During the 1300’s, strong thirsts for power between countries, religious divisions in Europe, and competition for trade routes were common. Trade routes connected the Eastern Hemisphere with the trade of various goods and information, and controlling these trade routes proved to be rewarding. Unfortunately, these trades routes “also likely carried the deadly plague that killed as many as half of all Europeans within seven years, in what is known as the Bubonic Plague.”1
Beginning in 1348, Bubonic Plague infested merchant ships sailing from the Black Sea to Mediterranean ports, causing so much death that it was common for ships to enter European docks and harbors with at least the majority of the crew dead. Despite efforts to prevent ships from reaching land and spreading the disease, the Bubonic Plague made its way ashore. Unfortunately, people found out how contagious the Bubonic Plague was as it swept through Sicily, Italy, and into the rest of Europe. As a result of the virtual inability of people to stop the spread, many suffered and died.
At the height of the Bubonic Plague, it had spread from China to London, devastating entire villages and bringing trade to a virtual standstill. It has been estimated that as many as 200 million people lost their lives as a result of the Bubonic Plague. In fact, it had a mortality rate that varied between regions.2 Although the Black Death was responsible for killing millions of people in Europe, it was a strong force in influencing the structure of power in the Eastern Hemisphere.
Marchione di Coppo Stephani, a chronicler who lived through the ravages of the plague in Florence during the summer of 1348 wrote,
At every church they dug deep pits down to the water level; and thus those who were poor who died during the night were bundled up quickly and thrown into the pit; they then took some earth and shoveled it down on top of them; and later others were placed on top of them and then another layer of earth, just as one makes lasagna with layers of pasta and cheese.3
It not only underlines the crisis for a major European city, generated by the death of tens of thousands of people, but also demonstrates how, even in recording such a profound crisis, a chronicler might evoke a homely, if provocative, image of lasagna.4 People believed that the world was coming to an end. Who was to blame? Other religions, or was it God punishing people for their sins?
As a result of much death and destruction on a scale that people have never seen before, people began wondering if God had been punishing them all along. There was no safe haven for people, even in isolated Russia, for the Black Plague did not hesitate to take any lives—every one was a target.
In the same year [1346], God’s punishment struck the people in the eastern lands, in the town Ornach [on the estuary of the River Don], and in Khastorokan, and in Sarai, and in Bezdezh [at an arm of the River Volga], and in other towns in those lands; the mortality was great among the Bessermens, and among the Tartars, and among the Armenians and the Abkhazians, and among the Jews, and among the European foreigners, and among the Circassians, and among all who lived there, so that they could not bury them [sic]. 5
In fact, religious hatred and persecution was very inhumane and common. With the strong belief that other groups were responsible for the Plague, the methods involved in persecuting other religious groups were cruel. Some common examples were: burning, stoning, decapitation, and exile.
The Black Death was devastating. It had killed millions of people across Europe and Asia. Anarchy, fear, and insecurities dominated the landscape in Europe during the 1300’s.[ 5. Sharon N. DeWitte, “Age Patterns of Mortality During the Black Death in London, A.D. 1349–1350,” Journal of Archaeological Science 37, no. 12 (December 1, 2010): 3394-3400, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3094018/ (accessed October 12, 2016).]
- Andrew Lawler, “How Europe Exported the Black Death,” Science 352, no. 6285 (April 29, 2016): 501–2. ↵
- Encyclopedia Britannica, February 2015, s.v. “Black Death.” ↵
- Marchione Di Coppo Stefani, “The Florentine Chronicle,” 1903-1913, accessed, October 18, 2016. http://www2.iath.virginia.edu/osheim/marchione.html. ↵
- John Henderson, “Debating Death and Disease,” History Today 64, no. 4 (April 2014): 58–59. ↵
- Celestine Bohlen, “Diphtheria Epidemic Sweeps Russia,” The New York Times, January 29, 1993, sec. World, http://www.nytimes.com/1993/01/29/world/diphtheria-epidemic-sweeps-russia.html. ↵
76 comments
Amanda Cantu
I found it interesting how people automatically think the world is ending when something bad happens. I understand that thousands of people were dying from this disease but its kind of a far fetch to think the world is ending. Even today when something happens people think God is punishing us or the world is coming to an end. However just because we don’t understand whats going on doesn’t mean there’s more to the situation. I feel so sorry for the people who died from this disease and I wish there was a way to have cured it back then sooner. Good article!
Kassandra Guillen
This is truly an interesting and easy to read article as it captivated my attention from the beginning and held it all the way through. Although the image of dead bodies being laid down like lasagna is rather disturbing, it puts into perspective how badly it effected life at this time in history. What a great topic to teach us about. Well done!
Edelia Corona
I never imagined Lasagna in that way. Layers of dead people and dirt in between gives a powerful image in my head. I guess since society was centered around God that it would be logical to believe that God was punishing everyone with the Plague. If only they were as medically aware as we are then maybe less people would have died. Thank you for sharing this! Job well done.
Analina Devora
I remember watching a documentary on the plague and how when at war with enemies, people would catapult the bodies of those infected with the plague over to the sides of their enemies, killing more than they could have imagined. It’s crazy how much we take healthcare for granted nowadays. It’s a right to us, but back then it wasn’t even advanced enough to be a privilege. Interesting article, this is always an important thing to learn about so we may appreciate the effective healthcare we have today.
Andres Palacios
I remember talking about the black plague in my High School History class, one of the worst plagues in World History. As stated in the article not only the plague itself was killing millions of people, but also people were killing other people because they thought they were responsible for the deaths and the plague. Very well written and excellent article.
Mehmet Samuk
The image of lasagna for a mass grave .. Wow !! I cannot imagine how people looked at the world during those very diffuclit times. The quote you used where it looked a grave as a lasagna was mindblowing. Subsequently, the fights between groups and religious persecutions and people thinking God is punishing them. There is a chaos and you expressed it very well in the article. Good Job !!