Black Death
Also called: Bubonic plague · Topic: Medieval Europe: Feudalism and the Three Orders · NCERT: Class 11, Ch 3 "Changing Traditions"; Class 11, Ch 4 "The Three Orders"
Meaning
The Black Death was a deadly outbreak of bubonic plague (a disease spread by fleas on rats). Trading ships carried the infected rats into Europe. Western Europe had been fairly cut off before this, and the plague struck it in 1347–1350. About 20 per cent of all Europeans died, and in some places up to 40 per cent. Crowded cities and closed monasteries suffered the most. The plague came back in the 1360s and 1370s. Europe's population fell from 73 million in 1300 to 45 million in 1400. This caused a severe shortage of workers.
Example
The Italian writer Boccaccio described plague-struck Florence, where the dead were 'heaped by the hundreds in vast trenches'.