The Black Death: Case Study (Edexcel GCSE History): Revision Note

The Black Death - Timeline & Summary

• The Black Death was an epidemic that spread to Britain in 1348

  • It likely arrived through trade routes from Asia

• Historians estimate that half of the population of Europe died of plague by 1351

• Medieval priests and physicians did not understand what caused the Black Death

  • Today, we understand that fleas on rats spread the plague

  • At the time, people relied on:

    • Religion

    • Astrology

    • Old medical theories

• Public attitudes changed slowly

  • The Church’s power weakened slightly

  • Future governments took more action, especially by the time of the Great Plague in 1665

What was the Black Death?

• The Black Death was a new plague that originated in the Far East

  • It came to Europe via Sicily in 1347

• The name bubonic plague comes from the main symptom of buboes 

  • Buboes were pus-filled swellings which developed in the hot areas of the body, such as the armpits

• At the peak of the epidemic, roughly 200 people in London were buried every day

Ideas about causes of the Black Death

Supernatural causes

• Many believed the plague was God’s punishment for sin

  • It was seen as a sign of Judgement Day, when God would punish sinners

• In 1345, there was an unusual positioning of Mars, Jupiter and Saturn

  • People believed it was a sign of bad things to come

• In Europe, many people believed that Jewish people caused the Black Death

  • In England, the Jewish population had been exiled in the 13th century

  • The Jewish population could not be blamed for the Black Death in England

Natural causes

• People believed that miasma caused the plague

• They believed the air had been corrupted by:

  • Volcanoes

  • Earthquakes

  • Rotting matter in the streets

What were the symptoms of the Black Death?

• Usually, it took three to five days for victims of the Black Death to die

  • The Black Death affected a patient's lungs

    • Some patients suffocated on their blood

• Treatments from apothecaries or physicians could also result in death

Treatments of the Black Death

Supernatural treatments

• The Church advised people to:

  • Confess their sins

  • Pray for forgiveness

• Ordinary people did not treat their symptoms

  • They believed it was God’s judgement about whether they lived or died

  • They were too scared to challenge this by seeking treatment

Natural treatments

• Bleeding and purging were common, but they were often deadly

• People attempted to 'clean' bad air by:

  • Using strong-smelling herbs like aloe

  • Burning a fire

  • Boiling vinegar

• As theriaca worked on multiple illnesses, it was often prescribed for the Black Death

• Lancing buboes removed the infection and encouraged healing

  • Only some physicians used this method

• Apothecaries sold herbal remedies, but most did not work

Preventing the Black Death

Supernatural prevention

• Priests encouraged:

  • Prayer

  • Fasting

  • Pilgrimage

  • Self-flagellation (whipping yourself) to show God how sorry you were

    • People who did this are called flagellants

Natural prevention

• People attempted to avoid miasma by:

  • Moving to cleaner air in the countryside

  • Carrying flowers or herbs

  • Avoiding bathing

    • It was believed that water could open the pores, allowing the bad air into the body

  • Joyful things like listening to cheerful music

Government action

• Some towns introduced quarantine laws

  • People new to an area had to stay away from other people for 40 days

  • Gloucester attempted to close itself off, but people ignored this

• Local governments stopped cleaning the streets

  • They believed that the bad smell would drive away miasma

• The government tried to stop religious gatherings

  • The Church blocked this, showing its power

  • The rich and the clergy continued as normal

• King Edward III took no strong action to protect the population