The Black Plague also affected Shakespeare financially. 20 July 2012. There was no known cure at the time, and the bacteria spread very quickly and would kill an infected person within two days, which led to structural public policies, religious, and medical changes in Europe. After the Black Death killed many workers, peasants were in demand for their labor. This kind of bacteria is typically found in rodents such as rats and also in the fleas that feed on the rodents. The main culprit of the spread was the poor hygiene, however, the real species that are the cause of this potential wipeout, are the rats and other infected rodents that resided in the area. The Pestilence. In fact, it was not even the first. During the mid-fourteenth century, a plague hit Europe. healthcare professional. Queen Elizabeth I was such an influential person in the world during her lifetime that the period of her reign is called the Elizabethan Era. At this time, most pandemics were deadly since there was no medicine or technology. Once inside the body, it multiplies rapidly and can cause death within two days without the aid of antibiotics. This greatly changed the traditional feudal system, which served to confine peasants to a certain piece of land. We often hear the plague spread due to unhygienic conditions and a surplus of rats in Europe. A ship came from China that brought rats infested with fleas, carrying the plague to Sicily. A frightening and swift end to life. There were Elizabethan surgeons, but these had a similar reputation to the barbers and the usual route that most people took was to visit the apothecary, or dispenser of drugs. The world at large combated against the deadly outbreak of bubonic plague that first hit the Asian country of China in the year 1330. The Arrival. The Black Death In Elizabethan England 688 Words | 3 Pages. These rodents spread the Bubonic plague from China to Europe and lastly, it hit Britain in 1348. The red cross acted as a warning as there was a time when the victims of the illness were not carried away to be buried or burnt. It was at pandemic or epidemic proportions in England and Europe for roughly four years. The penalties for this were varied and severe. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); In the Elizabethan era therewas pestilence and repeated outbreaks of the Bubonic plague (Black Death) and these were not just confined to highly populated towns such as London. They received higher wages for their labor. In October 1347, after traveling through the Black Sea, 12 Genoese ships used for trading stopped at the port of Messina. 2. Even the animals could not escape its deathly hold. The Black Death was a plague that killed many people. In this way, Elizabeths government could monitor and address major plague outbreaks with relative detail and accuracy. The above picture is of an Elizabethan Physician. The Black Death began in the Himalayan Mountains of South Asia in the 1200s. The Black Death was a bubonic plague pandemic, which reached England in June 1348. Imagine being in an unsanitary environment in the Elizabethan era not getting the help from doctors that people get today. The River Thames is a tidal river and, as such, it would have acted like a natural sewer. Initially spreading through rats and subsequently fleas, it killed at least one-third of the population of Europe and continued intermittently until the 18th century. This was not, however, the true beginning of the epidemic. Sicily was then overcome by the disease and it spread through the trade routes all over Europe. These rodents spread the Bubonic plague from China to Europe and lastly, it hit Britain in 1348. The blood that exuded was black, thick and vile smelling with a greenish scum mixed in it. Swollen, painful lymph nodes gave way to enormousblack tumors (known as buboes) that could grow all over the body and gave the disease its most famous moniker. The 16th century wasnt one of the brightest for the people of the Elizabethan Era. Information about the Role of the Watchmen and Death Cart LabourersThe Elizabethan Watchmen and the death cart labourers were, not surprisingly, very well paid. Plague is an ancient disease that was described during Classical times as occurring in North Africa and the Middle East. How did the black death spread so quickly? It is widely believed that Bristol was the place where the Black Death first reached England. The illness also produced in the victim an intense desire to sleep, which, if yielded to, quickly proved fatal. Globe Theatre Fact 1. It is estimated that 40,000 dogs and 200,000 cats were killed. Sometried rubbing chunks of dead snakes on the boils. Overview The diffusion of crops and pathogens, including epidemic diseases like the bubonic plague, often occured along trade routes. In the first episode of BBC historical drama Wolf Hall, based on Hilary Mantel's novel of the same name, Thomas Cromwell returns home to find his wife and two daughters have all died . Going further, physicians urged Elizabethans to perfume both their clothes and their houses to discourage any infection, and to leave clothes out in the sun to air out after any contact with the infected. .adslot_1 { width: 300px; height: 250px; } The black plague was not only a biological issue but also a mental issue as people then was really panic stricken and did isolate the affected ones. The plague forced this system to collapse. This caused Shakespeare to have a lifelong fear of the disease. This is essentially a climbing animal which lives in walls and roofs, always in close contact with man. The death cart labourers generally undertook their gruesome work at night and the bodies were hurried out of the house wrapped in any kind of improvised shroud. Plague is an extremely infectious and vile disease caused by a bacteria known as Yersinia Pestis. 