The Black Death

Origins

The Black Death, a bubonic plague pandemic, struck between 1346 and 1353, causing unprecedented devastation. Gary Arndt explains that the disease is caused by the bacteria Yersinia pestis, typically found in small mammals and transmitted through flea bites. The plague's high mortality rate, ranging from 30% to 90%, made it particularly terrifying, with death often occurring within ten days of symptom onset 1.

The black death was like a single bomb that devastated much of Europe in the Middle East during a single decade.

--- Gary Arndt

The disease's symptoms included swollen, painful lymph nodes, known as buboes, which gave the bubonic plague its name.

   

Spread

The origins of the Black Death trace back to the grassy steppes of Asia or possibly China, spreading through trade routes and ships. Gary Arndt notes that the Mongol Empire played a significant role in the spread, with rats carrying the bacteria 2. The first recorded case in Europe came from Genoese traders from the port of Caffa.

The plague ravaged Sicily and began to spread throughout Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East.

--- Gary Arndt

By 1347, the plague had reached Constantinople and then Sicily, where it spread rapidly, often killing entire communities 3.