1. The Silk Road & The Black Death
Unit 2 Notes
The Silk Road & The Black Death

2. I. The Silk Road The Silk Road was first established by the
Han Dynasty in the First Century B.C.
Silk Worm Cocoons
Bombyx mori

3. I. The Silk Road
B. The Han Dynasty ruled China for over 400 years, a period which is considered to be one of the greatest time periods in all of Chinese history. 1. Known for its military prowess the Han Empire expanded westward into Central Asia. 2. Through expansion the Han Empire set up Imperial Frontiers with each new conquest and eventually set up numerous trade routes with which to exchange silk and other Chinese luxury items such as furs, spices, and gems.

4. I. The Silk Road
3. Like its counterpart in the west, The Roman Empire, the Han Dynasty found that the cost of defending Imperial Frontiers led to an economic and political crises that would eventually lead to its downfall.

5. I. The Silk Road
C. However, the Silk Road would live on and silk and other exotic items would be exchanged east to west for centuries. 1. Chinese inventions such as paper and gunpowder also move west while items such as Gold, Silver, Ivory, Perfume, and carpet moved east from Europe, Africa, and the Middle East.

6. I. The Silk Road

7. I. The Silk Road
D. Exotic goods were not the only thing being exchanged along the Silk Road, culture, arts, philosophies, and beliefs were carried by each trader. 1. Historians call this process of the spread of culture from one geographic region to another Cultural Diffusion. E. However, not all things exchanged throughout the Silk Road were good, on very bad thing made its way west along the road: The Black Death

8. II. The Black Death
AKA: The Plague, the Black Plague, or the Bubonic Plague.
Started in China in 1340 and moved west along the Silk Road and other shipping trade routes to Europe.

9. II. The Black Death
One theory on how the plague spread has a group of infected Tartars (Mongolian tribe) attacking a Genoese (Northern Italy) outpost, and to harass the
trapped towns people they catapulted their dead soldiers over the city walls spreading the epidemic among the Genoese.
The Genoese people then panicked and fled the city on ship, landing in various Italian trading posts and spreading the plague throughout Europe.
C. Reaching most of Europe by 1347 the Plague had killed 25 million Europeans by 1349.

10. II. The Black Death
D. The Plague presented itself in three forms: 1. The Bubonic Plague was the most common its victims developed tumor-like swellings on their neck, armpits, and groin areas. Once symptoms had set in victims usually had a week or less to live.

11. II. The Black Death

12. II. The Black Death
2. The Pneumonic Plague was the most contagious attacking the respiratory system. This plague was spread simply by breathing the exhaled air of a victim. Life expectancy of its victims was measured in one or two days 3. The Septicemic Plague was the most deadly, also spread by fleas this form attacked the blood system and its victims died before they even realized they were sick with the plague.

13. II. The Black Death
E. Reaction to the Plague 1. People kept to themselves, friends and family stopped visiting each other, victims were often left to themselves. 2. Many thought the plague was a curse from God for their sins, while others blamed; Jews Lepers and other minority groups for the devastation of the plague, thousands of these alleged culprits were burned alive in retaliation.

14. (from Boccaccio, Giovanni, The Decameron, 1353)

15. II. The Black Death
F. Effects of the Plague 1. The largest effect of the plague was a Shortage of Labor. 2. This shortage led to increased wages and an increase in the cost of goods which eventually lead to the demise of the Feudal System.

16. II. The Black Death
3. Many felt the plague was sent by God and thus Lost faith in the Catholic Church, in turn the Church would lose power and the stage was set for the Protestant Reformation. 4. Still many blamed the Jews for the plague and Anti-Semitic attitudes ran rampant throughout Europe.

17. III. Impact of the Black Death
G. Gradually, over the next 300 years, European society would emerge as if born again, a time known as the Renaissance.