Black Death

The Black Death could really only enter Europe through Italy. Why?

The Black Death (bubonic plague) is one of the disastrous and devastating pandemics experienced in the 14^th century medieval Europe (Cesana et al. pp. 15-24). This disease killed an estimated upward figure of 25-30 million people from the year 1347 to 1352. The cause of this pandemic was attributed to bacillus bacteria, and it was transmitted to human beings by rodents and fleas. The origin of this disease was in central Asia, but it was taken out of Asian by Mongolian warriors who took it to Crimea. This plague found its way to Europe through Italy by rats, which were carried in the Genoese trading ships in the Black Sea (Cesana et al. pp. 15-24). The plague was named the Black Death because the skins and repellent swellings of buboes in the armpits of the victims turned black and burst as they also experienced other symptoms such as joint pains and fever. The death toll resulting from the plague was so high that the entire European medieval society suffered a tremendous economic crisis. This question seeks to establish possible reasons why the bubonic plague could only enter Europe through Italy and consequently cause unprecedented damages to European society.

According to Cesana et al. (2017, pp. 15-24), the Black Death plague could only have entered Europe through Sicily. Four Genoese grain ships arrived from Caffa, and they were noted to e highly infested with rats. This port city had been placed under siege by Mongolian warriors called Tartar-Mongols. These Mongols catapulted infected corpses into the Italian city, and this made the Italians contract the disease. The Mongol traders who used the silk road may have also brought the disease from central Asia. From Sicily, the disease easily spread to mainland Italy. One of the ships arriving from Caffa, across the Black Sea, was denied entry into Genoa and found alternative docking in Marseille before proceeding to Valencia. Towards the end of 1349, the plague had spread along the trade routes into European countries such as Spain, France, Ireland, and Britain. These countries are recorded to have experienced devastating damages from the plague. The plague continued to spread like wildfire and reached Scandinavia, Germany, Russia, and the Baltic states in the period between 1350 to 1352 (Cesana et al. pp. 15-24).

The arrival of the Black Death in Italy and subsequent spread to the entire European continent was a historically momentous and tragic event (Cesana et al. pp. 15-24). Italy was the most strategic entry point to Europe because, at that time, the Italian cities of Genoa and Venice were used as commercial sea points. The cities used to send huge galleys to Egypt, Crimea, the region around the Mediterranean Sea, and through Gibraltar to Bruges and London. It is important to note that these massive voyages had the support of intensive harbor networks, factories, and trading stations located along the sea lanes. The Italian cities, Genoa and Venice, were leading proto-industrial centers in the 14^th century. There was massive transportation of goods from central to northern Italy. The goods could be transported by land through road tracks across Switzerland and Austria into Germany, France, Hungary, and Bohemia. This vast network that Italy developed increased the chances of the plague entering Italy and consequently spreading to other European countries (Cesana et al. pp. 15-24).

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Another important reason why the plague could only have entered Europe through Italy is the fact that Italy’s population was increasing, and internal resources could not sustain people (Martin p. 116). People developed large-scale systems of importation and eventual distribution of food and non-food products. The notable point is that part of the food products were cereals. There was massive importation of cereals owing to their high calorific value, and their transportation costs were relatively lower. Rodents like to feed on cereals, and they could be found in the ships that transported cereals from Crimea to Italy. This could have been an easy avenue of importing the plague to Italy and the entire medieval European society. From the large-scale networks, there were small-scale and private distributors of cereal grains and flour who supplied the local needs in small towns and in the countryside. These networks were spread throughout the European continent, and it provided a fertile ground for the spread of the plague to the entire European continent upon its entry in Italy from Crime (Martin p. 138).

Explain two positive outcomes of the Black Death.

The Black Death (bubonic plague) spread from central Asia to Europe through Italy. The plague spread like wildfire through individuals, households, towns, and cities. It erased between 30 to 50 percent of the population in medieval Europe. It killed up to 200 million, starting from 1348 when it entered London. However, this pandemic would later result in serious socioeconomic and evolutionary transformations in Europe that significantly changed history. This question seeks to explain some of the positive outcomes associated with the bubonic plague of the 14^th-century medieval European society (Martin p. 127).

