This caused food shortages, which began to worry the people. In this system, the lord owned the land in small communities, and the peasants living there farmed the land and gave him a portion of their crops as a form of payment. The name comes from the black buboes (infected lymph glands) which broke out over a plague victim's body. On 7 September, soldiers marching from England's north to embark on foreign campaigns were rerouted around the city due to concerns about infection, and by the 21st at least 35 parishes were infected with the plague. Cats and dogs were killed, as it was believed that they might spread the plague. By 1650, that number had soared to more than 5 million- the economy simply couldn't keep up. A famine broke out, and it is now known as the famine before the plague. While diseases like the common cold have been around for a long time, there are many staple diseases that have shaped the medical field and the foundation for medicine today that need to be known. The Black Death (Plague of 1348) had a deep and lasting impact on Medieval Europe for a variety of reasons. There was a total lack of a structured sewage system in Elizabethan London. The Black Death was the second pandemic of bubonic plague and the most devastating pandemic in world history. The reign of Elizabeth (1558 - 1603) saw England emerge as the leading naval and commercial power of the Western world. Even the animals could not escape its deathly hold. This manifested itself particularly in two ways. These reports were then sent directly to the Privy Council. As mentioned, modern populations are not out of the woods yet. But even so terrible epidemics of Black Death ( Bubonic Plague ) during the Elizabethan period still occurred. The Black Plague was one of the worst diseases to be ever known to the people in the Elizabethan Era. This particular epidemic claimed between a quarter and a third of the total Elizabethan London population. The plague arrived in Europe in. At times, the royal court was closed to all but critical personnel to protect the whole government from dying in one stroke of contagion. 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. Rather, plague reared its head frequently over the next few centuries, becoming almost an annual occurrence. information on this site as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, treatment, or The Bubonic Plague: The Black Death Some measures, like perfume and bloodletting, have ultimately proven to be useless. One of the worst outbreaks of smallpox occurred two years before Shakespeare's birth, in 1562. The Pope was not allowed to have power. Following the death of Elizabeth in 1603 the coronation of James I was delayed due to a plague." << The Black Death was not the only pandemic going around Europe, other diseases include syphilis and gonorrhea. This greatly changed the traditional feudal system, which served to confine peasants to a certain piece of land. Originating in Asia, it spread west along the trade routes across Europe and arrived on the British Isles from the English province of Gascony. Europeans had reacted in various ways towards the black plague like using it as a means to collect money, strengthen beliefs, & causing deaths. Although this first outbreak was certainly the most dramatic, the plague did not simply disappear after 1349. The Black Plague is said to have been the worst of the plagues, but it was the second of three large plague pandemics in history. A statutory law was set to command every healthy person under sixty to work for anyone who would hire him. It only took about twenty-three days from the point of infection for the plague to be fatal (Benedictow). This kind of bacteria is typically found in rodents such as rats and also in the fleas that feed on the rodents. While this sounds like a Bible reference, it is also a reference to the bacterium that caused the plague: Yersinia pestis. Historical scientists suggest that the medieval outbreak of Black Death seemed to agree with the weather conditions in Asia and not the European climate. 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. The people who gathered on the docks that was about to greet the ships met with a horrifying surprise: Most of the sailors aboard the ships were dead, and those who were still alive were gravely ill. The Black Death was not the only pandemic going around Europe, other diseases include syphilis and gonorrhea. The nobles and the clergy all lived off on the produce of peasant labor. This action was tantamount to signing a death warrant for the whole family and one of the terrible consequences of the disease. The Elizabethan City of London was filthy. The first occurred during the Byzantine Empire in the 6th century and killed an estimated 25 million people. He's got a lot of money. Author bio: Michael Lowry Lamble holds an MA in Medieval and Renaissance History from Loyola University Chicago and is currently pursuing an MA in Museology from the University of Washington. In later years houses containing victims were sometimes indicated with a red cross painted on the door with the words "God have