Camila Haldemann

Block 6
12/21/12

Document Based Question: Black Death in the Late middle Ages

QUESTION:
Explain how Black Death affected Europe in the Late Middle Ages in social, economical,
and religious aspects.

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND:
The Black Plague or Black Death was a pandemic in history. It originated in the Middle
Ages, starting in 1200 CE and lasting up until 1700 CE. It originated in Asia, but was quickly
spread to Europe by sea and later through trade routes. It was a very easy to spread
disease, which caused everyone to become isolated from their community. It`s estimated
kill was of 75 million persons. The Black Plague was primarily spread by the fleas on rats,
and as no one could help, people felt hopeless. It primarily affected your respiratory
and/or circulatory and lymph systems. Apart from this, people would develop bulges on
their neck which were filled with blood and/or pus.

DOCUMENTS:
Document # 1:
"One citizen avoided another, hardly any neighbour troubled about others, relatives never
or hardly ever visited each other. Moreover, such terror was struck into the hearts of men
and women by this calamity, that brother abandoned brother, and the uncle his nephew,
and the sister her brother, and very often the wife her husband. What is even worse and
nearly incredible is that fathers and mothers refused to see and tend their children, as if
they had not been theirs.
Thus, a multitude of sick men and women were left without any care, except from the
charity of friends (but these were few), or the greed, of servants, though not many of
these could be had even for high wages, Moreover, most of them were coarse-minded
men and women, who did little more than bring the sick what they asked for or watch
over them when they were dying. And very often these servants lost their lives and their
earnings. Since the sick were thus abandoned by neighbours, relatives and friends, while
servants were scarce, a habit sprang up which had never been heard of before. Beautiful
and noble women, when they fell sick, did not scruple to take a young or old man-servant,
whoever he might be, and with no sort of shame, expose every part of their bodies to
these men as if they had been women, for they were compelled by the necessity of their
sickness to do so. This, perhaps, was a cause of looser morals in those women who
survived.()In which circumstances, not to speak of many others of a similar or even
graver complexion, divers apprehensions and imaginations were engendered in the minds
of such as were left alive, inclining almost all of them to the same harsh resolution, to wit,
to shun and abhor all contact with the sick and all that belonged to them, thinking thereby
to make each his own health secure. ()Wherefore they banded together, and
dissociating themselves from all others, formed communities in houses where there were
no sick, and lived a separate and secluded life, which they regulated with the utmost care,
avoiding every kind of luxury, but eating and drinking moderately of the most delicate
viands and the finest wines, holding converse with none but one another, lest tidings of
sickness or death should reach them, and diverting their minds with music and such other
delights as they could devise. Others, the bias of whose minds was in the opposite
direction, maintained, that to drink freely, frequent places of public resort, and take their
pleasure with song and revel, sparing to satisfy no appetite, and to laugh and mock at no
event, was the sovereign remedy for so great an evil: and that which they affirmed they
also put in practice, so far as they were able, resorting day and night, now to this tavern,
now to that, drinking with an entire disregard of rule or measure, and by preference
making the houses of others, as it were, their inns, if they but saw in them aught that was
particularly to their taste or liking; which they, were readily able to do, because the
owners, seeing death imminent, had become as reckless of their property as of their lives;
so that most of the houses were open to all comers, and no distinction was observed
between the stranger who presented himself and the rightful lord. Thus, adhering ever to
their inhuman determination to shun the sick, as far as possible, they ordered their life. In
this extremity of our city's suffering and tribulation the venerable authority of laws,
human and divine, was abased and all but totally dissolved for lack of those who should
have administered and enforced them, most of whom, like the rest of the citizens, were
either dead or sick or so hard bested for servants that they were unable to execute any
office; whereby every man was free to do what was right in his own eyes.
Giovanni Boccaccio, excerpt from the introduction of the Decameron, 1470 CE.


