The Polish Plague, or Lack Thereof
During the 14th century, while the plague ravaged the majority of Europe, the nation of Poland was drastically less than that of the surrounding nations. This was largely due to the Poland ruler Casimir the Great, social and economic factors, and the large population of Jewish individuals that had settled there. The first explanation to the seeming lack of the plague in Poland was a king during the 14th century. Casimir the Great through excellent and skillful leadership helped Poland escape the plague barely scathed. Casimir III was king of Poland from 1333 to 1370, often called “the Great” because he was deemed a peaceful ruler, a “peasant king,” and a skillful diplomat. Through his diplomacy, he annexed …show more content…
With minimal trade routes throughout Eastern Europe, it would have been difficult for the Black Death to spread over land routes. Interaction between neighboring cities and countries was crucial to the spread of the plague because of the need for person to person contact as well the transport of rats and fleas. With the knowledge that there were in fact black rats in North West Russia and that their spread is the result of a development of trade, if trade routes had existed between Russia and Poland plague would have had the opportunity to spread (Wells). Without interaction between humans and the rats, there wouldn’t have been a spread of the …show more content…
The hands must also be washed on certain occasions: after rising from bed in the morning, after urination and/or defecation, bathing, clipping of the fingernails, removal of shoes, touching the naked foot, washing the hair, visiting a cemetery, touching a corpse, undressing, sexual intercourse, touching a louse, or touching any part of the body generally clothed." (Preuss and Perlmann)
In comparison to Judaism, Christianity severely lacked rules and laws concerning proper hygiene. Christian communities, as well as nations with low Jewish populations, would have lacked the sanitation and religious hygiene laws needed to prevent the spread of disease while nations with higher Jewish populations would have had greater sanitation and religious hygiene laws. It seems to be worth noting that England, France and Spain had more cases of plague and fewer Jewish citizens in comparison to their Eastern European neighbors.
With the great leadership of Casimir III surrounding Poland with walls and his attitude toward Jewish people, combined with the lack of trade routes and Jewish hygiene, Poland was able to survive the Black Death with the least casualties, unlike the city of Smolensk, where only five people had remained
During the 14th century, while the plague ravaged the majority of Europe, the nation of Poland was drastically less than that of the surrounding nations. This was largely due to the Poland ruler Casimir the Great, social and economic factors, and the large population of Jewish individuals that had settled there. The first explanation to the seeming lack of the plague in Poland was a king during the 14th century. Casimir the Great through excellent and skillful leadership helped Poland escape the plague barely scathed. Casimir III was king of Poland from 1333 to 1370, often called “the Great” because he was deemed a peaceful ruler, a “peasant king,” and a skillful diplomat. Through his diplomacy, he annexed …show more content…
With minimal trade routes throughout Eastern Europe, it would have been difficult for the Black Death to spread over land routes. Interaction between neighboring cities and countries was crucial to the spread of the plague because of the need for person to person contact as well the transport of rats and fleas. With the knowledge that there were in fact black rats in North West Russia and that their spread is the result of a development of trade, if trade routes had existed between Russia and Poland plague would have had the opportunity to spread (Wells). Without interaction between humans and the rats, there wouldn’t have been a spread of the …show more content…
The hands must also be washed on certain occasions: after rising from bed in the morning, after urination and/or defecation, bathing, clipping of the fingernails, removal of shoes, touching the naked foot, washing the hair, visiting a cemetery, touching a corpse, undressing, sexual intercourse, touching a louse, or touching any part of the body generally clothed." (Preuss and Perlmann)
In comparison to Judaism, Christianity severely lacked rules and laws concerning proper hygiene. Christian communities, as well as nations with low Jewish populations, would have lacked the sanitation and religious hygiene laws needed to prevent the spread of disease while nations with higher Jewish populations would have had greater sanitation and religious hygiene laws. It seems to be worth noting that England, France and Spain had more cases of plague and fewer Jewish citizens in comparison to their Eastern European neighbors.
With the great leadership of Casimir III surrounding Poland with walls and his attitude toward Jewish people, combined with the lack of trade routes and Jewish hygiene, Poland was able to survive the Black Death with the least casualties, unlike the city of Smolensk, where only five people had remained