The Black Death was a major epidemic of the bubonic plague that killed over one third of Eurasia’s population in the 1350s. Last year, I travelled to China, Italy, and England to find out how the Black Death impacted Eurasia during the 1300s. Throughout my journey, I investigated the Silk Road in China, the Orsanmichele church in Italy, and the Museum of London in England for clues that would help me discover the factors that made the Black Death one of the most devastating epidemics in human history.
My first stop in my journey was in the city of Xi’an, China. I went to Xi’an first because of it’s proximity to the beginning of the Silk Road. When I first arrived in Xi’an, I was surprised to see that it was completely modernized, with buzzing …show more content…
Extending from Khanbaliq, China to Caffa, Crimea, the Silk Road was a major trading route that transported textiles and other goods from Asia to Europe. Using this knowledge and the information I learned at the Mongol museum, I was confident that the Silk Road must have played a major role in the migration of the Black Death from Asia to Europe. To confirm my theory, I decided to follow a group of Chinese merchants across the Silk Road to garner evidence and learn about the trade between China and Europe. I hopped onto a camel and set out to travel across the sandy, barren road. As my camel trotted along the Silk Road, I was astonished to find out that the Silk Road crosses a desert inside of China. I had always pictured China as a busy metropolis with thousands of factories and highways, and never would have believed that there would have been a desert there without seeing it first-hand. After looking at my map, I discovered that this desert was called the Taklamakan Desert which resides in northwest China, and that the route we were on would eventually stop at a port in Crimea that would sail us to Italy. When I asked the merchants about the Black Death, they explained that the plague-ridden merchants from China carried the Black Death into Crimea, where it then spread to Italy by boat (McNeil, 134). After reaching the port in Crimea, I boarded …show more content…
I entered the Museum of London and looked at the various death records and official reports that were made at the time of the Black Plague. The Black Death’s mortality rate in England was significantly higher than other locations because of it’s cold climate and lack of fuel for fires (Senn). Consequently, people huddled together for warmth, helping to spread the disease between the populace (McNeil, 157). The Black Death’s destruction in London peaked in 1349, when King Edward III announced that the plague threatened the royal family. The Black Death also threatened the lives of the legislators in London who were essential to keeping order throughout the devastation (Ziegler, 9). Overcrowding was another prominent factor that exacerbated the mortality rate in London. The rapid growth of England had reached it’s peak right before the plague struck, leaving a large urban population that allowed the plague to spread between people easily (Senn, “Population and Growth”). Many famous chancellors of London died as a result of the Black Plague, including: John Offord, Thomas Bradwardine, and Robert Saddington. The death of these chancellors proved that the plague was able to kill anyone it touched, regardless of their social class (Ziegler,
My first stop in my journey was in the city of Xi’an, China. I went to Xi’an first because of it’s proximity to the beginning of the Silk Road. When I first arrived in Xi’an, I was surprised to see that it was completely modernized, with buzzing …show more content…
Extending from Khanbaliq, China to Caffa, Crimea, the Silk Road was a major trading route that transported textiles and other goods from Asia to Europe. Using this knowledge and the information I learned at the Mongol museum, I was confident that the Silk Road must have played a major role in the migration of the Black Death from Asia to Europe. To confirm my theory, I decided to follow a group of Chinese merchants across the Silk Road to garner evidence and learn about the trade between China and Europe. I hopped onto a camel and set out to travel across the sandy, barren road. As my camel trotted along the Silk Road, I was astonished to find out that the Silk Road crosses a desert inside of China. I had always pictured China as a busy metropolis with thousands of factories and highways, and never would have believed that there would have been a desert there without seeing it first-hand. After looking at my map, I discovered that this desert was called the Taklamakan Desert which resides in northwest China, and that the route we were on would eventually stop at a port in Crimea that would sail us to Italy. When I asked the merchants about the Black Death, they explained that the plague-ridden merchants from China carried the Black Death into Crimea, where it then spread to Italy by boat (McNeil, 134). After reaching the port in Crimea, I boarded …show more content…
I entered the Museum of London and looked at the various death records and official reports that were made at the time of the Black Plague. The Black Death’s mortality rate in England was significantly higher than other locations because of it’s cold climate and lack of fuel for fires (Senn). Consequently, people huddled together for warmth, helping to spread the disease between the populace (McNeil, 157). The Black Death’s destruction in London peaked in 1349, when King Edward III announced that the plague threatened the royal family. The Black Death also threatened the lives of the legislators in London who were essential to keeping order throughout the devastation (Ziegler, 9). Overcrowding was another prominent factor that exacerbated the mortality rate in London. The rapid growth of England had reached it’s peak right before the plague struck, leaving a large urban population that allowed the plague to spread between people easily (Senn, “Population and Growth”). Many famous chancellors of London died as a result of the Black Plague, including: John Offord, Thomas Bradwardine, and Robert Saddington. The death of these chancellors proved that the plague was able to kill anyone it touched, regardless of their social class (Ziegler,