Document # 2:
So did the plague increase at Messina [Sicily] that many sought to confess their sins to the
priests and make their last testament, and the priests and judges and notaries refused to
go to their houses; and if any of them did enter the sick men's houses for testamentary or
other business, sudden death came unavoidably upon them. But the friars, who were
willing (Franciscans and Dominicans and of other Orders) to enter the houses of the sick,
and who confessed them of their sins, and who gave them penance according to the will
[of God to satisfy] divine justice, were so infected with this deadly plague that scarce any
of them remained in their cells. What shall I say more? The corpses lay abandoned in their
own houses; no priest or son or father or kinsman dared to enter, but they gave rich fees
to hirelings to bear the corpses to burial .... .
Friar Michael of Piazza, The Fate of Dutiful Friars, 1361


Document # 3:
For, mouldering in ease, they dissolutely abandoned themselves to the sin of gluttony,
with feasts and taverns and delight of delicate foods; and again to games of hazard and to
unbridled lechery, inventing strange and unaccustomed fashions and indecent manners in
their garments, and changing all their household stuff into new forms. And the common
folk, both men and women, by reason of the abundance and superfluity that they found,
would no longer labour at their accustomed trades, but demanded the dearest and most
delicate foods for their sustenance; and they married at their will, while children and
common women clad themselves in all the fair and costly garments of the ladies dead by
that horrible death. Thus, almost the whole city, without any restraint whatsoever, rushed
into disorderliness of life; and in other cities or provinces of the world things were the
same or worse. Therefore, according to such tidings as we could hear, there was no part
of the world wherein men restrained themselves to live in temperance, when once they
had escaped from the fury of the Lord; for now they thought that. God's hand was
unstrung .... Again, men dreamed of wealth and abundance in garments and in all other
things . . . beyond meat and drink; yet, in fact, things turned out widely different; for most
[luxury] commodities were more costly, by twice or more, than before the plague. And the
price of labour, and the work of all trades and crafts, rose in disorderly fashion beyond the
double.
Mateo Villani, excerpt from Gods Hand was Unstrung, 1348.


Document # 4:
the result of an angry God striking at the Christian people for their sins.
Pope Clement VI issuing a religious order to stop the violence against the Jews because
they did not cause Black Death, 1349.


Document # 5:
In this pestilence scarce one-third of the population remained alive. Then, also, there was
so great scarcity and rarity of priests that parish churches remained altogether unserved,
and beneficed parsons had turned aside from the care of their benefices for fear of death,
not knowing where they might dwell .... Many chaplains and hired parish priests would
not serve without excessive pay. The Bishop of Rochester (by a mandate of June 27, 1349,
to the Archdeacon of Rochester), commanded these to serve at the same salaries, under
pain of suspension and interdict. Moreover, many beneficed clergy, seeing that the
number of their parishioners had been so diminished by the plague that they could not
live upon such oblations as were left, deserted their benefices.
Dene of Rochester, passage from The Situation in Rochester, 1349


Document # 6:
Not only all those who had speech with them died, but also those who had touched or
used any of their things. When the inhabitants of Messina discovered that this sudden
death emanated from the Genoese ships they hurriedly ordered them out of the harbor
and town. But the evil remained and caused a fearful outbreak of death. Soon men hated
each other so much that if a son was attacked by the disease his father would not tend
him. If, in spite of all, he dared to approach him, he was immediately infected and was
bound to die within three days. Nor was this all; all those dwelling in the same house with
him, even the cats and other domestic animals, followed him in death. As the number of
deaths increased in Messina many desired to confess their sins to the priests and to draw
up their last will and testament. But ecclesiastics, lawyers and notaries refused to enter
the houses of the diseased.
Michael Platiensis, excerpt from The Black Death Strikes Sicily, 1347


Document # 7:
People who survived the Black Death era generally suffered a communal crisis of faith.
Rather than becoming more religious in thanksgiving to God for their survival, people
harbored doubts. They had turned to the church for an answer to the plague, and the
church had been able to offer no help. Additionally, priests, who, along with doctors, had
the highest rate of contact with the diseased, also had one of the highest rates of
fatalities. Several new heretical movements sprang up. Those who still clung to their faith
were more likely to do so in a very personal manner. Many began to build private chapels.
Molly Edmonds, excerpt from How the Black Death Worked, 2012.


Document 8:

Hans Holbein, Dance of the Death, 1538
Document # 9:


Map showing how Black Death spread through Europe, 1200 CE 1700 CE.








