The bubonic plague that raged in Europe towards the end of the Middle Ages was termed graphically “the black death” to denote the terror it induced to victims and survivors. It started in 1347 and its major outbreak lasted until 1350 killing 30 percent of Europe’s population, while it continued to haunt future generations by reappearing for the rest 130 years (Holmes, 2001, 264-265). It was a period of uncertainty, disease and death which left the European societies in deep crisis and led to social unrest, at times of unbelievable brutality.
The plague arrived in Europe most probably through Italian merchant ships coming from the Far East (Holmes, 2001, 263). It soon spread to the whole of continent, from the Mediterranean to England. It is believed today that the disease was transmitted by fleas that lived in rats which entered the merchant ships and arrived this way in Europe (Holmes, 2001, 263). Giovanni Boccaccio, a Florentine scholar, describes the symptoms of the disease being at first tumors on the body that grew rapidly and black spots. In certain cases he suggests that people died before any symptoms appeared, referring most probably to what today we know of as a rare and extremely deadly form of the of the disease called septicaemic (Boccaccio and Holmes, 2001, 264). The disease was transmitted rapidly among the population not only via direct contact with the sick but also with contact with his/ her possessions or things he/she had touched (Boccaccio). Chances of survival among those that got sick were extremely few and most died within days (Boccaccio). The picture described by Boccaccio seems to be one from hell: bodies lying in the streets, people dying day and night in houses and in public and priests having to bury an ever increasing number of people every day usually using the first tomb they could find. Those alive had to carry flowers, spices or herbs with them in order to conceal the odors of the dead corpses (Boccaccio).
Boccaccio suggested that the disease was a punishment from God and along with the horrific symptoms of the disease and the death of so many men, women and children, he also described a great social crisis that followed the outbreak of the Black Death. People died unattended either because their relatives were also sick or because they were afraid to go near them. Relatives and neighbors abandoned the sick and often the death of a person was only understood from the terrible smell that came from his/her house (Boccaccio). Healthy people tended to disassociate themselves from the life of the city and those who had the means fled. Boccaccio criticizes the latter claiming that they could not avoid “the wrath of God” (Boccaccio). It is evident from this description that the coherence of society had broken down and Boccaccio even mentions social unrest with people engaging in criminal behavior with no one available to stop them. In certain cases violence was widespread and uncontrollable. Jean Froissart, a French chronicler describes peasant rebellions in the aftermath of the great plague in late 14th century France. The picture is one of total chaos, with small groups of peasants attacking noble castles and manors raping, killing their owner and destroying their property. These groups became bigger as they passed through cities and villages turning to violent mobs ravaging the countryside (Froissart). The mobs elected their own rulers and continued to perform atrocities forcing many people to flee in order to save their lives and families (Froissart). Although Froissart is not specific, most probably, the authorities were unable –at first at least- to control the mob and this adds to the picture of total chaos described by the chronicler and Boccaccio.
It is evident that the Black Death did not only kill 1/3 of Europe’s population during the late Middle Ages. It destroyed the foundations of society, brought to light the social inequalities of the classes and ultimately led to social upheavals that damaged the medieval world almost as much as the plague itself. In the end, the terror and panic for the disease and the mourning for the dead was psychologically even more damaging for the survivors who had to deal not only with the Black Death, but also live in a society in turmoil that had lost all hope.
References
Boccaccio G. (1921) The Decameron. (M. Rigg trans). London: David Campbell. Retrieved from http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/boccacio2.asp
Froissart, J. (1904) “On the Jacquerie” in G. C. Macauly, ed. The Chronicles of Froissart, Lord Berners, trans. London: Macmillan and Co. pp. 136-137. Retrieved from http://www.fordham.edu/Halsall/source/froissart2.asp
Holmes, G. (2001). The Oxford Illustrated History of Medieval Europe. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