Mercy". This infuriated the peasants and led to the Peasants Revolt in 1381. So begins this poem which Nashe wrote in 1593, when an outbreak of bubonic plague closed the London playhouses (Shakespeare would take advantage of the closure to write his narrative poems Venus and Adonis and The Rape of Lucrece, and probably most of his sonnets . Elizabethan Medicine was extremely basic in an era when terrible illnesses such as the Bubonic Plague (Black Death ) were killing nearly one third of the population. Doctors and physicians tried to treat the other symptoms that included fever, chills, diarrhoea, vomiting, and aches, but to no avail. The Elizabethan era was truly a dangerous time. Alas, the disease had gripped the city and a large number of people were already infected. A ship had arrived in Europe with many people that had the Black Death. Middle Ages hygiene was extremely basic in terms of the disposal of waste products and garbage. Although this might sound pointless today, these precautions would have protected the Elizabethan Physician. Merchant ships and rodents were the two main ways this disease spread and infected humans (The Black Death 1348). There were high mortality rates amongst Elizabethan children and this was true of the brothers and sisters of Shakespeare some of whom were struck down by the Bubonic plague (Black Death). Survivors of the Black Death felt that they were special, chosen specifically by God to be saved (Trueman), and after this the lower class began to demand more economic and social equality. 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 fact, it was not even the first. Merchant ships and rodents were the two main ways this disease spread and infected humans (The Black Death 1348). The Black Death was a plague that killed many people. It started to spread from Eastern China, to Europe in the early 1300s, and it reoccurred multiple times during the years to come. This kind of bacteria is typically found in rodents such as rats and also in the fleas that feed on the rodents. Some of our most famous art and literature come from this era of history, and English explorers traveled the globe, spreading their . The plague forced this system to collapse. The bizarre and gruesome Physician masks would have acted as protection against contracting the disease through breathing the same air as the victim. The age of Shakespeare was a great time in English history. Elizabethan medical treatment for head pains was with sweet-smelling herbs such as rose, lavender, sage, and bay. His academic interests include religion, superstition, conflict, and identity, and he is writing his masters thesis on the impact trying on armor has on what museum visitors learn in arms and armor galleries. The Black Death In Elizabethan England 688 Words | 3 Pages. Inadequate hygiene standards added to the problem and spread of the disease. 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. Loss of lives did decrease the population, changed the demographic structure of the region and hence, shortage of labour was seen as the major crisis there. Some doctors even tried treatment with arsenic, dried toad or lily roots. It was almost uncontrollable as technological development and advancement in the arena of medicine was really less then. Prevention did not stop at perfume, however. The victims would often die within two to four days. 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. The symbol of Britannia was first used in 1572 and often thereafter to mark the Elizabethan age as a renaissance that inspired national pride through classical ideals, international . The main culprit of the spread was the poor hygiene, however, the real species that are the cause of this potential wipeout, are the rats and other infected rodents that resided in the area. Amidst the consequences suffered by those carrying the disease, came the ramifications that those who were not directly affected experienced. The plague killed so many people. Due to the fact that the serfs and peasants were poor, they barely ate meat. The summers and winters were harsh not helping with the crop harvesting. This may have contributed to the rise of capitalism. Sicily was then overcome by the disease and it spread through the trade routes all over Europe. The reactions from the Christians and the Muslims to the greatly feared disease, known as the Black Death or the Great Plague were different in several ways. In today people have way better medicines and doctors to be able to help cure illnesses. Shakespeare's life also overlapped with the Jacobean Era . The symptoms for this plague were extremely painful and death was the most likely outcome in most cases. The rate of casualty: Millions died owing to this fever and did not even receive a proper Christian burial as people almost abandoned them. Black Death in England - 1348-1350 The Black Death reached England in 1348. During the late 1330s in Europe the population was growing dramatically. The impact of closure must have been extremely frightening, not to mention the threat of the Black Death ( Bubonic Plague ) itself. The disease also spread