Thesis: The Black Death affected Europe`s late Middle Ages socially, economically,
and religiously. Europe was affected socially by the fear of getting infected by the Black
Plague, which caused individuals to isolate from each other, and social mobility in which
people fled from cites and towns. Secondly, Europe was affected economically, because
the decrease in population caused labor force to be minimized, therefore work wages
increased. This especially affected the higher classes because as peasants were becoming
wealthier, they were becoming poorer. Finally, religious aspects were affected too. They
were affected because as the Plague grew, the church lost its power by closing its doors to
citizens, which produced a lose in faith and an individual religion instead of a collective
one.
The Black Death in Europes late Middle Ages was affected socially by the Black
Plague. The Black Plague was a disease that originated in Asia and later hit Europe in 1200
CE. As it was easily spread, people panicked and caused a chaos. As Europeans noticed
that being close to a sick person brought you the same faith as them, the healthy persons
began to separate and isolate themselves from the community. As this happened, the sick
were left alone and there was no one to take care of them and/or to bury them. As
Michael Platiensis demonstrates in document 7, people feared death and therefore broke
what bounded them with the rest of the community. Even families and friendships were
wrecked trying to escape this sickness. The author of this document uses a sorrowful tone
to express the horror of what the black Plague caused, this way trying to transmit his
feelings to the readers, so they could understand how he felt when these events
happened. In document 8, Hans Holbein depicts an unhappy image. It represents the
destruction of families. A boy is being dragged out of his home by a skeleton which
represents death, or in this case, the Black Plague. While he is dying, his parents show
sadness but still they do nothing to help their child survive. This occurs because they are
scared of being infected with this pest, so instead they let their child die alone. Document
1 which is an excerpt from the Decameron, gives a concrete definition of how Black Death
affected Italy. It demonstrates through a didactic tone how this disease caused everyone
to fear each other, everyone was alone, the sick were abandoned and the healthy escaped
from this pest and from whoever had contact with it. Vigorous citizens created small
groups in which the rest of the population was excluded, and within these groups they
created various activities. Many of them in order to save themselves decided that the best
way to achieve this, was by evading luxuries and having a calm life, in which they only
talked to each other and drank moderately while listening to music. On the other hand,
there were other groups that thought that the right way to maintain themselves healthy
was by living a life out of control, in which they could access public places, party, drink,
and do whatever they pleased. As the disease was spreading quickly, people fled from big
towns and cities trying to save their souls from death. In more populated areas, the
disease was more compacted and strong. In deserted areas, the disease had not yet been
firmly established in the community members, and as less people existed, there was a
smaller possibility of getting contaminated.
The Black Plague affected the Late Middle Ages economically, because of the
decrease in population. As population decreased, labor decreased, so the prices
augmented because crops were not being produced. There were less and less workers
every time, so the only surviving ones capable to work, took advantage of their position
and asked for higher wages. While this happened, the rest of the population was
desperate for goods, so they accepted their offer, this way creating a different social
structure. In this social structure peasants were becoming wealthier while the higher
classes were losing money because of the fact that they had to pay extra to get what they
wanted. In document 3, Mateo Villani explains how prices were going up in both products
and workers. This benefited workers because they were paid more and while this
occurred, the higher classes wanted to show off their wealth so they could be
distinguished from the rising lower classes, thus they went under a face of escapism. This
means that they acquired unnecessary luxuries to demonstrate that they were still the
elite and controlling group in society. Instead of saving money because of the rising in
prices and the great famine, noble men and women preferred to keep a position in the
social order rather than survive .Document 9 is a map of how the Black Plague spread and
demonstrates that it extended rapidly throughout Europe. As a result of this, more places
were contaminated causing more people to die, which provoked less labor force. Noble
men or lords ruled society under the system of feudalism, and the lower classes worked
the kings land. To work the land, workers asked for higher salaries which upper classes
had to provide so they could produce goods. In Document 5 , Dene of Rochester is using a
didactic tone to analyze how everyone took advantage from their positions and tried to
get as much money as they could out of it. In this document, even priests asked for more
money to bury the dead because they were putting themselves in a dangerous position
because of the sickness the dead contained. Edward III issued an order in 1352 called the
Statue of Laborers. He created this order to control the workers and peasants from
asking too much money to perform their work. They were taking advantage from the
situation, and this had to be stopped.
The Black Death affected religious aspects in the Late Middle Ages. As fear became
contagious and started growing every day, it became harder for a person to seek for help.
As Friar Michael of Piazza with a sad and firm tone demonstrates on document 2, people
began to lose faith in their religion. As many people were getting sick and there was no
cure, the only source they could rely on was God. However, there was a problem, church
members did not want to risk their lives for the faith of others, so they closed the doors of
the church. Although there were some priests that were willing to do so, once they tried
to help, most of them got sick and died. This caused a bigger problem because now people
panicked, and with panic came chaos. A chronicle from The Plague in Siena, written in
1348 by Agnolo di Turo, explains in a sad and melancholic tone how the Plague caused his
family to separate by death, and society to separate by fright. There was no one to help
him bury his son, not even priests were available; this is why he had to bury him by
himself. In document 4, Pope Clement VI in a firm and strong tone issued an order to stop
people from accusing Jews for causing the Black Plague. Instead he thought that the sins
committed by humans were the only cause for the disease, because God was punishing
us. This idea spread throughout Europe imposing fear and guilt, because now there was
no one they could accuse but themselves. Michael Platiensis description in document 6
about the Black Plague in Siena, analyzes how people tried to save their souls once they
knew that their bodies would get sick and die. As previously mentioned everyone was
scared and thought they were going to die because God was punishing them for their sins.
Only when people where in their deathbed did they believe that once they died they
were going to go to hell because of all the impurities they committed, this caused them to
look for forgiveness and ask for priests to confess their sins, but there were no priests
available for this work. With this, people died full of concern and anxiety thinking about
everything that would wait for them in the underworld. As Molly Edmond describes in an
informative tone in document 7, the Plague caused the church to lose its power. People
tried to rely on the church but they received ignorance in return. The cause of this was
that instead of praying in church, they prayed by themselves at home. Christianity had
become an individual religion instead of being a collective one as it used to be.
The Black Plague has not yet disappeared from humanity nowadays, it is still with
us. Many pandemics have occurred throughout history, and many have recently taken
place. Some examples are Malaria, leprosy, H1N1, etc. These diseases can still cause many
consequences on our lives and politics, just as like the Black Plague did. The Black Death
caused many effects in society, economy, and religion. Socially, people segregated from
their communities to avoid getting sick with the disease. This in a longer term caused
social movement in which people absconded from their hometowns or cities.
Economically, as labor force was decreased, workers took advantage of their position and
demanded higher wages, causing their social class to rise. Finally, in religion, the church
lost power because of the indifference they showed towards the community who asked
for their help.



