The plague is thought to have originated in Asia over 2,000 years ago and was likely spread by trading ships, though the recent research has indicated that the pathogen responsible for the Black Death may have existed in Europe as early as 3000 B.C.
By late 1340s, it had reached England, France and Spain and later to Scandinavian countries.
It also plagued the great Arab cities of Alexandria, Cairo and Tunis.
The plague stuck various regions in the Middle East and North Africa during the pandemic. By 1347, plague reached Alexandria in Egypts, transmitted by sea from Constantinople. By late 1348 it reached Cairo, the cultural centre of the Islamic world. The nile was clogged with corpses despite Cairo having a medievel hospital. Within two years, the plague had spread throughout the Islamic world, from Arabia to North Africa.
The disease was caused by bacterium Yersinia pestis. The bacterium caused the disease “Bubonic Plague”. The bacterium circulates among wild rodents. The plague among humans arose when rodents in human habitation, normally black rats, become infected. The black rat, also normally called house rat and ship rat, likes to live close to people, the very quality that makes it dangerous.
In its most common form, the bubonic plague showed itsef on people when egg-shaped swellings appeared on their bodies. Bruise like purplish splotches often appeared on parts of the body.
Upon hitting the port of Messina, in course of a few months, 60 % of Florence’s population died from the plague (distance between these two is more than 900 kms))
According to medieval historian Philip Daileader, it is likely that over 4 years, 45-50% of the entire European population died of the plague. Norwegian historian Ole Benedictow suggests it could have been as much as 60%.
In crowded cities, it was not uncommon for as much as 50% of the population to die. The population of Paris was reduced to half and population of Florence reduced from 120,000 to 50,000 in a span of 10 years. At least 60% of the population of Hamburg and Bremen perished
(Half of Paris’ population of 100,000 people died. In Italy, the population of Florence was reduced from 120,000 to 50,000 in a span of 10 years. At least 60% of the population of Hamburg and Bremen perished. )
Physicians relied on crude and unsophisticated techniques such a blood-letting and boil-lancing (Bloodletting- is withdrawal of blood from a patient to prevent or cure illness and disease either by physicians or leeches. Boil lancing is something like taking the pus out by creating an incision) and superstitious practices such as burning aromatic herbs and bathing in rosewater or vinegar. Such was the panic that the doctors refused to see the patients, priests refused to administer last rites, and shopkeepers closed their stores.
Because people did not understand the biology of the disease, many people believed that the Black Death was a kind of divine punishment- retribution for sins against God such as greed, blasphemy, heresy, fornication and worldliness. They thought that only way to overcome the plague was to win God’s forgiveness. Some people believed that the way to do this was to purge their communities of heretics and other troublemakers. Ex. Many thousands Jews were massacred in 1348 and 1349.
Renewed religious fervour and fanaticism blossomed in the wake of the plague. Because 14th century healers and governments were at a loss to explain or stop the disease, they turned to astrological forces, poisoning of wells by Jews as possible reasons for outbreaks.