There was no known cure at the time, and the bacteria spread very quickly and would kill an infected person within two days, which led to structural public policies, religious, and medical changes in Europe. The Black Death was the deadliest epidemic of bubonic plague in history, wiping out some 25 million Europeans alone in just a few years. The blood that exuded was black, thick and vile smelling with a greenish scum mixed in it. One of the worst outbreaks of smallpox occurred two years before Shakespeare's birth, in 1562. 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. These swellings, symptoms of the deadly plague, would appear in the armpits, legs, neck, or groin. Thus far we have examined only the large-scale responses to plague, but individual Elizabethans also took steps to protect themselves. The cause of the Bubonic plague (Black Death) was unknown during the Elizabethan era so people were not in the position to take proper care or adequate precautions. Men and women also abandoned their cities, houses, dwellings, relatives, property, and went abroad. The Black Death occurred during the Hundred Years War. The London streets were dark, narrow and dangerous and slow to travel through. The citizens in Europe, at the time, were unaware of what the cause of the plague was, leading to many different responses. The Black Death began its long, sweeping journey through Europe in 1348 (some reports say it was actually in October of 1347). The disease was carried by rats & it caused fever, developed lesions, and death within a few days of having it. 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. Elizabethan Physicians wore long dark robes with pointed hoods, leather gloves, boots, and the most bizarre masks featuring long beaks which were filled with bergamot oil. Historical scientists suggest that the medieval outbreak of Black Death seemed to agree with the weather conditions in Asia and not the European climate. 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. The Black Plague was one of the worst diseases to be ever known to the people in the Elizabethan Era. The Elizabethan City of London was filthy. . It is estimated that 40,000 dogs and 200,000 cats were killed. At the heart of the problems confronting Elizabethan England was the challenge of feeding its soaring population. The reality, as it usually is, was somewhat messier. There was no town cleansing department in the Elizabethan era. Dan talks to Helen Castor about her book on Elizabeth I and the way she governed. By the end of the fourteenth century, the Black Death killed nearly 60% of Europes population. In England the rodent affected was the black rat, Rattus rattus. Fifteen years after the Elizabethan church instituted its emergency plan for the spiritual health of the realm, Elizabeth and her counselors released a set of seventeen edicts to address and contain the spread of contagion when it appeared. Over the next five years, more than 20 million people died from a disease that almost killed one . It was like a terrifying killer was let loose all across Europe. It was no wonder that the Black Death or Bubonic Plague was so feared by the people of the Elizabethan era. From regular cleanings and exams to restorative procedures like tooth-colored fillings, we offer all the dental treatments you might need to improve your oral health. Just the sight of an Elizabethan Physician in his strange clothing, especially the weird mask, was enough to frighten anyone to death. The Black Death was a plague that killed many people. The black trumpeter John Blanke played regularly at the courts of Henry VII and Henry VIII. These "death ships" carried the plague that traveled across Europe, eventually reaching Great Britain. In fact, it was not even the first. In response to this, the government passed the Statute of Labourers in 1351 that forced peasants to remain in their homelands and did not allow lords to change their wages from what they were in 1346. Loss of lives did decrease the population, changed the demographic structure of the region and hence, shortage of labour was seen as the major crisis there. So begins this poem which Nashe wrote in 1593, when an outbreak of bubonic plague closed the London playhouses (Shakespeare would take advantage of the closure to write his narrative poems Venus and Adonis and The Rape of Lucrece, and probably most of his sonnets . With bubonic being the most common. Other wild theories included divine punishment of the Europeans for their sins, and that the Jewish population was poisoning the water. In the year of 1563 alone, 20,000 people had died in London, essentially wiping out over two-thirds of its population in a single year. This epidemic caused panic and distress among people of all classes. 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. If one contracted the infection from a flea bite, it took two to six days to incubate and for symptoms to begin. (Cultural) Medieval society did not know what caused the plague or how it spread. A ship had arrived in Europe with many people that had the Black Death. Shakespeare in the Elizabethan Era. During the late 1330s in Europe the population was growing dramatically. Thousands of years ago, a plague invaded the human world. The Great Mortality. This caused food shortages, which began to worry the people. The pathogens enter the lungs via blood vessels and provoke the septicaemic plague. Listen Now 1. The entire social structure was deconstructed owing to this disease. Black Death at the Golden Gate: The Race to Save America from the Bubonic Plague (Hardcover) by. These reports were then sent directly to the Privy Council. Many people aboard the ship were already dead from the disease and the ship was ordered to leave the harbor, but it was too late. The Black Death was a devastating global epidemic of bubonic plague that struck Europe and Asia in the mid-1300s. The Elizabethan era, spanning the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, was the golden age of British history. It was a descendant of the ancient plague that had afflicted Rome, from 541 to 549 CE, during the time of emperor Justinian. The above picture is of an Elizabethan Physician. Overall, life there wasn't exactly the greatest, we would have medical care, better hygiene, and a much better health care system overall. If the workers refused to do so or demanded more wages they would be fined and even sent jails. Medical treatment for stomach pains and sickness was with wormwood, mint, and balm. An Elizabethan London who did not understand how the Bubonic plague (Black Death) was spread Queen Elizabeth - Information