Bibliography
Analyze the effects that the Black Death had on Europe in the 14th century. (2012, December 15).
Retrieved December 20, 2012, from Social Studies :
https://my.bhsonline.org/groups/hoeffnere/wiki/c0e0b/Using_the_documents_analyze_the_effec
ts_that_the_Black_Death_had_on_Europe_in_the_14th_century.html
Black Death. (2000). Retrieved December 20, 2012, from Medieval - Life : http://www.medieval-
life.net/black_death.htm
Black Death, 1348. (2001). Retrieved December 18, 2012, from Eye Witness to History :
http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/plague.htm
Boccaccio: The Decameron - Introduction . (n.d.). Retrieved December 17, 2012, from Fordham
University : http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/boccacio2.asp
Edmonds, M. (2008, February 27). How the Black Death worked. Retrieved December 18, 2012,
from How Stuff Works: http://history.howstuffworks.com/historical-events/black-death3.htm
Livingstone, A. (2012). Medieval Civilization through the lives of Medieval People. Retrieved
December 17, 2012, from writtenberg :
http://www4.wittenberg.edu/academics/hist/alivingstone/history111_files/syllabi/fall12_coursec
alendar.htm
Plague Reading . (n.d.). Retrieved December 17, 2012, from Arizona Edu :
http://www.u.arizona.edu/~afutrell/w%20civ%2002/plaguereadings.html
The Black Death . (n.d.). Retrieved December 18, 2012, from History of Western Civilization :
http://europeanhistory.boisestate.edu/westciv/plague/07.shtml
The Black Death A Catastrophe in Medieval Europe . (n.d.). Retrieved December 18, 2012, from
Constitutional Rights Foundation : http://www.crf-usa.org/bill-of-rights-in-action/bria-26-2-the-
black-death-a-catastrophe-in-medieval-europe.html
The Dance of Death [Woodcut]. (2008). Retrieved December 19, 2012, from Children and Youth in
History : http://chnm.gmu.edu/cyh/primary-sources/186
The Statue of Labourers . (2006, February 28). Retrieved December 21, 2012, from The History
Guide : http://www.historyguide.org/ancient/statute.html