frighteningly quickly, wiping out entire villages before anyone could do anything to stop it. We don't always know who took the photo, who to give credit to, or who to ask permission from to use it. 1592. In fact, it was not even the first. Serfs were no longer tied to their previous plot of land. Quotes - Plays - Sonnets - Pictures - Timeline- Facts - Biography - Poems - Bubonic Plague - Globe Biography - Dictionary - Elizabethan Theater - Identity Problem - Biography - Black Death - Stratford. Because living conditions were often cramped and dirty, humans lived in close contact with rats. The bubonic plague was the most commonly seen form during the Black Death, with a mortality rate of 30-75% and symptoms including fever of 38 - 41 C (101-105 F), headaches, painful aching joints, nausea and vomiting, and a general feeling of malaise. Innumerable cows, sheep, pigs, goats, and chickens perished along with people. The plague full swift goes by; I am sick, I must die Lord, have mercy on us! The principal ideas underpinning most Elizabethan medical thinking come from Galen, who lived in the second century A.D. Physicians will cite him as an unquestionable authority when they explain to you that your health depends on a balance of the four humors: yellow bile or choler, black bile, phlegm, and blood. Information regarding the handling of the Bubonic plague (Black Death), symptoms, medical treatment and cure used during the Elizabethan era are fully described below. Once humans are infected with bubonic plague, it spreads very quickly infecting other people. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); In the Elizabethan era therewas pestilence and repeated outbreaks of the Bubonic plague (Black Death) and these were not just confined to highly populated towns such as London. 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. William Shakespeare and the Black Death / Bubonic PlagueWilliam Shakespeare lived in the Elizabethan era when the bubonic plague, sometimes referred to as the Black Death, was virulent. Plague's symptoms were horrible: fever, a racing pulse and breathlessness, followed by pain in the back and legs, thirst and stumbling. But the plague didnt stop there, it persisted, spreading around the whole known world and exerting its power on people up until the eighteenth century. These rodents spread the Bubonic plague from China to Europe and lastly, it hit Britain in 1348. 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. BY Brita Voris. Does the Black Plague Still Exist? It was the first and most severe manifestation of the second pandemic, caused by Yersinia pestis bacteria.The term Black Death was not used until the late 17th century.. The huge loss of people and the colossal rate of casualty did affect the social construct as well. The Bubonic plague (Black Death) was always caught or spread from an infected animal or person. For another, the instructions for the penitential fasting specified that only those between the ages of sixteen and sixty need fast, allowing children and the elderly to keep their strength, and exempted those already ill, a tacit recognition that skipping meals would only make the disease worse. Plague doctors started wearing special masks with a bird-shaped beak for protection, as they believed the disease was airborne. It was a descendant of the ancient plague that had afflicted Rome, from 541 to 549 CE, during the time of emperor Justinian. Any pictures of Physicians of the Elizabethan era look very strange and quite frightening. In the modern world, however, the barely changed virus only kills 2 to 3 percent of infected victims, even when modern medicine is not accessible. In the same year, in the month of August, the plague had entered England and the English named it as The Black Death. The primary pneumonic plague infects people by droplet infection from human to human being. Yes, this talks about death and epidemics that used to kill hundreds and thousands in the medieval ages that had no specific cure and hence, was really terrifying. 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. How did the black death spread so quickly? 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. However, criminal activity by nobles, persecution by lords, war, and disease eventually caused oppressed peasants to revolt. No one was sure how the Death spread, and this combined with the fast course the disease took and the primitive medical practices of the time allowed for the disease to spread through the continent in devastating time. . Amulets of dried blood and ground-up toads were worn at the waists of the Elizabethan Physicians. The reign of Elizabeth I saw the . The rodents slowly made their journey to Europe via the Silk Road routes constantly used for trade. Amidst the consequences suffered by those carrying the disease, came the ramifications that those who were not directly affected experienced. Vinegar was widely used as a cleansing agent as it was believed that it would kill disease. The earthquakes did lead to an increase in the number of rats in the area (some texts even describe "seas of rats" swimming