First of all, the Black Death influenced the way people lived in Medieval Europe. Marilyn Chase (Goodreads Author) (shelved 1 time as black-plague) avg rating 3.82 1,045 ratings published 2003. Bloodletting, or cutting open the vein nearest the infected part of the body, was commonly thought to be one of the best ways to treat the illness. Drawn by England's budding economy, merchants . Some doctors even tried treatment with arsenic, dried toad or lily roots. It is clear that they believed that God would have mercy on them if they fled, or that the Plague would decline outside of the city walls. The black trumpeter John Blanke played regularly at the courts of Henry VII and Henry VIII. Their jobs were clearly life-threatening and there was a high mortality rate. A ship came from China that brought rats infested with fleas, carrying the plague to Sicily. The Black Death arrived in Europe on October 1348 when 12 Genoese trading ships arrived at the Sicilian port of Messina after a long journey through the Black Sea. The Black Death was a plague that killed many people. At the heart of the problems confronting Elizabethan England was the challenge of feeding its soaring population. At this time, most pandemics were deadly since there was no medicine or technology. The plague had an enormous social effect, killing much of the population and encouraging new health reforms, it also had religious effects by attracting the attention of the Catholic Church, and lastly, it affected the trade around Europe, limiting the transportation of goods. In later years houses containing victims were sometimes indicated with a red cross painted on the door with the words "God have Mercy". History of Britain from Roman times to Restoration era. Amulets of dried blood and ground-up toads were worn at the waists of the Elizabethan Physicians. In Europe there were many responses to the plague which included helping to stop and cure the plague, profiting off it, and trying to protect and care for their loved ones. This was not, however, the true beginning of the epidemic. It was an act 'agaynst Conjuracions Inchauntmentes and Witchecraftes'. The rats then spread it to fleas that lived on their . People did wash, bath and clean their teeth. Still others had the infected person sit near a fire or in the sewer in an attempt to drive out the fever with heat. Due to the food shortages and closure of businesses those who were not struck down by the Bubonic plague (Black Death) often resorted to stealing from the dead bodies. Shakespeare's life also overlapped with the Jacobean Era . The victim would also experience extremely high fever and bloody vomit. Shakespeare lived from 1567 to 1616. Elizabethan farmers and retailers of farm produce, such as animal hides, were in constant danger of contracting the Bubonic plague (Black Death) and this was a deadly consequence of their job. Owning the complete collection of Greys Anatomy may make someone feel like an expert of the medical field, but when it comes down to knowing the diseases that were common during other periods of time, that understanding seems to be very limited. On a spiritual level, private prayer and penitence, promising to live uprightly if only God would lift his plague, was always a popular response. Like every other aspect, the black death had a significant impact on the economy of Europe in medieval times. This was believed to be infectious and communicative in nature and hence, isolation was the only possible remedy then. A famine broke out, and it is now known as the famine before the plague. The Pestilence. A devastating outbreak of the Elizabethan plague occurred in 1563 claiming 80,000 people in England. The country area and villages were not exempt from the disease either - there was no hiding place. Realizing that the Italian merchants had brought the disastrous plague to them, the people of Sicily threw them out of the city. Wealthy people often left densely populated cities and moved to the countryside to stay safe. The Black Death killed most of the aforementioned peasants, so the fields they were expected to farm on were left unplowed. Plague is an ancient disease that was described during Classical times as occurring in North Africa and the Middle East. The symptoms for this plague were extremely painful and death was the most likely outcome in most cases. They received higher wages for their labor. Every week, each parish had to report its numbers of infected and dead to the justices of its hundred (the English administrative jurisdiction between parish and county), and said justices were required to meet every week to go over these numbers and assess the situation in their territory. The people of both religions had similar beliefs, but reacted differently. Britannica Students Encyclopedia states, Besides providing labor, serfs had to pay taxes to their lord in money or produce. Serfs were forced to do hard labor to earn money and pay the lords. Cats and dogs were killed, as it was believed that they might spread the plague. Authorities in Sicily ordered the fleet of death ships to leave the harbor, but it was too late. Some measures, like perfume and bloodletting, have ultimately proven to be useless. Copyright 2023 IPL.org All rights reserved. The houses would be locked and bolted from the outside. Click here for more information on Elizabethan England, World and Medieval History of the Black Death and Bubonic Plague - How the disease spread and Nationalities affected, Black Death and Bubonic Plague - Modern day symptoms, cure and medical treatment. The symptoms for this plague were extremely painful and death was the most likely outcome in most cases. During the Renaissance period a disease was brought to Europe that is known as the Black Plague. During the 16th century, a young couple in Stratford-upon-Avon, England, lost two of their children to the bubonic plague. The Black Death spread extensively through