In late October of 1347 the Genoese fleet entered the harbor of Messina. All crew men were either dead or on the verge of death. The "sickness was clinging to their very bones"(Gottfried1). Upon arrival at Messina Harbor the Harbor Master enforced a strict quarantine on the crew, fearing "anyone who only spoke to them would be seized by a mortal illness and in no manor could evade death. The infection would spread to everyone who had any contact with the diseased" (Knox4). This was one of the first accounts of the plague. Unbeknownst to many at the time, human to human contact was not the primary factor aiding the spread of the plague. Fleas and rats were. In as little as six months of the fleet's arrival in the harbor half of the surrounding population had either died or fled from the plague. This outbreak was one of thousands of what present day cultural h

"During this great epidemic of death (in Tuscany) more then eighty died of every hundred, and the air was so infested that death overtook men everywhere, wherever they might flee. and when they saw everybody dying they no longer heeded death and believed that the end of the world was at hand" (Horrox22). This was the overall outlook of life in Europe. The cultural effects were devastating. Schools and universities were located in the hardest hit regions with dense populations and were usually shut down. Sixteen professor's at Cambridge died (Horrox 22). The plague touched all walks of life from nobles to poor. The effect on the Church was socially devastating considering the fact that "the priest had died and no one could hear confession" (Cippola,5) The people had no one to tell their sins to or to ask for forgiveness at a time when that is all they want to do.

By the end of 1351 the Black Death had run it's merciless course though out Europe. The Black Death was a huge blow to Europe, yet the timing of the outbreak was an amplifier for such devastation. By the early 1300's rumors of great famines were common through out Europe. The Church was very week with the efforts to recover the Holy Land failing. Europe was also feeling the effects of the Hundred Years' war as well as other wars erupting which added famine to plague. The effects of Black Death were horrific standing alone, but they were worsened by the problems that were already being felt in Europe. Black Death made a situation were catastrophe that was inevitable come at a quicker pace and hit with a harder force then ever imagined possible.

'Travel to and from Pisa or Lucca into Pistoia are only permitted after the set councils approval. penalty 50 pence. Bodies of the deceased are to only be removed in a wooded box with the lid planks nail down so that no stench will escape. Penalty 50 pence to kinsmen. The bodies of the deceased are to be buried two and a half arms lengths deep. penalty of 10 pence for those infringing on the statues of burial. No corpse will ever be brought into the city of Pistia whether confined or not. Penalty 25 pence to carrier as well as guard of city gate. When a person dies no one shall give or send gifts to the house of the deceased. Not applying to blood related family members. Penalty 25 pence. In avoidance of unnecessary waste and expense no one shall wear new clothes during the morning period of 8 days. not applicable to wife. Penalty 25 penance. No bells were to be rung as not to disturb the ill. Penalty 6 pence. No one will cry for the deceased in a fashion that will attract !

Surprisingly, the government as well as churchmen took a more grounded approach to the problem. Being that "this clammily was not the vengeance of God upon a sinful world but was a disease. Authorities took what steps they could to deal with it, but of course their effectiveness was limited"(Knox4). One of the most successful examples was seen in Milan. Government officials walled up the homes of the plagued, isolating all that lived there the sick as well as the healthy. Venice took the steps of quarantines to greater lengths. They isolated all ships coming into port on a separate isla

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Approximate Word count = 2157
Approximate Pages = 9 (250 words per page double spaced)