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Black Death 1347
About Black Death 1347
The Black Death was a bubonic plague pandemic caused by Yersinia pestis that killed an estimated 75 to 200 million people across Eurasia and North Africa. Originating in Central Asia, the plague spread along trade routes reaching Crimea by 1346 and Europe by 1347. The pandemic killed 30 to 60 percent of Europes population. Symptoms included buboes, fever, and internal bleeding. The bacterium is thought to have been transmitted mainly by fleas on black rats, though human ectoparasites may also have played a role. The Black Death transformed European society, contributing to the decline of feudalism, raising wages, and weakening the authority of the Catholic Church. The origin of the nursery rhyme Ring Around the Rosie is sometimes attributed to the plague though this is disputed. The term quarantine derives from the Venetian quaranta giorni, the 40 day isolation applied to ships during the plague era. The Black Death returned in waves for centuries including the Great Plague of London in 1665.
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