1. The Middle Ages The Black Death
This exercise will require you read online resources and then answer questions.
All the resources are provided as links on slide 2.
The questions about the information you found from the resources are on slides 3-6.
There is a space provided for you to answer on each slide.
Further directions will be given in the note area of each slide.
Right click on the map and select “Open Hyperlink” to see the spread of the Black Death

2. Resources “Plague” - National Geographic
“Black Death: Lasting Impact” – BBC
“The Role of Trading in Transmitting the Black Death” – American University
“The Middle Ages – The Black Death” – History Department, Boise State University
“The Plague” – Decameron Web, Brown University
Please follow these links and read all information regarding the Black Death on each site.
To access the links, right click and select the “Open Hyperlink” option.
You may want to leave the website open to refer to them while answering the questions on slide 3-6.

3. Q&A What was the Black Death? What caused it?
The Black Death was a Medieval pandemic that spread from China to Europe from 1339 to No one knows why the disease broke out in the Gobi Desert, after centuries of dormancy. Nevertheless, it spread by caravan routes and more readily by ships. Following the trade routes, it had a circuitous path that took it from the Near East to the Western Mediterranean, to Northern Europe, and back to Russia. The medical term for the disease is the bubonic plague, which lives in the digestive track of fleas that are carried by rodents and passed on to humans. During the Middle Ages, rats were a major factor in spreading the disease. The disease is called the Black Death because the lymph nodes swell and turn black as a result.
Give your answers in the tan box under the questions.
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Your answer need not be longer than what can fit in the box.
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4. Q&A Who or what did the Medieval people believe caused the plague?
The common people believed that the plague was caused by the wrath of God, but the public officials , learned people, and even churchmen did not believe the plague was punishment from God. One medical opinion of the learned people was that poisonous vapors from a celestial event under the sign of Aquarius was the cause. Thinking it was transmitted by air, people used incense and oils for prevention, and some even believed that sound would cure the disease and so rang the church bells or fired cannons. Some Christians traveled in bands around the country openly inflicting punishment on themselves for the sins of the world that they believed caused the plague. Jews were also a target, with people blaming them for poisoning wells or practicing witchcraft leading to the plague.
Give your answer in the tan box under the question.
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Your answer need not be longer than what can fit in the box.
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5. Q&A
What were the social and economic effects of the plague? Please list three below.
Labor shortage after one third of the population died in Europe
Landed income decreased with the lack of workers
Wages rose with shortage of labor, and standards of living rose
Landlords tried to force laborers to work, while laborers argued for better treatment. Revolts resulted from this strained relationship.
Answer the questions in the multicolor table, putting each effect in one of the colored cells.
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Your answer need not be longer than what can fit in each cell.
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6. Q&A What about the Black Death specifically interests you?
I’m interested in the art depicting the plague, specifically the tomb carvings and the paintings described as danse macabre “The Dance of Death”
I’d like to know the specific travel routes of the time period to see a detailed picture of the plague’s spread
The medical description of the bubonic plagues and similar diseases also interest me
Answer the questions in the multicolor table, putting each interest in one of the colored cells.
Simply click on one of the colored cells to add text
Your answer need not be longer than what can fit in each cell.
Feel free to adjust the font if needed.