The bubonic plague (1346-1353) impacted positively on the health of the generations that came in the post-plague period. Bioarcheological studies conducted on the plague cemeteries have revealed that the Black Death mainly targeted frail people indiscriminately in all ages (Byrne p. 37). It was a kind of natural selection process that entailed the survival of the fittest. The plague could kill hundreds of thousands within a very period of time. The weak and vulnerable individuals in medieval European society were destroyed. Social structures were changed, and this tragic depopulation resulted in serious shortages in the workforce. Subsequently, the shortages led to an eventual pay rise. Prices of commodities were lowered, and this had the overall effect of improved living standards. They started eating more food that was of better quality than it was before the plague (Shipman p. 406).

According to Dewitte (2014), the people that survived the Black Death and the subsequent generations had lower mortality rates and lower susceptibility to diseases. The bubonic plague impacted on people’s genetic makeup with regard to disease susceptibility and immunity (Byrne p. 81). It significantly reduced frailty levels in the subsequent generations. This development is witnessed in the lower mortality levels in the medieval plagues that followed the bubonic plague. According to Ziegler (2014), mortality rates were remarkably lower in the post-epidemic population compared to the pre-epidemic population because of improved immunity.

Annotated Bibliography

Byrne, Joseph Patrick. Encyclopedia of the Black Death. ABC-CLIO, 2012.

In this encyclopedia, Byrne provides highlights more than 300 cross-referenced interdisciplinary entries on the effects of the bubonic plague in medieval Europe. The encyclopedia also examines the second plague of 1361 and examines socioeconomic and evolutionary developments that changed the course of history in the post-pandemic period. Besides the history of the plague, this encyclopedia covers research on the bubonic plague and the medical history of the generations that came after the Black Death. This helps a lot in answering the question on the positive outcomes of the Black Death.

Cesana, D., et al. The Origin and Early Spread of the Black Death in Italy: First Evidence of Plague Victims from 14th-Century Liguria (Northern Italy). Anthropological Science, vol. 125, no. 1, 2017, pp. 15–24., doi:10.1537/ase.161011.

This article investigates the origin and early spread of the bubonic plague from central Asia to Europe via Italy. The article offers background information on the strategic location of Italy that made it an entry point of the disease to Europe. Cesana et al. examines available archeological evidence that point to reason why Italy was best placed for the entry and early spread of the pandemic. Information contained herein is very useful in explaining why the disease could only have entered Europe through Italy.

Dewitte, Sharon N. Mortality Risk and Survival in the Aftermath of the Medieval Black Death. PLoS ONE, vol. 9, no. 5, July 2014, doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0096513.

Dr. Sharon Dewitte is a bioarcheologist who has widely researched on the paleoepidemiology and paleodemography. In this article, she successfully researches on the Black Death and she is able to establish the positive sides of the plague. She explains why the Black Death was more of a natural selection process in Europe than any other ordinary pandemics. The article provides vital information in explaining the positive outcomes of the bubonic plague.

Martin, Sean. The Black Death. Pocket Essentials, 2015.

In this book, Sean Martin explores the history of the Black Death that devasted tens of millions in the 14^th century medieval Europe. Martin explains how the pandemic spread from central Asia to Europe ravaging millions of people as it spread like wildfire. This is a resourceful material in understanding the history of the Black Death and the consequences of this plague.

Shipman, Pat. The Bright Side of the Black Death. American Scientist, vol. 102, no. 6, 2014, p. 410., doi:10.1511/2014.111.410.

In this article, Shipman addresses the positive outcomes of the bubonic plague. The article explains how the Black Death strengthened the people that survived it despite the devastating effects associated with it. Shipman makes the point that what doesn’t kill, strengthens. This is a good article in answering the question on the positive outcomes of the Black Death.

Ziegler, Michelle. The Black Death and the Future of the Plague. The Medieval Globe, 2014, doi:10.5040/9781641899406.0013.

This article investigates the history of the Black Death and its devastating damages on populations. The article takes a keen interest on how the bubonic plague impacted generations and led to improved living standards and reduced mortalities in subsequent plagues. The article is quite informative on the question of the positive outcomes of the Black Death.

Works Cited