The Black Death

Mee, Charles L. The Black Death. 2012. 18p. ISBN 9781612306216. Available as an eBook on Overdrive.

No disease or plague excites the human mind as much as the Black Death. The scourge of the Middle Ages, the Black Death traveled on fleas from Asia to Europe, and in the process obliterated as much as a third of the entire population. Cities and lands that had been teeming with people were suddenly found bereft of human activity. Entire villages were wiped out. The plague entered the imagination.

In this short book, Mee discusses how the plague first came to Europe, and how it then spread to every corner of the continent. Our understanding of medicine at the time was limited, and often contradictory, and the advice provided was therefore not in any way related to the actual disease. The fact that this plague could travel through fleas was simply inconceivable to inhabitants of the 1340s. Mee also presents how laws and customs prior to the plague contributed to its spread, and how measures taken afterwards limited another pandemic.

The death of so many people left a void that contributed to the collapse of the feudal system and the rise of the nation state. Paradoxically, the more people died, the greater was the economic recovery as more land became available. Serfs were no longer confined to working for one person but could hire themselves out to the highest bidder in what became a workers’ market.

This short nonfiction work will have you completely mesmerized by this incredible event in human history. For an in-depth look at the Black Death, Life During the Black Death is the perfect companion volume. You can also consult The Bone Chapel to see how bones from the time period were used in decoration. Finally, look at Germ Warfare to understand how germs such as those who caused the Black Death can be used as weapons.