about containing the Spread of the Black Death or the Bubonic Plague during the Elizabethan eraThere was nowhere to hide from the disease and no one was safe, not even the monarch. Others, though, like swift quarantines and thorough record-keeping, have become staples of modern public health practice. The Black Death spread so quickly due to poor hygiene and overcrowding in major cities. The disease killed people of all classes. Plague is an ancient disease that was described during Classical times as occurring in North Africa and the Middle East. The Bubonic plague (Black Death) was always caught or spread from an infected animal or person. When the ships made land, so did the rats, and the infection began to spread. But even so terrible epidemics of Black Death ( Bubonic Plague ) during the Elizabethan period still occurred. While this sounds like a Bible reference, it is also a reference to the bacterium that caused the plague: Yersinia pestis. Bristol was an important European port and city in England during the Medieval era. 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. This infuriated the peasants and led to the Peasants Revolt in 1381. This caused Shakespeare to have a lifelong fear of the disease. To fully understand diseases during the Elizabethan era, it is vital to understand the cause, type, and treatment of the illnesses that were common during that time period. The main culprit of the spread was the poor hygiene, however, the real species that are the cause of this potential wipeout, are the rats and other infected rodents that resided in the area. On a spiritual level, private prayer and penitence, promising to live uprightly if only God would lift his plague, was always a popular response. Unequivocal evidence for its early existence comes from the discovery of genomic traces of Y. pestis . Here are five incredible facts about the life of cats in Elizabethan England, that are so bizarre, you'll hardly believe it's true. Why did the Black Death kill so many people in the 14th century? When she was a kid, she spent a lot of time in France. LinkedIn. The people who gathered on the docks that was about to greet the ships met with a horrifying surprise: Most of the sailors aboard the ships were dead, and those who were still alive were gravely ill. To avoid contracting plague, physicians recommended various tinctures and cordials, either to be taken on their own or added to ones breakfast. Because living conditions were often cramped and dirty, humans lived in close contact with rats. What caused the Bubonic plague in the Middle Ages? No effective remedy was found and hence, people did not at all receive any function able treatment. During the mid-fourteenth century, a plague hit Europe. . Receive updates on the latest news and alerts straight to your inbox. Initially spreading through rats and subsequently fleas, it killed at least one-third of the population of Europe and continued intermittently until the 18th century. Merchant ships and rodents were the two main ways this disease spread and infected humans (The Black Death 1348). Its populace of roughly 100,000 people included royalty, nobility, merchants, artisans, laborers, actors, beggars, thieves, and spies, as well as refugees from political and religious persecution on the continent. This action was tantamount to signing a death warrant for the whole family and one of the terrible consequences of the disease. However, personal hygiene was better than the perception of Middle Ages Hygiene. In the Elizabethan time, London became the center for all arts. While diseases like the common cold have been around for a long time, there are many staple diseases that have shaped the medical field and the foundation for medicine today that need to be known. In times of plague, large public gatherings and outdoor markets were closed down by order or the queen. Soon after China, the outbreak of bubonic plague spread all over Europe and Western parts of Asia. Peasants realized they could move from village to village, constantly switching to whichever proprietor offered them the best deal. When Henry VIII began dissolving these religious institutions in 1536, however, sickness and infirmity were not abolished with them, and so English authorities had to find new ways to address public health. In later years houses containing victims were sometimes indicated with a red cross painted on the door with the words "God have Mercy". A few ramifications were self-evident, such as trade, others were concealed within the fear that the population had lost so much already, they could no longer afford to lose anything else, whether that be dignity or pride. A time of persecution and suffering, many had to endure the effects that the Black Plague brought with it. The symbol of Britannia was first used in 1572 and often thereafter to mark the Elizabethan age as a renaissance that inspired national pride through classical ideals, international . Once inside the body, it multiplies rapidly and can cause death within two days without the aid of antibiotics. Popular medieval scholar Petrarch lost his lady love Laura to Black Death.Black death timeline. The Black Plague, a disease many would agree was both one of the most devastating and poignant events to occur in European History. Following the death of Elizabeth in 1603 the coronation of James I was delayed due to a plague." << It started to spread from Eastern China, to Europe in the early 1300s, and it reoccurred multiple times during the years to come. This time was a period of unprecedented prosperity and advances in poetry, music, theater and literature. The plague killed so many people. Soon, black spots began appearing in the skin and huge boils started developing in the groins or armpits. It's population was growing continuously with poor people moving from the country to London in search of work. The Black Death was a plague pandemic which devastated medieval Europe from 1347 to 1352 CE, killing an estimated 25-30 million people. The victims would often die within two to four days. Early treatment is still key, however, so anyone experiencing fever and tumors must seek medical treatment immediately. The victim would also experience extremely high fever and bloody vomit. 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. People could not go to Catholic services. He's got a lot of money. Sicily was then overcome by the disease and it spread through the trade routes all over Europe. Although this first outbreak was certainly the most dramatic, the plague did not simply disappear after 1349. 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