Unit: Medieval Europe

Lesson Title: The Black Death(See textbook pages 279-281)

While the English and French were fighting the Hundred Years’ War, a deadly plague called the Black Death swept through Europe between 1347 and 1351.

War was not the only thing that helped bring aboutthe decline of feudalism in Europe; so did disease.

The Black death involved several diseases, including Bubonic plague that included fever,vomiting, fierce coughing, and egg-sized swelling or bumps.

Over time, the plague killed millions of people in Europe and millions more around the world. The huge and rapid drop in population in Europe (about one-third) caused important social changes.

In class reading activity

Read “The Black Death” on page 279 and also on pages 280-281.

Answer these questions:

1. Where in Europe did the Black Death first appear?

2. What were the social changes that resulted from millions of people dying so quickly?

3. Look at the pictures and notations on pages 280-281. How did the Black Death reach Europe from Asia?

4. What helped spread the plague in Europe?

Dirty conditions in which people lived contributedto the spread of the diseases of the Black Death.

Fleas carried the germs that caused the diseases. The fleas fed on the blood of infected rats. People would go for many months without a change of clothing or a bath. Rats covered with fleas roamed the floors of homes looking for food and got onto people’s clothing.

In most places, the manor system fell apart as a result of the plague.

There were fewer people to work the fields. The serfs and peasants who were left could now demand wages (money) for their work and more rights. Once they had money, many moved to Europe’s cities.

The plague weakened the power of the nobles.

After the plague, many peasants began to revolt against the nobles. There were peasant revolts in France, England, Germany, Spain and Italy.

What was Europe like during the Black Death and why did it spread quickly and widely?

A story from someone who lived through the plague:

The Italian writer Giovanni Boccaccio lived through the plague as it ravaged the city of Florence in 1348. The experience inspired him to write The Decameron, a story of seven men and three women who escape the disease by fleeing to a villa outside the city. In his introduction to the fictional portion of his book, Boccaccio gives a graphic description of the effects of the epidemic on his city.

Primary Source ArticleRead the article excerpt on the Black Plague.

Answer these questions:

Paragraph #1: Based on the first paragraph, what were the signs of "inevitable death"?

Paragraph #2: Describe what happened to people who became sick from the plague.

Paragraph #3: What comparison does the author use to describe how the disease is passed on from person to person? Why do you think he chose this comparison?

Right side notebook activity

Create a monument in memory of all those who died from the Black Death. The monument will stand in the center of a European manor. Put a plaque on the monument that includes:

--Who died (how many)

--How they died (symptoms of it)

--Why they died (cause of it)

--Why so many died (how it spread)

--How this affected the manor

--Year

--A word of comfort for those who are left

Lesson Wrap-up

Which do you think had the greater social and political effect on medieval Europe: the Hundred Years’ War or the Black Death? Why?