Europe, affecting both nobility and peasants. Many peasants died from the disease, probably from their poor diets and lack of nourishment. Also, they were covered in mysterious black boils that oozed blood and pus and gave their illness its name: the Black Death.. The Black Death was a plague pandemic which devastated medieval Europe from 1347 to 1352 CE, killing an estimated 25-30 million people. They had symptoms that included fever, unable to eat, pain that was so bad they became crazy. Stopping the spread of the infection through the body is the first and paramount goal. People formed communities, isolated from each other. Some historians however claim that the plague wiped out nearly 2/3rd of the entire European population. This kind of bacteria is typically found in rodents such as rats and also in the fleas that feed on the rodents. The Bubonic plague, also known ominously as the Black Death, is a bacterial epidemic that reached its peak in the Middle Ages. He is someone who writes essentially a morality tale at the end, tracing the beginnings of a citizen who decides he and his wife are going to flee from London to escape the plague. Soon, one-third of the European population was dead. This caused food shortages, which began to worry the people. As the disease was spread by rodents and fleas, it did lessen its ill effects in the winters but used to spread its arms in the summers and springs again. healthcare professional. The pair barricaded themselves inside to protect their 3-month-old son . One of the reasons the Plague was so deadly is that it had such a short incubation period -- and was extremely contagious. It was no wonder that the Black Death or Bubonic Plague was so feared by the people of the Elizabethan era. The fear that people felt just to survive resulted in some of the darkest times in the history of . The rodents slowly made their journey to Europe via the Silk Road routes constantly used for trade. Shakespeare's London was home to a cross-section of early modern English culture. This tragedy started around 1347 1352 A.D, originating from East Asia or China .This disease was brought by the sea from ships, and on the ship was black rats and fleas were carrying it and it was passed down to the rats. Plague is the obvious example but it is by no means the only one. One of the names for the plague was "The Pestilence." The plague reached England during the summer months between June and August. Soon, black spots began appearing in the skin and huge boils started developing in the groins or armpits. Scholars and historians often refer to him being a part of the Elizabethan Era, the period of English history d uring the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, which lasted from 1558 - 1603, and was itself part of the larger Tudor Period. Once inside the body, it multiplies rapidly and can cause death within two days without the aid of antibiotics. The citizens in Europe, at the time, were unaware of what the cause of the plague was, leading to many different responses. These corpses were left rotting in the houses until they were dragged out, weeks later, to be thrown on a cart and finally disposed of. It was a descendant of the ancient plague that had afflicted Rome, from 541 to 549 CE, during the time of emperor Justinian. By 1650, that number had soared to more than 5 million- the economy simply couldn't keep up. After 2,000 people died in London in 1528, the Sweat travelled via ship to Hamburg, Germany, where over a thousand deaths occurred in a month. When, despite the high wages, no new men for this job could be found women and boys, especially those who had recovered from the Bubonic plague (Black Death), were forced to carry out this work. Queen Elizabeth I was such an influential person in the world during her lifetime that the period of her reign is called the Elizabethan Era. There would have been no money coming into Theater companies and therefore no money for the Elizabethan actors. Plague is an extremely infectious and vile disease caused by a bacteria known as Yersinia Pestis. INTRODUCTION Men and women also abandoned their cities, houses, dwellings, relatives, property, and went abroad. To avoid contracting plague, physicians recommended various tinctures and cordials, either to be taken on their own or added to ones breakfast. . The Black Death (Plague of 1348) had a deep and lasting impact on Medieval Europe for a variety of reasons. BY Brita Voris. The Black Plague When Henry VIII began dissolving these religious institutions in 1536, however, sickness and infirmity were not abolished with them, and so English authorities had to find new ways to address public health. After the Black Death, the main plague epidemics occurred in 1563, 1593, 1625 and 1665. Read more about building the old Globe Theatre. The plague ' 'was know by the Great Pestilence, The Great plague, and the Black death ' '(Intro Doc). The plague full swift goes by; I am sick, I must die Lord, have mercy on us! Did the epidemic really eradicate a third of Europe's population? As the name implies, the Black Death was more often than not a death sentence. Plague doctors started wearing special masks with a bird-shaped beak for protection, as they believed the disease was airborne. The disease originated in central Asia and was taken to the Crimea by Mongol warriors and traders. It is a terrifying disease because sufferers die within hours. There were Elizabethan surgeons, but these had a similar reputation to the barbers and the usual route that most people took was to visit the apothecary, or dispenser of drugs. The Black Death was a very rough time and harmful, with the population dropping 1/3, having the economy being poor because of inflation, and people being afraid to walk to streets, The Black Death or what scientist call it The Bubonic Plague. 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facts about the black plague in elizabethan england