The Black Death

A detailed Summary of The Black Death


The Black Death was one of the most severe epidemics in human history. It took place in Europe from 1347 to 1351. This plague killed entire families at a time and destroyed many villages. This disease wiped out anything that was in its path. The Black Death took a devastating toll on human life, but at the same time played a major role in shaping European life in the years that followed.

I feel that people acted in many ways that increased the plague. As Bocaccio stated, there were several groups of people in which all reacted in different ways. Some people felt that the only way to avoid infection was to run away from the ill. People were scared for their lives, and feared the ill intensely. These people choose to live separate and tried to avoid any contact with outsiders. They left loved ones to die with this horrible disease all alone and scared. Another group of people that Bocaccio described acted as if they were going to die anyway so they tried to make the best of it. They seemed as if they didn't care about themselves or others and enjoyed themselves to the fullest with drinking, eating and partying. Many people kept their distance from one another whether they were infected or not. Ever


European economy and society changed considerably following the Black Death. The fact that so many people had died, there was a huge labor shortage. This then contributed to the end of the feudal system. Serfs would often leave their manors and try to make a better life for themselves and start over again in cities. In addition to better work opportunities, survivors of the plague had a surplus of material goods. Since so many people who died from this disease were left alone, many of their valuables were left behind. Some had left behind entire estates and other important belongings. These goods of the dead were mostly available through inheritance. Through these factors, Europe experienced an overall rise in its standard of living.

The social behavior of the people changed drastically. People choose to flee the area in which they lived that was infected with this plague. Theses people not only left their families and friends behind but also left their agriculture to rot. People choose to consume all of their goods as if tomorrow it wouldn't be there. I think that the reasoning behind this was because they must of thought that the crops would soon become contaminated with the plague. Farmers didn't even take care of their fields as well as their animals. The fields were left for these animals to graze on their o

Some common words found in the essay are:
Black Death, Black Plague, black death, didn't care, people died, people choose, human life, toll human life, toll human,

Approximate Word count = 898
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

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