What are some primary sources of the Black Death?

The Black Death is thought to have come from rats and started in the plains of Central Asia. It moved west along the Silk Road, maybe with Mongol troops, reaching Eastern Europe by 1343. Cargo ships bringing riches from the east also brought rats that had a bacteria, Yersina Pestis, in their blood.

What evidence was there of the Black Death pandemic?

Yersinia causes three types of plague in humans: bubonic, pneumonic, and septicemic. Although there is DNA evidence that Yersinia was present in victims of the Black Death, it is uncertain which form the majority of the infection took. It is likely that all three played some role in the pandemic.

Who is De La Dene?

The Historia Roffensis (History of Rochester) is a biographical chronicle in Latin, written at Rochester Cathedral Priory and attributed to William de la Dene, a public notary who worked between 1317 and 1354.

What did the Statute of Labourers do to try to stop peasants leaving their villages?

The Statute of Labourers was a law created by the English parliament under King Edward III in 1351 in response to a labour shortage, which aimed at regulating the labour force by prohibiting requesting or offering a wage higher than pre-Plague standards and limiting movement in search of better conditions.

What are the different forms of the Black Death?

There were many manifestations of the Black Death in Eurasia during the 14th century, but four main symptomatic forms of the plague emerged at the forefront of historical records: the Bubonic Plague, the Pneumonic Plague, the Septicemic Plague, and the Enteric Plague.

Who are the survivors of the Black Death?

Sharon DeWitte examines skeletal remains to find clues on survivors of 14th-century medieval plague. A new study suggests that people who survived the medieval mass-killing plague known as the Black Death lived significantly longer and were healthier than people who lived before the epidemic struck in 1347.

Is there evidence that people were healthier after the Black Death?

But the clearest evidence that people were healthier after the Black Death than they were before it comes in the bodies themselves. DeWitte looked at skeletal samples taken from medieval cemeteries in London both before the plague and after it.

Which is the leading hypothesis for the Black Death?

The confirmation in 2010 and 2011 that Yersinia pestis DNA was associated with a large number of plague sites has renewed focus on plague as the leading hypothesis, but has not yet led to a final resolution of all these questions. Yersinia pestis seen at 2000× magnification.

Sharon DeWitte examines skeletal remains to find clues on survivors of 14th-century medieval plague. A new study suggests that people who survived the medieval mass-killing plague known as the Black Death lived significantly longer and were healthier than people who lived before the epidemic struck in 1347.

But the clearest evidence that people were healthier after the Black Death than they were before it comes in the bodies themselves. DeWitte looked at skeletal samples taken from medieval cemeteries in London both before the plague and after it.

How did people survive the Black Death in medieval times?

In other words, if you were strong and lucky enough to survive one of the deadliest epidemics in human history, you were probably strong enough to live to a relatively ripe old age. And since the Black Death was so widespread, that was true for the surviving population as a whole.

During the Black Death, three different forms of the plague manifested across Europe. Below is a timeline of its gruesome assault on humanity.