History: The Black Death

The Black Death by Diane Zahler Could a few fleas really change the world? In the early 1300s, the world was on the brink of change. New trade routes in Europe and Asia brought people in contact with different cultures and ideas, while war and rebellions threatened to disrupt the lives of millions. Most people lived in crowded cities or as serfs tied to the lands of their overlords. Conditions were filthy, as most people drank water from the same sources they used for washing and for human waste. In the cramped and rat-infested streets of medieval cities and villages, all it took were the bites of a few plague-infected fleas to start a pandemic that killed roughly half the population of Europe and Asia. the bubonic plague wiped out families, villages, even entire regions. Once the swollen, black buboes appeared on victims' bodies, there was no way to save them. People died within days. In the wake of such devastation, survivors had to reevaluate their social, scientific, and religious beliefs, laying the groundwork for our modern world. the Black Death outbreak is one of world history's pivotal moments.

The Black Death by Louise Chipley Slavicek In 1347, Europe was hit by the worst natural disaster in its recorded history: the Black Death. Now believed to be a combination of bubonic plague and two other rarer plague strains, the Black Death ravaged the continent for several terrible years before finally fading away in 1352. Most historians believe that the pandemic, which also swept across parts of Western Asia and North Africa, annihilated 33 to 60 percent of Europe's population - roughly 25 to 45 million men, women, and children. This massive depopulation had a deep impact on the course of European history, speeding up or initiating important social, economic, religious, and cultural changes.

Plague! by Lynn Peppas This gripping title traces the causes, symptoms, and treatment of plague through the height of the Black Death in Europe and into the modern day.

The Black Death 1347-1350 by Cath Senker Did you know that hte plague started in central Asia before it swept across Europe, killing one-third of the population? Raging disease wiped out whole towns. In a remote village in Norway, everyone died, except one little girl who survived for months alone. In this book, learn how fleas and rats spread the disaese, and how the plague ultimately benefited the poor who survived.

The Black Death by Tracee De Hahn Some of the modern world's most devastating disasters are profiled -- The reforms and improvements that grew out of these tragedies are explained and put in perspective -- Historically accurate, compelling accounts -- Selected titles contain quotes from eyewitnesses Swept parts of Europe and Asia in the 14th century.