The Black Death

The Black Death is the name most commonly given to the pandemic of bubonic plague that ravaged the medieval world in the late 1340s. From Central Asia the plague swept through Europe, leaving millions of dead in its wake. Between a quarter and a third of Europe's population died. In England the population fell from nearly six million to just over three million. The Black Death was the greatest demographic disaster in European history. In this Pocket Essential, Sean Martin looks at the origins of the disease and traces its terrible march through Europe from the Italian cities to the far-flung corners of Scandinavia. He describes contemporary responses to the plague and makes clear how helpless was the medicine of the day in the face of it. He examines the renewed persecution of the Jews, blamed by many Christians for the spread of the disease, and highlights the bizarre attempts by such groups as the Flagellants to ward off what they saw as the wrath of God. His book is a vivid and dramatic account of one of the great catastrophes of history. Front Cover......Page 1 Other Pocket Essentials by Sean Martin......Page 2 Acknowledgements......Page 5 Contents......Page 9 1 - King Death......Page 11 Plagues before The Black Death......Page 13 The First Pandemic......Page 15 The Three Types of Plague......Page 17 The Origins of the Black Death......Page 22 The Black Death Arrives in Europe......Page 26 The Origins of the Name......Page 28 The State of Europe......Page 31 The Plague Spreads to Italy......Page 34 The Plague of Florence......Page 36 The Plague in Other Italian Cities......Page 45 The Plague in France......Page 53 Mediaeval Medical Theories......Page 57 The Plague in Paris and the Rest of France......Page 61 The Plague in Germany......Page 65 The Flagellants......Page 67 The Persecution of the Jews......Page 74 The Plague on the Iberian Peninsula......Page 79 The Plague in North Africa and the Middle East......Page 83 The Plague in England......Page 91 The Black Death in London......Page 97 The Plague in East Anglia and the North......Page 101 The Plague in Scotland,Wales and Ireland......Page 103 The Plague in the Rest of Europe......Page 109 The Effects of the Black Death......Page 111 The Grey Death and the Renaissance Plague......Page 118 The Third Pandemic......Page 123 Latest Research......Page 126 Appendix: Selective Chronology of Plague Outbreaks......Page 133 Suggestions for Further Reading......Page 143 Related Interest......Page 147 Books for Children......Page 150 Film......Page 151 Index......Page 153 OTHER TITLES IN THIS SERIES......Page 160