The Black Death is one of the most catastrophic deadly plagues to have ever been recorded in history. It ravaged the regions across Europe through to Asia leaving severe effects to the communities. Research has shown that the bacterium Yersinia pestis which comes from several forms of plague could have been the cause (Lenz&Hybel, 2016). The Black Death began in the 1330s around Delhi and made a quick spread to other regions including Asia and other parts of Europe. The cities of Kaffa were the most affected, and as merchants travelled from these cities, they transmitted the plague to other parts of Europe including Italy and France. The emergence of the Black Death led to not only physical and psychological devastation but also led to a severe sense of demoralization and deprivation that resulted from a large number of deaths. The plague had spread through Spain and France by 1348, getting to England and the northern parts of Europe later in the year. There was massive depopulation as the epidemic wiped out a large number of the European communities. The existence of the maritime trade had enhanced the spread of the plague, and the areas that were first devastated were the seaport regions where trade took place. The epidemic had wiped out a large number of people, with more than one-fourth of the population being wiped by the end of 1350 (McGovern & Ross, 2013). The outbreak was so severe that up to 60% of the infected people failed to survive. A survey by the National Geographic Society had estimated that around 25 million Europeans had died from the plague. Following the emergence of Black Death and the depopulation that it caused, there was great physical and mental torture to the families whose members had vanished from the epidemic (McGovern & Ross, 2013). However, the plague resultedat the end of the church domination and brought in several reforms both in health, social, and economic. The epidemic led to numerous changes such as improved medical literature, improvement in the public sanitation, an end to feudalism, and the beginning of the end of the medieval period.
References
Lenz, K., &Hybel, N. (2016).The Black Death: Its ORigin and Routes of Dissemination. Scandinavian Journal of History, 41(1), 54-70. McGovern, J. F.& Ross, J. A. (2013).Black Death in Europe.Salem Press Encyclopedia, 2013.2p
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