Plague's symptoms were horrible: fever, a racing pulse and breathlessness, followed by pain in the back and legs, thirst and stumbling. There was a great deal of backlash to the measures taken to halt the spread of plague. The plague started in the East, possibly China, and quickly spread through Europe. The River Thames is a tidal river and, as such, it would have acted like a natural sewer. Elizabethan Physicians adopted protective costumes against the disease in the 16th century. Owning the complete collection of Greys Anatomy may make someone feel like an expert of the medical field, but when it comes down to knowing the diseases that were common during other periods of time, that understanding seems to be very limited. The Bubonic plague (Black Death) was the greatest fear of people living during the Elizabethan era from the Queen herself to the lowliest of her subjects. 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. 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. The plague, named the Black Death by later historians, had a devastating effect on the European population in the fourteenth century. The black plague, also known as the black death, was an epidemic that swept through Europe, starting in 1347. Heyman and his colleagues now conclude that a . 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. Wealthy people often left densely populated cities and moved to the countryside to stay safe. There were three types of the Plague which included the bubonic, septicaemic and the pneumonic plague. The Black Death was the deadliest epidemic of bubonic plague in history, wiping out some 25 million Europeans alone in just a few years. In Europe there were many responses to the plague which included helping to stop and cure the plague, profiting off it, and trying to protect and care for their loved ones. Some doctors even tried treatment with arsenic, dried toad or lily roots. First of all, the Black Death influenced the way people lived in Medieval Europe. Men and women also abandoned their cities, houses, dwellings, relatives, property, and went abroad. The black Death originated in Italy and rapidly spread throughout Europe due to poor city sanitization and overcrowding in major cities. The Black Death entered south-western England in Summer 1348 and by all accounts struck Bristol with shocking force. This site offers information designed for educational purposes only. A really effective medical treatment and cure for the Bubonic plague (Black Death) was impossible during the Elizabethan and later periods of history. At times, the royal court was closed to all but critical personnel to protect the whole government from dying in one stroke of contagion. A perfect vehicle for ensuring the spread of the disease in Elizabethan London. One of the reasons the Plague was so deadly is that it had such a short incubation period -- and was extremely contagious. The people who were uninfected would rarely leave their homes isolating the sick ones in separated places. A time of persecution and suffering, many had to endure the effects that the Black Plague brought with it. Some elements of quarantine were introduced but usually by the time that this was instigated the deadly disease had already struck. Sir William Davenant ( possible an illegitimate son of William Shakespeare ) his associates and his career and life in Elizabethan England. In times of plague, large public gatherings and outdoor markets were closed down by order or the queen. The Black Death spread extensively through Europe, affecting both nobility and peasants. The same deadly labour shortage continued until a medieval Physician had the idea was that the disease would be better contained by not throwing the bodies into the streets and into the approximation of other people. The spread was aided by the River Thames and its boats which were used as the major form of transport in Elizabethan London. Plague is an ancient disease that was described during Classical times as occurring in North Africa and the Middle East. The plague was the most devastating disease in world history. In the first episode of BBC historical drama Wolf Hall, based on Hilary Mantel's novel of the same name, Thomas Cromwell returns home to find his wife and two daughters have all died . A statutory law was set to command every healthy person under sixty to work for anyone who would hire him. These "death ships" carried the plague that traveled across Europe, eventually reaching Great Britain. The disease was carried by rats & it caused fever, developed lesions, and death within a few days of having it. Elizabethan farmers and retailers of farm produce, such as animal hides, were in constant danger of contracting the Bubonic plague (Black Death) and this was a deadly consequence of their job. Innumerable cows, sheep, pigs, goats, and chickens perished along with people. By the end of the fourteenth century, the Black Death killed nearly 60% of Europe's population. 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars. Many peasants died from the disease, probably from their poor diets and lack of nourishment. 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. How many died? Copyright 2023 IPL.org All rights reserved. These rodents spread the Bubonic plague from China to Europe and lastly, it hit Britain in 1348. It was a descendant of the ancient plague that had afflicted Rome, from 541 to 549 CE, during the time of emperor Justinian. Drawn by England's budding economy, merchants . During the mid-fourteenth century, a plague hit Europe. At this time of desesperation and agony in most homes religion such as Islam and Christianity became the most powerful force in the lives of people. The victims would often die within two to four days. 3,000 people died in Danzig and many again in Lbeck and other cities as the Sweat spread along the Baltic coast into Denmark, Scandinavia, and Russia. The fever started spreading soon all over the European nations , especially Italy and England and hence , people started calling this as the black death ; black being the colour of negative