The plague, named the Black Death by later historians, had a devastating effect on the European population in the fourteenth century. During the mid-fourteenth century, a plague hit Europe. The Globe Theatre was built between 1597 and 1599 in Southwark on the south bank of London's River Thames, funded by Richard Burbage and built by carpenter Peter Smith and his workers. 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. Queen Elizabeth herself, then 29, was attacked by the virus that causes high fever, vomiting, excessive bleeding, and pus-filled scabs that leave deep pitted scars. There was no town cleansing department in the Elizabethan era. The Black Death (Plague of 1348) had a deep and lasting impact on Medieval Europe for a variety of reasons. However, personal hygiene was better than the perception of Middle Ages Hygiene. The Black Plague was one of the worst diseases to be ever known to the people in the Elizabethan Era. Although this first outbreak was certainly the most dramatic, the plague did not simply disappear after 1349. Elizabethan England: A huge part of any renaissance era is the arts. . Some of these Orders are fairly obvious, if strict, steps for containing disease on a case by case basis. We love featuring the craft that those with a camera are able to produce and if we use one of your photographs please let us know so we can give credit where credit is due. In later years houses containing victims were sometimes indicated with a red cross painted on the door with the words "God have Mercy". 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. These pits were approximately 20 feet deep - the width of the pit would continue to be extended as the outbreak of the Bubonic plague (Black Death)spread. In fact, it was not even the first. The Black Plague, a disease many would agree was both one of the most devastating and poignant events to occur in European History. Copyright 2023 IPL.org All rights reserved. Elizabethan Medicine was extremely basic in an era when terrible illnesses such as the Bubonic Plague (Black Death ) were killing nearly one third of the population. Many peasants died from the disease, probably from their poor diets and lack of nourishment. The death cart labourers generally undertook their gruesome work at night and the bodies were hurried out of the house wrapped in any kind of improvised shroud. 20 July 2012. The spread was aided by the River Thames and its boats which were used as the major form of transport in Elizabethan London. This particular epidemic claimed between a quarter and a third of the total Elizabethan London population. Heyman and his colleagues now conclude that a . They were overcome with fever and delirious from pain. Unfortunately, the Revolt did not immediately result in the end of serfdom, but was seen by the Whig historians as the beginning of the end of the feudal system (BBC Staff). Like every other aspect, the black death had a significant impact on the economy of Europe in medieval times. It first showed up in Europe in October 1347. Men and women also abandoned their cities, houses, dwellings, relatives, property, and went abroad. The people who were uninfected would rarely leave their homes isolating the sick ones in separated places. The illness also produced in the victim an intense desire to sleep, which, if yielded to, quickly proved fatal. In addition to this, lords advised peasants to leave their homelands during the epidemic to come work for them, but also refused to let them return to their original village. In the Elizabethan era the people didnt have the right medicines to be able to cure their illnesses. Plague's symptoms were horrible: fever, a racing pulse and breathlessness, followed by pain in the back and legs, thirst and stumbling. If you have any Disease and plagues killed major parts of the population, the bubonic plague, for example, claimed the lives of perhaps a third of Europes population in five years. The above picture is of an Elizabethan Physician. Theatre was extremely popular and only was stopped due to the Black Plague in the 1590s. History of Britain from Roman times to Restoration era. @media (min-width: 340px) { .adslot_1 { width: 336px; height: 280px; } } 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. Information about the Role of the Watchmen and Death Cart LabourersThe Elizabethan Watchmen and the death cart labourers were, not surprisingly, very well paid. This epidemic caused panic and distress among people of all classes. First arriving in Europe through sick merchants on Genoese trading ships that docked in Sicily, the plague caused boils, fever, diarrhea, horrible pain, and shortly, death. One of the major killers during the time was disease. The Black Death & Bubonic Plague in the Elizabethan Era, Symptoms, effects, consequences, cure and medical treatment. cities of Europe to spread the killer disease across the continent. A time of persecution and suffering, many had to endure the effects that the Black Plague brought with it. At times, the royal court was closed to all but critical personnel to protect the whole government from dying in one stroke of contagion. While it is true that the living