Archive for the ‘Death’ Category
Black Death
The Black Death was an epidemic that permanently changed the face of medieval Europe. It killed more than one-quarter of the population, causing thousands of villages to abandoned and subsequently disappear. The Black Death probably arrived in Europe from Central Asia by way of Mongol raiders. It first caused epidemics in Italy in 1347, spreading rapidly through rest of Europe. The disease was spread by the bite of fleas from infected rats, but because its cause was not understood the infection raged unchecked. The resulting fear led to great wave of religious hysteria and also the fall of the long-established feudal system.