Between Two Fires

The Black Death was a bubonic plague, a disease caused by the bacteria Yersinia pestis, that spread through Europe, North Africa, and parts of Asia between 1346 and 1353. Although historians dispute the origins of the disease, the main way that the disease spread was through fleas that lived on rodents. The bubonic plague can present in various ways, but its name derives from one of its most common manifestations: “buboes”—swollen lymph nodes—in the neck, armpit, or groin area. These areas of the body can turn black from gangrene, and before the advent of modern medicine, most people died within a week of contracting symptoms.

The Black Death killed approximately half of Europe’s population, particularly in densely populated areas such as cities, where the highly contagious disease spread quickly. The death toll restructured medieval society. Since many people believed that the disease indicated the end of the world, there was a surge in spirituality and religion after the pandemic. At the same time, many people turned away from Christianity because of the uncertainty associated with the plague, so the Catholic Church lost power over certain areas of society. The plague also contributed to a movement away from feudalism in the 14th and 15th centuries.