conditions in Europe at this time were not ideal, this was not the real reason for the spread of the disease. The pathogens enter the lungs via blood vessels and provoke the septicaemic plague. There were Elizabethan surgeons, but these had a similar reputation to the barbers and the usual route that most people took was to visit the apothecary, or dispenser of drugs. In turn, all the justices of the county were ordered to meet every three weeks during an outbreak to compile a report on how many had contracted or died from the plague in their county, what towns and villages were affected, how much money they had raised through taxes, and how that money was being spent. Agents: Spread through rodents and fleas. As a response to the plague that took place, The Black Death was one of, if not the most devastating pandemics to sweep the earth since. The physicians of the medieval period had no idea what caused the plague and there was no definite cure. Victims also suffered a very high fever, delirium, the victim begins to vomit, muscular pains, bleeding in the lungs and mental disorientation. After the Black Death, the main plague epidemics occurred in 1563, 1593, 1625 and 1665. Furthermore, the disease killed his son Hamnet at 11 years of age in 1596. The outbreak lasted until around 1352. Crime and Punishment in Elizabethan England A contemporary description of crime and punishment in Shakespeare's . For another, the instructions for the penitential fasting specified that only those between the ages of sixteen and sixty need fast, allowing children and the elderly to keep their strength, and exempted those already ill, a tacit recognition that skipping meals would only make the disease worse. Want to Read. The entire social structure was deconstructed owing to this disease. .adslot_1 { width: 300px; height: 250px; } During the late 1330s in Europe the population was growing dramatically. On the same note if you wish us not to use a photo for any reason just let us know and we will remove it. It was at pandemic or epidemic proportions in England and Europe for roughly four years. 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). Here are five incredible facts about the life of cats in Elizabethan England, that are so bizarre, you'll hardly believe it's true. Some measures, like perfume and bloodletting, have ultimately proven to be useless. By the end of the fourteenth century, the Black Death killed nearly 60% of Europes population. Nevertheless, it is illuminating to see the ways that these people over three hundred years ago grappled with the fear and uncertainty of virulent disease. In this way, Elizabeths government could monitor and address major plague outbreaks with relative detail and accuracy. Bristol was an important European port and city in England during the Medieval era. A devastating outbreak of the Elizabethan plague occurred in 1563 claiming 80,000 people in England. The secondary pneumonic plague develops out of a bubonic plague. The peasants started demanding more wages while the English law tried to keep wages from rising. Shakespeare lived from 1567 to 1616. The aim of this fasting and prayer was repentance for sins both personal and communal, on the grounds that if God controls all things, then plague was evidence of his displeasure with the nation. Europe during the fifteen hundreds were a dangerous place; disease, famine, and violence all prevented the population of the era to live a long life. The country area and villages were not exempt from the disease either - there was no hiding place. The houses would be locked and bolted from the outside. The Black Death is the 19th-century CE term for the plague epidemic that ravaged Europe between 1347-1352 CE, killing an estimated 30 million people there and many more worldwide as it reached pandemic proportions. As a response to the plague that took place. It was a terrible spectacle and death followed suit. This kind of bacteria is typically found in rodents such as rats and also in the fleas that feed on the rodents. The Black Death famously devastated England, as it did much of Europe, western Asia, and northern Africa, in the mid-fourteenth century. The Black Death The plague actually began in the Himalayan Mountains of southern Asia in the 1200s. Inadequate hygiene standards added to the problem and spread of the disease. A perfect vehicle for ensuring the spread of the disease in Elizabethan London. This caused food shortages, which began to worry the people. The Elizabethan Era Facts: Mary, Queen of Scots In 1560, the Scottish Parliament mainly became Protestant. If the workers refused to do so or demanded more wages they would be fined and even sent jails. It was reintroduced shortly after the plague ended. Human beings cruelly abandoned their sick loved ones in a desperate attempt to protect their own-selves against the heinous bubonic plague. Mary Stuart was the queen in Scotland. 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. The black plague or the bubonic death is a word we all are quite acquainted with as this quite clearly indicates death, epidemic, something horrifying and something that mirrors ominous facets. The monstrous disease seemed to spread evenly through the lightest of touches or through clothing. Sicily was then overcome by the disease and it spread through the trade routes all over Europe. 