through water or running through the streets). There was no known cure at the time, and the bacteria spread very quickly and would kill an infected person within two days, which led to structural public policies, religious, and medical changes in Europe. Britain's first black community in Elizabethan London. Still others had the infected person sit near a fire or in the sewer in an attempt to drive out the fever with heat. In times of plague, large public gatherings and outdoor markets were closed down by order or the queen. Abandoning the affected ones was the real ecstasy them. Each parish was commanded to appoint searchers to examine the bodies of the dead and determine how many had died of plague. Did the epidemic really eradicate a third of Europe's population? Since many people died, there became a shortage in the labour. These symptoms could come on rapidly, making it very difficult to get treatment in time. The Black Death swept through the Middle East and Europe in the years 1346-1353 but it may have begun several decades earlier in the Qinghai Plateau of Central Asia. In the Elizabethan time, London became the center for all arts. They had symptoms that included fever, unable to eat, pain that was so bad they became crazy. The plague was a disease that spread throughout Europe. The black plague was not only a biological issue but also a mental issue as people then was really panic stricken and did isolate the affected ones. Swollen, painful lymph nodes gave way to enormousblack tumors (known as buboes) that could grow all over the body and gave the disease its most famous moniker. Many peasants died from the disease, probably from their poor diets and lack of nourishment. The Black Death spread extensively through Europe, affecting both nobility and peasants. The plague was the most devastating disease in world history. The Elizabethans had no idea that the plague was spread by fleas that had lived on rats; though there were many "cures" for the plague, the only real defense--for those who could afford it--was to leave the crowded, rat-infested cities for the country. The Black Death of October 1347 to c1352 was one of the worst catastrophes in recorded history - a deadly bubonic plague that ravaged communities across Europe, changing forever their social and economic fabric. Contrary to popular belief it was not just the people who lived in the towns who were at risk of catching the Black Death or Bubonic Plague. There were three types of the Plague which included the bubonic, septicaemic and the pneumonic plague. Today, we know that there were many causes of the Black Death. See Also: 10 Facts about Life in Ancient Egypt Facts about Life in Elizabethan England 9: the bread crumbs The plague as an actual event figures prominently in only one of Shakespeare's plays. Soon, black spots began appearing in the skin and huge boils started developing in the groins or armpits. The world at large combated against the deadly outbreak of bubonic plague that first hit the Asian country of China in the year 1330. 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. As a response to the plague that took place. Queen Elizabeth I also prohibited the import of foreign goods as a measure to prevent the spread of the disease to the Elizabethan court. All of the waste was just dumped into the River Thames. Workers were in high demand and the peasants knew it. But their gruesome job entitled them to receive a good supply of alcohol. When the Black Death ( Bubonic Plague ) broke out in London in 1563, Queen Elizabeth I moved her court to Windsor Castle where she erected gallows and ordered that anyone coming from London was to be hanged - so great was the fear of the plague and avoiding any spread of it to her court. Want to Read. People formed communities, isolated from each other. By the end of the fourteenth century, the Black Death killed nearly 60% of Europes population. Overall, life there wasn't exactly the greatest, we would have medical care, better hygiene, and a much better health care system overall. Any victim of the Bubonic Plague or Black Death would have to obtain a ' Certificate of Health ' to resume normal life - if they recovered Information about the Role of the Watchmen and Death Cart LabourersWatchmen were allocated to watch the ' plague houses ' and the only means of sustenance was for the victims to lower baskets from an upper window for the watchman to put food into it. The Plague went by many names, but they all added up to the same thing: the deaths of almost 200 million people across Europe and Asia. Others had more worldly concerns, suspecting all the quarantine measures to be nothing more than an attempt to curtail their rights, rights which they feared would not be restored after the plague had passed. The black Death originated in Italy and rapidly spread throughout Europe due to poor city sanitization and overcrowding in major cities. Over time, the. Information about the Closure of the Elizabethan Globe Theater due the Black Death or the Bubonic PlagueThere were three very serious outbreaks of the diseasewhich led to the closure of all places of