causes of Black Death

 causes of Black Death

Disease outbreak is something that is greatly feared by humans across the world. In the years 1346-1353, there occurred a deadly disease outbreak in Europe known as the Black Death. Black Death is also known as the medieval black plague, was feared because it resulted in the massive loss of lives in Europe. For instance, almost a third of Europe’s population lost their lives due to the outbreak of the plague. The Black Death is caused by a bacteria by the name Yersinia pestis that is transmitted to humans by fleas from black rats. Symptoms of the disease include darkening of bodies as a result of excessive flow of blood under the skin and decomposition of body organs such as fingers and toes. This essay seeks to explain the causes of Black Death as per the documents provided and how it was prevented from spreading.

”The Black Death” written by Rosemary Horrox in 1994 when Christianity was widely spread in Europe. The massive loss of lives, which resulted in famine and climatic problems, inspired the writing of the  documents. Both five papers were written at a time when Christianity was being exercised in Europe. ”From the ordinances against spread of plagues” was written on 2^nd May 1348.”From Gabriele de Mussis” on the hand was introduced in 1356. It was written so that people could understand the author’s thoughts on the origin of the disease. “A Franciscan Friar” was written by Herman Gigas in 1349 at the time when the Jews were being accused of poisoning wells. All of this occurred in the cities of Germany. Heinrich Truchess came up with “a Former papal Chaplain and Canon of Constance.” Lastly, “Papal Bull Sikut of Clement” was inscribed by Pope, mainly targeting people in

the church.

The document “Papal Bull Sicut Judeis of clement VI” of July 1348 has information which states that the plagues came about as a form of punishment from God to sinners. According to this document, Christians, especially Jews, believe that God was unhappy with their sinful deeds; thus, he decided to punish them by introducing the plague. However, in the document by Herman Gigas, the Jews believe that the medieval black plague came from the poison of toads and spiders that were found in wells.

In “From Gabriele de’ Mussis” of 1356, the Tartars believed that the Black Death was caused by the bad smell of the people who died in the armed ship. The dead bodies of the people who died in the vessel were thrown back in the city using catapults. This occurred when the Tartars were pursuing a particular group by the name Tana who were fleeing to Caffa. Tana was a group of Christian merchants. Bodies thrown in the city were dumped into the sea, therefore, resulting in bad smell as well as poisoning the water supply system. Many people got infected with the plague as people who inhaled the smell tried to move from one place to another. Apart from being infected, a lot of people who were in the south, east, and northern regions lost their lives. The few people who managed to escape from Caffa carried the plague to their destinations like Genoa, Venice, and so forth.

The document “From the ordinances against the spread of Plague” contains several things that are assumed to be the cause of Black Death’s outbreak.  According to the document, the movement of woolen cloths always resulted in the outbreak of the disease. As a result, a law that prohibited the movement of woolen materials into and from Postia was introduced. The penalty for moving clothes in and out of Postia was 200 pence. Furthermore, the woolen materials were to be burned by the official that had discovered the act. People from Italy assumed that catching of corrupt air in fibric folds also resulted in the outbreak of the disease. Additionally, individuals were burned from moving from Pisa to Lucca or vice versa. One was not even allowed to provide hospitality to the people from these mentioned places. In case caught guilty for moving from and to the mentioned places, the fine was 500 pence. Bodies of the dead people, on the other hand, were to be transported in wooden boxes that are enclosed to prevent the emergence of smell.  It was believed that the smell was another cause of the outbreak of the Black Death.

People had to develop ways of preventing the spread of  Black Death due to the massive loss of lives that was being experienced. Firstly, the guards in charge of the gates of Pistoia were not permitted to allow people from Pisa and Lucca to enter the city. In case, strangers were found in the town of Pistoia; the guard was fined 10 pence. However, those living in Postia had the freedom of moving to Pisa and Lucca in case they had a license. Giving of gifts to the family of the deceased was not allowed, and in case it occurred, one was to face a fine of 25 pence. Twenty- five pence fine was also given to the person who took a copse with him or her in the city since it was prohibited. Graves were to be dug to a depth of two and a half arm’s length to prevent the emergence of a bad smell. Once one broke the rule of the depth of the grave, he had to pay 10 pence as punishment. Lastly, those people in the funeral did not have permission to accompany the dead body past church doors.

According to the documents provided, Christians think that their sinful nature is the reason as to why God decided to punish them with the Black Death disease. The report “papal Bull Sicut Judeis of Clement VI” for instance, shows that people believe God brought the illness for not only punishing the Jews but also punishing other sinners. Additionally, it is evident from the documents that the blame for the disease is being put on God.

Even though a lot of people believed that the Jews were responsible for the emergence of the Black Death, Pope Clement VI defended them. He claimed that the Jews also died of the epidemic. The Pope also claimed that Christians that accused Jews for spreading the disease were being influenced by the devil. He went further and warned individuals who had the intention of hurting people of Jewish origin with ex-communication.

In conclusion, the documents have provided information on how people understood the entire concept of the Black Death disease in the years 1346-1353. For instance, the causes of the disease have been discussed in a detailed form. Examples of the causes are: trapping off polluted air in the air folds present in fibric folds and pollution of both air and water systems.  The dead people that were thrown to the land using catapults led to the spread of the epidemic. However, people came up with ways of preventing the spread of the disease that are discussed broadly in this essay. This essay also indicates Pope Clement’s take on the relation between the disease and Jews.