vibe and ominous aspects . The plague/Black Death first popped up the the 13th century. Listen Now 1. This epidemic caused panic and distress among people of all classes. All of the waste was just dumped into the River Thames. The secondary pneumonic plague develops out of a bubonic plague. William Shakespeare is recognised as one of the most talented writers in all of English History. It was almost uncontrollable as technological development and advancement in the arena of medicine was really less then. Bloodletting, or cutting open the vein nearest the infected part of the body, was commonly thought to be one of the best ways to treat the illness. Looking to physical health, many recommendations from Elizabethan doctors hinged on the theory that disease spread by way of a foul smelling miasma. If the workers refused to do so or demanded more wages they would be fined and even sent jails. By 1650, that number had soared to more than 5 million- the economy simply couldn't keep up. 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. The Elizabethan era was the epoch in English history of Queen Elizabeth I's reign (1558-1603). Shakespeare's London was home to a cross-section of early modern English culture. Do you want to advertise on Facty.com?Lets talk aboutthis! In England the rodent affected was the black rat, Rattus rattus. The plague actually began in the Himalayan Mountains of southern Asia in the 1200s. Europe in the fifteen hundreds was a dangerous, local, hierarchic, tradition-bound, slow moving, and poor filled with the tasks of providence, salvation and community. This greatly changed the traditional feudal system, which served to confine peasants to a certain piece of land. Elizabethan medical treatment for head pains was with sweet-smelling herbs such as rose, lavender, sage, and bay. The Black Death is widely believed to have been the result of plague, caused by infection with the bacterium Yersinia pestis. Information about the Spread of the Black Death / Bubonic Plague in Elizabethan LondonIn 1563, in London alone, over 20,000 people died of the disease. 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. How did the black death spread so quickly? 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). Realizing that the Italian merchants had brought the disastrous plague to them, the people of Sicily threw them out of the city. The Black Death was a plague pandemic which devastated medieval Europe from 1347 to 1352 CE, killing an estimated 25-30 million people. The Black Death spread extensively through Europe, affecting both nobility and peasants. 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. Rate this book. They had to pay for rents and taxes. Information about the Spread of the Elizabethan Black Death or the Bubonic Plague in Elizabethan EnglandThere were repeated outbreaks of the disease during the Elizabethan era and these outbreaks were often transmitted by the fleas that lived on rodents and animals, especially rats. . Still others had the infected person sit near a fire or in the sewer in an attempt to drive out the fever with heat. To fully understand what witches went through during the Elizabethan Age in England, you need to realize how troubled life was for the common people. It was the worst pandemic plague, and had significant results on the world. In this way, Elizabeths government could monitor and address major plague outbreaks with relative detail and accuracy. The Black Death The Elizabethan Black DeathIn the late sixteenth and seventeenth centuries victims of the Bubonic plague (Black Death) would be sealed in their houses. But their gruesome job entitled them to receive a good supply of alcohol. Britain's first black community in Elizabethan London. Although this first outbreak was certainly the most dramatic, the plague did not simply disappear after 1349. Once humans are infected with bubonic plague, it spreads very quickly infecting other people. If one contracted the infection from a flea bite, it took two to six days to incubate and for symptoms to begin. Imagine being in an unsanitary environment in the Elizabethan era not getting the help from doctors that people get today. . The illness also produced in the victim an intense desire to sleep, which, if yielded to, quickly proved fatal. There would have been no money coming into Theater companies and therefore no money for the Elizabethan actors. The first occurred during the Byzantine Empire in the 6th century and killed an estimated 25 million people. The Black Death (Plague of 1348) had a deep and lasting impact on Medieval Europe for a variety of reasons. The Black Plague was one of the worst diseases to be ever known to the people in the Elizabethan Era. The houses would be locked and bolted from the outside. The black trumpeter John Blanke played regularly at the courts of Henry VII and Henry VIII. The country, before the plague ravaged it, was under the feudal law system. The Black Plague The terrible outbreak of the Black Death made Medieval people look for a link between health and hygiene. Black Death in England - 1348-1350 The Black Death reached England in 1348. It was reintroduced shortly after the plague ended. The black plague, also called the Black Death, began in East Asia then traveled to Europe . The dead were to be buried in a secluded part of the graveyard at twilight, to minimize the chances of passersby contracting plague from the bodies. The victims would often die within two to four days. With bubonic being the most common. Theatre was extremely popular and only was stopped due to the Black Plague in the 1590s. Vinegar was widely used as a cleansing agent as it was believed that it would kill disease. The plague arrived in Europe in. Treatment for this dreaded disease during the Middle Ages was vague and clueless. .adslot_1 { width: 300px; height: 250px; } The diet was mostly made of beer, milk, cheese and bread. This action was tantamount to signing a death warrant for the whole family and one of the terrible consequences of the disease.
facts about the black plague in elizabethan england