1547 Repeal of 1542 Witchcraft during the reign of King Edward VI, the son of Henry VIII, who was more liberal in his thinking about witches and witchcraft. Information regarding the handling of the Bubonic plague (Black Death), symptoms, medical treatment and cure used during the Elizabethan era are fully described below. Between 1558 and 1582 plaques arrived in London every four years on average. History of Britain from Roman times to Restoration era. In Europe there were many responses to the plague which included helping to stop and cure the plague, profiting off it, and trying to protect and care for their loved ones. The symptoms for this plague were extremely painful and death was the most likely outcome in most cases. The Elizabethan Black DeathIn the late sixteenth and seventeenth centuries victims of the Bubonic plague (Black Death) would be sealed in their houses. In the modern world, however, the barely changed virus only kills 2 to 3 percent of infected victims, even when modern medicine is not accessible. Some also suffered "great dolor of head with heaviness,. While diseases like the common cold have been around for a long time, there are many staple diseases that have shaped the medical field and the foundation for medicine today that need to be known. The killer disease also causes red and black spots on the human skin. No one was sure how the Death spread, and this combined with the fast course the disease took and the primitive medical practices of the time allowed for the disease to spread through the continent in devastating time. The name comes from the black buboes (infected lymph glands) which broke out over a plague victim's body. The victim would also experience extremely high fever and bloody vomit. It was a descendant of the ancient plague that had afflicted Rome, from 541 to 549 CE, during the time of emperor Justinian. This tragedy started around 1347 1352 A.D, originating from East Asia or China .This disease was brought by the sea from ships, and on the ship was black rats and fleas were carrying it and it was passed down to the rats. Ring around the rosie, a pocket full of posies, ashes, ashes, of Europe got obliterated by the black plague. She became queen when she was 1 week old because her father died. Threats of imprisonment were made as encouragement to undertake these tasks and this consequence was suffered by anyone who refused the role. Black Death was a plague epidemic that swept across Europe between 1348 and 1353, killing nearly 25 to 60% of the entire population of Europe. As a response to the plague that took place. A person affected by bubonic plague develops fever and painful swellings or buboes of the lymph glands. The Black Plague was one of the worst diseases to be ever known to the people in the Elizabethan Era. The Elizabethan City of London was filthy. To avoid contracting plague, physicians recommended various tinctures and cordials, either to be taken on their own or added to ones breakfast. It was a terrible spectacle and death followed suit. The Black Death, also known as the Bubonic Plague, was one of the biggest pandemics in the world. The Plague came in three different ways: bubonic, pneumonic, and septicemic. How many died? There was no town cleansing department in the Elizabethan era. So begins this poem which Nashe wrote in 1593, when an outbreak of bubonic plague closed the London playhouses (Shakespeare would take advantage of the closure to write his narrative poems Venus and Adonis and The Rape of Lucrece, and probably most of his sonnets . Some measures, like perfume and bloodletting, have ultimately proven to be useless. No one was sure how the Death spread, and this combined with the fast course the disease took and the primitive medical practices of the time allowed for the disease to spread through the continent in devastating time. The Elizabethan era was truly a dangerous time. By 1650, that number had soared to more than 5 million- the economy simply couldn't keep up. Inadequate hygiene standards added to the problem and spread of the disease. The peasants started demanding more wages while the English law tried to keep wages from rising. During the Renaissance period a disease was brought to Europe that is known as the Black Plague. The black trumpeter John Blanke played regularly at the courts of Henry VII and Henry VIII. The Plague went by many names, but they all added up to the same thing: the