The ‘Plague-Infested Medieval Europe’ as an Epitome of Hazard Evolving to Disaster

The ‘Plague-Infested Medieval Europe’ as an Epitome of Hazard Evolving to Disaster

   2:10 AM       Journel Cabrillos

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Painting depicting the Black Death's Havoc | Photo from National Interest

The Black Plague/The Great Plague/The Black Death is commonly referred to the outbreak of the Bubonic Plague that struck the Medieval Europe and the Mediterranean area ranging from 1347 to 1351.

It is the first thing that came into my mind after going through the Classics of Camus and Boccaccio in which the aforementioned event was the top of the bill.

The Black Plague on its intensity exterminated a quarter to a third of Europe’s Population. It is so invasive that I myself liken it as genocide having its full capacity to set back human advancement.

In general sense, The Black Death was thought to have originated in Central Asia, where it travelled across Silk Road; and it was carried by fleas which struck to the rodents which were often transported on merchant ships. This transported it to Europe where it would wreak havoc.

If we’re going to weigh against the present versus the medieval times, the plague would probably have much lesser mortality rate which is directly comparable to having contacted with a tetanoid bacterium.

Particularly, during the first wave of the plague, several people had resistance to the infection. As the plague swept through Europe repeatedly it only intends to kill off people with low resistance leaving those who had better immunity invulnerable, this reduce the impact of later outbreak to some extent. Thus, the Plague started as just a mere hazard.

How does it evolved to a disaster costing a death toll of two billion lives? 

Well simple! Taking to account the sociological and cultural aspect of the Medieval Society in which it was only maneuvered by a single dominion, The Catholic Church. Most of the people adhered to the hegemonic ideology of monasticism. The way of life as presented by monks and nuns, in which they withdraw entirely or in part from society to devote themselves to prayer, solitude, and contemplation. It is as if that people must have been annihilated by fear and dread searching for explanations: Did this plague come from God? Or the Devil? This ‘mythos’ leaved the medical technology underdeveloped making the aftermath accentuated. Also this irrational belief drawn the Science’s prosper idled. The dormant field was replaced by priests and spiritual faith healing was rampant. Other priests also exploited this phenomenon to advance their stature in the town by suggesting that the plague was an act of God punishing the citizen’s sinful nature.

Other contributing factor was the so-called “Little Ice Age” which leads to a great famine during those times.

By any measure taken, the Black Death was world-shattering and shows how even the smallest of things, the microbial world, can at times steer the course of human civilization.