The Black Death

The bubonic plague raged from 1346 to 1353 AD throughout Europe and North Africa, and is the most fatal recorded pandemic in history. It is thought around 200 million people were killed.

Although the plague’s origin is disputed, it is generally accepted that the disease was spread by rats traveling on the Genoese trading ships. The genetic analysis points to the Tian Shan mountains, near China, as the original starting point around 2,600 years ago. From there, it spread to the Crimea.

What is recorded, is the unrest and upheaval the plague caused, due to people not understanding what was happening. At the time, the Church jumped on the situation and proclaimed it to be punishment, while others started claiming the ‘end of the world’. Of course, the state of the towns and cities didn’t help prevent the spread either…