Prove: The Black Plague* as a “watershed”** event in the history of Europe.

1. Prove: The Black Plague* as a “watershed”** event in the history of Europe. *The Black Plague, Black Death, Bubonic Plague, Pneumonic plague, Septicemic plague **A critical point that marks a division or a change of course; a turning point The Event: Black Plague – an event that wiped out between 30 - 60% of the Europe’s population quickly peaking in 1348-1350. Reduced the world’s population from 450 million -> 350 to 375 million) It would take Europe 150 years to recover and have profound religious, social and economic impact. Illustration of the Black Death from the Toggenburg Bible (1411)

2. Symptoms: Contemporary accounts of the plague ->are often varied or imprecise The most commonly noted symptom -> was the appearance of buboes (or gavocciolos) in the groin, the neck and armpits, which oozed pus and bled when opened. Boccaccio's description is graphic: "In men and women alike it first betrayed itself by the emergence of certain tumours in the groin or armpits, some of which grew as large as a common apple, others as an egg...From the two said parts of the body this deadly gavocciolo soon began to propagate and spread itself in all directions indifferently; after which the form of the malady began to change, black spots or livid making their appearance in many cases on the arm or the thigh or elsewhere, now few and large, now minute and numerous. As the gavocciolo had been and still was an infallible token of approaching death, such also were these spots on whomsoever they showed themselves. An inguinal bubo on the upper thigh of person infected with bubonic plague. Swollen lymph glands (buboes) often occur in the neck, armpit and groin (inguinal) regions of plague victims A hand showing acral gangrene of the fingers due to bubonic plague, causes the skin and flesh to die and turn black

3. Only medical detail that is questionable is the infallibility of approaching death, as if the bubo discharges, recovery is possible. • This was followed by acute fever and vomiting of blood. Most victims died within two to seven days after infection. • Forms of the plague • Infection of lungs • Boils • Groin

4. Description of the plague: Rapid -> fever, chills, dysentery -> 2nd stage welts, swelling bubo, gland in groin for neck -> septic shock, hemorrhage, body temperature drops Turn to church -> Virgin Mary statues did nothing. Expert opinions -> Leeches -> restore balance in body -> alignment of planets -> ill-crosses stars -> oddest explanation -> evil vapour Curses -> flow from God therefore plague is a punishment from God for SIN -> man was wicked, vices, depravity, evil

5. How was the Black Plague seen as a “watershed”* event in the history of Europe? *A critical point that marks a division or a change of course; a turning point Source: The Plague . The History Channel, 2005. DVD. (00:50:00 -  01:00:23min)

6. Evidence of Watershed event: • End of the world -> fabric of society unwinding - > gentry and church flee, poor abandon sick/dying (lack of compassion), people become hardened to death • Church /State-> Loss of power • Evidence -> Urban Reforms • -> Change in Church ordinances • -> priest abandon posts • -> people make confession to each other (even women) • -> Rise of the Flagellants (popular vs. authority) • -> Political authority disbands/destroys them • -> Everyone is dying (regardless of one’s station) makes no sense

7. Political authority -> powerless to stop the plague Expel and burn Jews -> Jews -> given sanctuary in Poland By the end of the 14th C. -> most areas of France, Germany, Italy -> no Jews Impact of losing so much – is life worth living? Evil time ahead? Church, society, science, medicine, art, literature -> loss every single person in history has seen someone die close to them Past is shattered -> opened minds to questions authority and how we understand God -> shatters the churches 1000 year old stranglehold on religion - rich hire own chaplains, chapels, privatization of religion

8. -> new answers in science • medicine – Chirurgia magna (Great Surgery) – based on observation, practical, clinical • Guy de Chauliac (c.1300 – 1368) -> authoritative text for the next 300 years • - Drop in population advantages -> supply could never keeps up with demand • Italian countryside -> famine common - > now new food to spare, luxury crops (orchards, olives) • Diet -> • Wages raise -> labour shortage • Vacant land • Poor invest in land, become independent land owners • Ruling class -> no labour • seek fortune by looking, conscripting -> new rules for knights -> demilitarized • smaller work force -> new labour saving devices invented • ->printing press, mills -> technological solutions • - industry starts to emerge • -

9. biggest impact -> human heart -> agony to watch child or parent, loved own die • memory of death common sight • psychological transformation -> dance macabre, art painting, remember death, death is everywhere • questioning attitude, increased individualism • Black Death -> leads to the greatest flowering of culture and knowledge in European history -> Renaissance • Medieval society -> Did not lose faith in God or the future • Legacy -> terror and violence, heroism and self sacrifice, restoration and renewal