deaths of almost 200 million people across Europe and Asia. Other wild theories included divine punishment of the Europeans for their sins, and that the Jewish population was poisoning the water. The Black Plague was incredibly fatal. When the government passed the Statute, the poor felt that the law served to keep them from this equality. Yes, this talks about death and epidemics that used to kill hundreds and thousands in the medieval ages that had no specific cure and hence, was really terrifying. The disease also spread frighteningly quickly, wiping out entire villages before anyone could do anything to stop it. The symptoms for this plague were extremely painful and death was the most likely outcome in most cases. Elizabethan Medicine was extremely basic in an era when terrible illnesses such as the Bubonic Plague (Black Death ) were killing nearly one third of the population. On the same note if you wish us not to use a photo for any reason just let us know and we will remove it. The black Death originated in Italy and rapidly spread throughout Europe due to poor city sanitization and overcrowding in major cities. The disease could also be air bound and transmitted from an infected person's breath. Within a few days, the deadly plague spread in Sicily and other parts of Europe. In addition to these general orders for containing the spread of plague, the Elizabethan state targeted specific threats as well. The reactions from the Christians and the Muslims to the greatly feared disease, known as the Black Death or the Great Plague were different in several ways. To fully understand what witches went through during the Elizabethan Age in England, you need to realize how troubled life was for the common people. People could not go to Catholic services. Italian people often used to say that; people had lunch with their friends and had dinner with their ancestors in the paradise. The main culprit of the spread was the poor hygiene, however, the real species that are the cause of this potential wipeout, are the rats and other infected rodents that resided in the area. Aids started to spread Africa when the people ate chimpanzee just like how the people in England would eat infected food. Middle Ages hygiene was extremely basic in terms of the disposal of waste products and garbage. The monstrous disease seemed to spread evenly through the lightest of touches or through clothing. London's first cases of plague were noticed in August. Only the very wealthy would receive the ministrations of an Elizabethan Physician who would have received an education at one of the Universities. Its populace of roughly 100,000 people included royalty, nobility, merchants, artisans, laborers, actors, beggars, thieves, and spies, as well as refugees from political and religious persecution on the continent. Others, though, like swift quarantines and thorough record-keeping, have become staples of modern public health practice. From regular cleanings and exams to restorative procedures like tooth-colored fillings, we offer all the dental treatments you might need to improve your oral health. Over time, the. The Black Death (Plague of 1348) had a deep and lasting impact on Medieval Europe for a variety of reasons. Due to a severe labor shortage, serf survivors were able to demand higher wages and better working conditions from their new landlords. These occurred in 1593 , 1603 and 1608. Many people at the time believed that the Plague was a result of the release of "bad air" from the ground, due to earthquakes nearby. . One of the reasons the Plague was so deadly is that it had such a short incubation period -- and was extremely contagious. A frightening and swift end to life. Information about the Spread of the Elizabethan Black Death or the Bubonic Plague in Elizabethan EnglandThere were repeated outbreaks of the disease during the Elizabethan era and these outbreaks were often transmitted by the fleas that lived on rodents and animals, especially rats. Europe in the fifteen hundreds was a dangerous, local, hierarchic, tradition-bound, slow moving, and poor filled with the tasks of providence, salvation and community. Amidst the consequences suffered by those carrying the disease, came the ramifications that those who were not directly affected experienced. Many peasants died from the disease, probably from their poor diets and lack of nourishment. By the end of the fourteenth century, the Black Death killed nearly 60% of Europe's population. information on this site as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, treatment, or The first occurred during the Byzantine Empire in the 6th century and killed an estimated 25 million people. The victim's skin turned black in patches and inflamed glands or 'buboes' in the groin, combined with compulsive vomiting, swollen tongue and splitting headaches made it a horrible, agonizing killer. The country area and villages were not exempt from the disease either - there was no hiding place. It is a terrifying disease because sufferers die within hours. He's got a lot of money. People were instructed to carry something with a sweet smell, such as a