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. These reports were then sent directly to the Privy Council. These assemblies were empowered to levy emergency taxes on the towns and villages of their respective counties in order to fund relief efforts, to appoint officials to collect and disburse these aid funds to affected communities, and to impose and enforce further preventative and relief measures as they saw fit. The Black Plague can be at fault for this horrific tragedy. If one contracted the infection from a flea bite, it took two to six days to incubate and for symptoms to begin. 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. They tried everything they could think of, from blood-letting to rubbing onions on their patients. Imagine being in an unsanitary environment in the Elizabethan era not getting the help from doctors that people get today. Around 25 million hoi polloi lost their lives between the years, 1347 and 1352.Black Plague. Thus far we have examined only the large-scale responses to plague, but individual Elizabethans also took steps to protect themselves. Copyright 2023 IPL.org All rights reserved. When a person caught the plague, he/she had a sudden fever with chills and headache. The symptoms for this plague were extremely painful and death was the most likely outcome in most cases. Many peasants died from the disease, probably from their poor diets and lack of nourishment. Looking at these orders, it is tempting to think of Elizabethan England as a well-oiled machine where public health is concerned. 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. Receive updates on the latest news and alerts straight to your inbox. The plague had an enormous social effect, killing much of the population and encouraging new health reforms, it also had religious effects by attracting the attention of the Catholic Church, and lastly, it affected the trade around Europe, limiting the transportation of goods. Everyday people struggle with an illness. These corpses were left rotting in the houses until they were dragged out, weeks later, to be thrown on a cart and finally disposed of. Even the animals could not escape its deathly hold. The killer disease also causes red and black spots on the human skin. The Black Death. Some elements of quarantine were introduced but usually by the time that this was instigated the deadly disease had already struck. It is a terrifying disease because sufferers die within hours. One of the worst outbreaks of smallpox occurred two years before Shakespeare's birth, in 1562. During the mid-fourteenth century, a plague hit Europe. The Black Death was not the only pandemic going around Europe, other diseases include syphilis and gonorrhea. The Black Death spread so quickly due to poor hygiene and overcrowding in major cities. For most people, contact with someone who had the Plague could lead to their own infection and death within the week. It killed nearly 100,000 people and is said to still infect people today. The plague then entered Europe via Italy, carried by rats on Genoese trading ships sailing from the Black Sea. Historical scientists suggest that the medieval outbreak of Black Death seemed to agree with the weather conditions in Asia and not the European climate. The Black Death Read more about building the old Globe Theatre. A person affected by bubonic plague develops fever and painful swellings or buboes of the lymph glands. The River Thames is a tidal river and, as such, it would have acted like a natural sewer. First of all, the Black Death influenced the way people lived in Medieval Europe. There was a total lack of a structured sewage system in Elizabethan London. The plague had an enormous social effect, killing much of the population and encouraging new health reforms, it also had religious effects by attracting the attention of the Catholic Church, and lastly, it affected the trade around Europe, limiting the transportation of goods. 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. Many people at the time believed that the Plague was a result of the release of "bad air" from the ground, due to earthquakes nearby. It only took about twenty-three days from the point of infection for the plague to be fatal (Benedictow). The black plague, also known as the black death, was an epidemic that swept through Europe, starting in 1347. The bizarre and gruesome Physician masks would have acted as protection against contracting the disease through breathing the same air as the victim. Plague disease struck and killed people in no time, leaving behind decaying bodies and terrible fear in the minds of the healthy ones. At others, the government forbade the import of goods from countries that were in the midst of their own outbreaks, for fear that the plague would spread to England. This kind of bacteria is typically found in rodents such as rats and also in the fleas that feed on the rodents. Abandoning the affected ones was the real ecstasy them. 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