India. Some historians estimate that 24 million Europeans died as a result of the plague (about 1/3 of the population). Trade and Commerce slowed almost to a halt during the plague. As Europe began to recover the economy needed to recover.
After the plague their was shift in power from nobles to common people. One reason was that the need for workers was high but there were fewer workers because so many people have died. The workers who were left could therefor demand for more money and rights. In addition many surges abandoned feudal manors and moved to towns and cities seeking for better opportunities. After the plague a number of peasant rebellions broke out. They were peasant revolts in France, Flanders, England, Germany, Spain and India. Still in most of Europe the time was coming when serfdom would end.