The second major outbreak of bubonic plague, known as the Black Death, occurred in Europe in 1346-50. The plague was believed to have originated in China and brought to Europe on trading ships. Specifically, it entered Europe on twelve Italian trading ships that docked in Sicily in October 1347 carrying a cargo of men dying or dead from the plague. Once the plague entered the port it was virtually unstoppable. One eyewitness account reads: "

People were obviously very confused about the plague, its origin, and God's role in it during this time. For these apparent reasons the Church was just as diversely affected by the Black Death as was the entirety of Europe.

Some tractates broached the question of whether the sinfulness of humanity was caused by or a cause for the plague. For example, the Regensburg chronicler, Konrad von Megenburg, concluded that society itself had caused the plague by its sinful behavior. Other people had similar sentiments: that the plague was caused by the wickedness of humanity, and that this wickedness was manifested by an assault on the universals that held society together. In addition, plague was a cure for social fragmentation and sin.

Another example of the pilgrimages going on throughout the land was the flagellant movement. This movement arose out of the belief that if the plague was a manifestation of divine anger, then Christians should do all they could to calm that anger. The flagellants were bands of people who wandered through towns and countryside doing penance in public. They got their name from the whips they carried, scourges with three long tails. They would enter towns singing and would make their way to the nearest church and perform their rituals. They inflicted all sorts of punishments upon themselves, trying to atone for the evil of the world, sacrificing themselves for the world's sins in imitation of Jesus. Society generally wondered at them and did not approve. The flagellants showed a tendency to kill Jews they encountered and even clergymen who spoke against them. Eventually the pope condemned the flagellants but they did not disappear until well into the 15th century.

Despite the disappointment in the Church during this period there was an apparent increase in gifts made to the Church. People could have made this choice for seve

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Approximate Word count = 1278
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)