99,000 Essays & Term Papers: Where You Buy Essays and Papers Online
Direct Essays, Where You Can Buy Essays and Papers Online

Instant Access to Buy Essays and Papers Online!
Acceptable Use Policy
Customer Service
Site Search


Login to View Essays and Papers Online

Join Now - Instant Access to Essays and Research Papers!

  Essay and Research Paper Topics
Acceptance Essays
Arts Essays
Custom Essays
English Literature Essays
Foreign
History Essays
Miscellaneous Research Papers and Essays
Movie Essays and Papers
Music Term Papers
Novels
People and Biography Research Papers
Politics Research Papers
Religion Research Papers
Science Essay Topics
Sports Research Papers
Technology Research Papers
 
  FAQ
Technical Support
Site Map
Direct Essays
 

 



Welcome to Direct Essays

This is a short summary of this paper!

Already a member? Go here to log in and view the entire paper!


Join Now!
by: Credit Card
Join Now!
by: Online Check
Join Now!
by: Phone 1-900
Special! View this paper for FREE!
  

Black Plague

In 1348, in the major Trade City of Florence, a ship from China docked on the port carrying the rat that would lead Europe through one of the greatest epidemics ever known to man, the Black Death. The virulent plague quickly claimed the lives of a third of the population. There was no escape, as a third of the population quickly perished the social impacts were tremendous. Society had three main options, to run away from the pestilence as many did, having a profound socioeconomic effect in the cities and causing a further spread of the plague. While others instead devoted themselves to God and the faith in hope that God's wrath would spare their lives. Yet others did the complete opposite, knowing that life was uncertain and that not even those of the faith were being spared they opted to celebrate the joys of life. Instead they focused on the importance of the individuals wants and needs, as seen in the beliefs and ideals that governed the Renaissance movement. Under the strain of social pressures caused by the Black Death the medieval Catholic Church went through a profound change, in its place a new morally corrupt church emerged encompassing the social ideologies and beliefs of the Renaissance, which had resulted as a


During the plague many people who had the means left the cities including many of the priest and high church officials demonstrating even further the break down of society. Where as the church was at the center of the moral shaping of the individual, they were compelled by fear to leave the cities and their spiritual concern for man. As a result of the plague many of the Catholic officials left their duties as spiritual leaders to escape the plague and instead sought refuge in the luxurious comforts of the countryside. The spiritual morale of the people was further weakened by this event. It was evident that the church cared more about their safety than for the spiritual concern of the people. Ziegler comments, "They lost in popularity as a result of the plague. They were deemed not to have risen the to the level of responsibilities, to have run away in fear or in search of gain, to have put their own skins first and the souls of their parishioners a bad second." The Catholic Church was not adhering to the spiritual demands of the people, at a time when they were most needed they left their parishioners and instead focused on their own personal needs going against everything the church stood for.

As a consequence to the plague, social beliefs and ideologies had been transformed. The importance of the needs of the individual had been exulted. As a result of the crisis the worst virtues of man became evident, man lacked a moral character and instead focused on luxury indolence, greed and wild vivacity. The social beliefs had changed, society focused on man instead of Christ. The church being a social entity also changed as society mind set changed. The result was a church, governed by the perverse ideals of society.

In an effort to counter effect the ravages of the plague, the Catholic Church began to recruit new members to join the priesthood. Within an exertion to lure more people, the Church relaxed its discipline, as a result Catholic faith and ideology suffered. Although it was a means to once again increase the importance of the church in the lives of the people by providing more clergy, it further aggravated the social damage done by the plague. The church reemerged encompassing the social ideologies and beliefs that had resulted from the Black Death.

As a result of the churches spiritual absence, society suffered a great deal of moral corruption and degradation, as Boccaccio states "Men and Women encouraged by this way of thinking and caring for nobody but themselves, abandoned the city their houses and estates and even their own flesh an blood." The People of this period did not have a great sense of morale. The church, which placed an emphasis on the ideas of caring for your fellow brother and living a moral and spiritual existence, was no longer present. Society had no other place to turn to for moral support and spirituality; as a result they were forced to rely on their own efforts to survive the crisis. Boccaccio states, that men and women were leaving their children and families behind for their own survival. These ideas are very selfish; parents were placing their own personal needs and wants ahead of their children. In many ways it represents the degradation of the family unit, as the moral fabric which was believed to hold society together. The act of leaving your own children to die for the purposes of your own survival is heartless and goes against morale and the sanctity of the family, which the church upheld to very high esteem.

The plague in Europe devastated the population; many of those most closely effected were members of the church. Their position as social caretakers of society placed them within close proximity of the people they were serving. As a result they were more often exposed to the plague. In The Decameron, Giovanni Boccaccio, a Florentine writer states, "Even the reverend authority of the divine and human law had almost crumpled and fa

Some common words found in the essay are:
Canterbury Tales, Catholic Church, Philip Ziegler, Third Story, Geoffrey Chaucer, Boccaccio Women, Black Death, Boccaccio Florentine, City Florence, Shipmates Tale, catholic church, canterbury tales, moral character, moral spiritual, black death, church officials, ecclesiastical body, third population, social ideologies, effected plague, tales geoffrey chaucer, spiritual people serving, ecclesiastical body serving, canterbury tales geoffrey, opted enjoy life,
Approximate Word count = 3628
Approximate Pages = 15 (250 words per page double spaced)


  

More Essays on Black Plague

The Black Plague1161 words
The Black Plague1099 words
the black plague858 words
The Black Plague933 words
Black Plague1997 words
Black Plague1120 words

Look at even more essays on Black Plague
More History Essays

Professional Papers:
The Black Plague1732 words
The Black Death881 words
The Black Death of the Middle Ages2270 words
Disasters of the Fourteenth Century A number of223 words
The Plague by Albert Camus2100 words
HIV/AIDS AND HUMAN RIGHTS HIV/AIDS and Human Rights5397 words
Special! View this paper for FREE!
Click here to JoinNow!
by: Credit Card
Click here to Join Now!
by: Online Check
Click here to Join Now!
by: Phone 1-900

 

All papers and essays are for research and reference purposes only!
Copyright 2002-2009 Direct Essays , LLC. All Rights Reserved. DMCA
Webmasters make $$$$
Saved Papers