2. What was the Black Death?
Deadly
This was a disease that spread across Europe from 1346 to 1352

3. The Causes of the Plague
There were crop failures that led to starvation

4. I’m hungry!
Uh oh Me
Too!
In the late Middle Ages there were more people in Europe than could be fed

5. 1348: People are weakened by lack of food & this allows the Plague to spread throughout Europe

6. Where does it come from?
The Black Death starts in Mongolia…

7. & spreads to Europe thanks to the Silk Road
Mongolia
& spreads to Europe thanks to the Silk Road

8. How do you get the Plague?
The Plague is carried by fleas…

9. Who in turn live on rats

10. These rats lived in people’s homes & ate people’s food & the people got sick from flea bites

11. What were the symptoms of the Disease?
There were 2 types of the Black Death that invaded Europe:
1. Pneumonic Plague: People got fevers & spit up blood- death in about 3 days
2. Bubonic Plague: People got big bulges filled with puss & liquid under their arms & on their necks!

12. Why Couldn’t People beat this Disease?
People were not aware of good hygiene (they didn’t take baths, they didn’t wash their hands, etc.)

13. People blamed EVERYTHING & EVERYONE from God’s anger, to the stars in the sky, to the Jewish people

14. What did they do to try to heal themselves?
They tried everything from giving all they had to the Church (they hoped God would save them)…

15. To lucky charms, herbs, & bloodletting (they would actually cut themselves & drain their blood)

16. How did the Black Death change life in Europe?
Fun Fact:
To give you an idea of
How many people the
Plague killed- It would be
The same as
EVERYONE dying in
California!
First of all it killed 1/3 of the total European population- about 25 million people

17. Farms declined- As the number of farm workers (serfs) died- the ones who survived were able to demand more out of their lords

18. Many serfs also left farming & went to the cities to live & work- Cities Grew!