Elizabethan entertainment, including the Globe Theater. It was a terrible spectacle and death followed suit. 1547 Repeal of 1542 Witchcraft during the reign of King Edward VI, the son of Henry VIII, who was more liberal in his thinking about witches and witchcraft. If the workers refused to do so or demanded more wages they would be fined and even sent jails. The relationship between the landowners and the peasants who worked in those lands suffered a great impact. Black Death was a plague epidemic that swept across Europe between 1348 and 1353, killing nearly 25 to 60% of the entire population of Europe. A preservative against the pestilence One of the reasons the Plague was so deadly is that it had such a short incubation period -- and was extremely contagious. The Black Death (Plague of 1348) had a deep and lasting impact on Medieval Europe for a variety of reasons. To fully understand diseases during the Elizabethan era, it is vital to understand the cause, type, and treatment of the illnesses that were common during that time period. Popular medieval scholar Petrarch lost his lady love Laura to Black Death. Abandoning the affected ones was the real ecstasy them. Black rats were the most common at this time, and carried the bacteria called Yersinia pestis, which caused the plague. However, this loathsome disease resurfaced many times throughout centuries killing almost 100 million people in the world by the end of the 18th century. Some elements of quarantine were introduced but usually by the time that this was instigated the deadly disease had already struck. The plague caused many to question their religious outlook, the lack of knowledge caused false cures to develop and affected the interactions throughout Europe. 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. Within a few days, the deadly plague spread in Sicily and other parts of Europe. The entire social structure was deconstructed owing to this disease. The terrible outbreak of the Black Death made Medieval people look for a link between health and hygiene. In the orders to pray and fast, the Elizabethan religious authorities included stipulations that indicate an awareness that although plague was undoubtedly the wrath of God, there was nevertheless a physical component to the disease. The rats were merely carriers for the bacteria that caused the infection; a bacteria in the fleas that were hitching a ride in the rats. Historians often depict it as the golden age in English history. Heyman and his colleagues now conclude that a . What caused the Bubonic plague in the Middle Ages? At this time, most pandemics were deadly since there was no medicine or technology. Treatment for this dreaded disease during the Middle Ages was vague and clueless. Marilyn Chase (Goodreads Author) (shelved 1 time as black-plague) avg rating 3.82 1,045 ratings published 2003. You should not rely on any If one contracted the infection from a flea bite, it took two to six days to incubate and for symptoms to begin. The pathogens enter the lungs via blood vessels and provoke the septicaemic plague. Everyone used the river to move about and each London Elizabethan would have come into contact with the everyday presence of the dirt and the rats. Many such thieves were thrown into the pits, dead or alive, with their victims. 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. By the end of the fourteenth century, the Black Death killed nearly 60% of Europes population. Overview The diffusion of crops and pathogens, including epidemic diseases like the bubonic plague, often occured along trade routes. During the 16th century, a young couple in Stratford-upon-Avon, England, lost two of their children to the bubonic plague. The death cart labourers generally undertook their gruesome work at night and the bodies were hurried out of the house wrapped in any kind of improvised shroud. Plague victims were locked in their houses for 40. Due to a severe labor shortage, serf survivors were able to demand higher wages and better working conditions from their new landlords. One of the most terrifying black plague facts is that it killed 30 to 50 percent of infected victims back in the Black Death outbreak. Known as the Plague of Justinian. The summers and winters were harsh not helping with the crop harvesting. Men and women also abandoned their cities, houses, dwellings, relatives, property, and went abroad. Plague is an extremely infectious and vile disease caused by a bacteria known as Yersinia Pestis. They had victims drink vinegar and crushed minerals, or even arsenic. In this way, Elizabeths government could monitor and address major plague outbreaks with relative detail and accuracy. 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. Other wild theories included divine punishment of the Europeans for their sins, and that the Jewish population was poisoning the water. Doctors at the time were extremely busy, and -- unfortunately -- completely ill-equipped to deal with the Plague. Petrarch lost his lady love Laura to Black Death was a total lack of a structured system. 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