pomander or a handkerchief dipped in rosewater, to ward off this miasma. If the workers refused to do so or demanded more wages they would be fined and even sent jails. Copyright 2023 IPL.org All rights reserved. A few ramifications were self-evident, such as trade, others were concealed within the fear that the population had lost so much already, they could no longer afford to lose anything else, whether that be dignity or pride. They had to pay for rents and taxes. Treatment for this dreaded disease during the Middle Ages was vague and clueless. However, criminal activity by nobles, persecution by lords, war, and disease eventually caused oppressed peasants to revolt. One thing is certain, however, as we examine the responses to disease of people living hundreds of years ago: Its not the end of the world. Europeans had reacted in various ways towards the black plague like using it as a means to collect money, strengthen beliefs, & causing deaths. The ' wise women ' in the Elizabethan community or some members of the Church were really the victims only hope for a medical treatment and cure of the Black Death or the Bubonic Plague. Fifteen years after the Elizabethan church instituted its emergency plan for the spiritual health of the realm, Elizabeth and her counselors released a set of seventeen edicts to address and contain the spread of contagion when it appeared. In mid-fourteenth century Europe a plague (also known as the Black Death) appeared in which the first wave killed millions of people. The plague started in the East, possibly China, and quickly spread through Europe. Initially spreading through rats and subsequently fleas, it killed at least one-third of the population of Europe and continued intermittently until the 18th century. Bloodletting and purgatives to help balance the humors were also favored tactics for Elizabethan doctors in the fight against the plague. In 1500 there was around 2.5 million people in England. Many people aboard the ship were already dead from the disease and the ship was ordered to leave the harbor, but it was too late. This kind of bacteria is typically found in rodents such as rats and also in the fleas that feed on the rodents. Finally in the 1600's people believed it had disappeared for good. A time of persecution and suffering, many had to endure the effects that the Black Plague brought with it. cities of Europe to spread the killer disease across the continent. If one contracted the infection from a flea bite, it took two to six days to incubate and for symptoms to begin. Facts about Life in Elizabethan England 8: the diet of the poor people The poor people ate a small portion of meat for it was expensive. Disease and plagues killed major parts of the population, the bubonic plague, for example, claimed the lives of perhaps a third of Europes population in five years. The Black Death, also known as the bubonic plague, was a disease that devastated Medieval Europe, between 1346 and 1352 it killed 45 million people, wiping out a third of Europe's population. Rodents, fleas and plague-infected people showed up in the major harbour cities of Europe to spread the killer disease across the continent.Masks during the plague. That is not to say that the Elizabethans viewed plague as a purely spiritual matter, however, remedied only through spiritual means. Due to the fact that the serfs and peasants were poor, they barely ate meat. It started to spread from Eastern China, to Europe in the early 1300s, and it reoccurred multiple times during the years to come. Just the sight of an Elizabethan Physician in his strange clothing, especially the weird mask, was enough to frighten anyone to death. The age of Shakespeare was a great time in English history. During the Renaissance period a disease was brought to Europe that is known as the Black Plague. While this sounds like a Bible reference, it is also a reference to the bacterium that caused the plague: Yersinia pestis. The Black Death began its long, sweeping journey through Europe in 1348 (some reports say it was actually in October of 1347). A famine broke out, and it is now known as the famine before the plague. concerns or questions about your health, you should always consult with a physician or other The reign of Elizabeth (1558 - 1603) saw England emerge as the leading naval and commercial power of the Western world. Scholars and historians often refer to him being a part of the Elizabethan Era, the period of English history d uring the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, which lasted from 1558 - 1603, and was itself part of the larger Tudor Period. A supplemental set of directions for worship in the Church of England was released in 1563, mandating that Wednesdays be dedicated to fasting and prayer in times of plague. There are two different forms of pneumonic pest. The rodents slowly made their journey to Europe via the Silk Road routes constantly used for trade. Bloodletting, or cutting open the vein nearest the infected part of the body, was commonly thought to be one of the best ways to treat the illness. 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