1. Bell Ringer Where did the Black Death come from? How was it carried?
Was the death toll high
or low?

2. Today’s Class (9/3/13) Outcome: Agenda:
Students will be able to identify political, social, and economic effects of the Black Death in Europe during the Middle Ages.
Agenda:
Black Death Notes
Black Death News Bulletin

3. The Middle Ages/Medieval Period
Historical period between the Fall of Rome in 476 AD – Renaissance in AD
Feudalism is dominant economic system:
Kings granted land to nobles/bishops
Nobles/Bishops allowed peasants (serfs) to live on land in exchange for harvesting crops.
Serfs protected from invasion by nobles.

4. The Black Death

5. 3 Column Method
While listening, take notes on the possible political, social, and economic effects of the Black Death.
Political = how the feudal or governing system was affected
Social = how families, individuals, or society was affected
Economic = how wages for serfs and prices for goods were affected

6. 3 Column Method
Political Social Economic

7. The Culprits
Bacteria
Fleas
Rats

8. The Famine of
By 1300 Europeans were farming almost all the land they could cultivate.
A population crisis developed – more people than the land could support.
Climate changes in Europe produced three years of crop failures between because of excessive rain.
As many as 15% of the peasants in some English villages died.
One consequence of starvation & poverty was susceptibility to disease.

9. 1347: Plague Reaches Constantinople!

10. The Symptoms Bulbous – large boils on the skin
Septicemic Form: almost 100% mortality rate.

11. From the Toggenburg Bible, 1411

12. Lancing a Buboe
Buboe – swollen lymph node around the armpit or the groin
Lancing – piercing a boil to drain it of puss

13. The Disease Cycle Human is infected!
Flea drinks rat blood that carries the bacteria.
Bacteria
multiply in
flea’s gut.
Human is infected!
Flea bites human and regurgitates blood into human wound.
Flea’s gut clogged with bacteria.

14. Medieval Art & the Plague

15. Medieval Art & the Plague
Bring out your dead!

16. Medieval Art & the Plague An obsession with death.

18. Feudalism & The Plague
Many nobles were killed by the plague, allowing kings to establish strong city-states.
Those serfs that survived the Plague benefitted due to the high demand for labor and rising wages.
Those nobles that survived had to pay serfs more because competition for labor was much higher than before.

19. Boccaccio in The Decameron
The victims ate lunch with their friends and dinner with their ancestors.

20. The Danse Macabre

22. Attempts to Stop the Plague
“Leeching”
A Doctor’s Robe

23. Attempts to Stop the Plague
Flagellanti: Self-inflicted punishment for our sins!

24. Attempts to Stop the Plague Pograms against the Jews
Many Jews were blamed for the spread of the Black Death
Jews often lived in segregated communities. Due to this, these communities were often quarantined from the Black Death.
Because a significant number of Jews did not die from the Plague, they were targets of hate and persecution.

25. Death Triumphant !: A Major Artistic Theme

26. A Little Macabre Ditty
“A sickly season,” the merchant said, “The town I left was filled with dead, and everywhere these queer red flies crawled upon the corpses’ eyes, eating them away.” “Fair make you sick,” the merchant said, “They crawled upon the wine and bread. Pale priests with oil and books, bulging eyes and crazy looks, dropping like the flies.”

27. A Little Macabre Ditty (2)
“I had to laugh,” the merchant said, “The doctors purged, and dosed, and bled; “And proved through solemn disputation “The cause lay in some constellation. “Then they began to die.” “First they sneezed,” the merchant said, “And then they turned the brightest red, Begged for water, then fell back. With bulging eyes and face turned black, they waited for the flies.”

28. A Little Macabre Ditty (3)
“I came away,” the merchant said, “You can’t do business with the dead. “So I’ve come here to ply my trade. “You’ll find this to be a fine brocade…”
And then he sneezed……….!

29. Approximately 35% - 70% of Europe’s population died.
The Mortality Rate
Approximately 35% - 70% of Europe’s population died.
~25,000,000 dead !!!

30. News Bulletin
Using what you’ve learned about the political, social, and economic effects of the Black Death, create a news bulletin that describes the outbreak of the Black Death.
Include the following:
1 political effect (how it affected the political structure & feudalism of Europe)
1 social effect (how structure of society was changed)
1 economic effect (how wages and prices were affected)