The Black Death

The Black Death was one of the worst diseases in history. It spread across Europe and Asia about 700 years ago. The sickness was caused by bacteria that lived in fleas. The fleas lived on rats. When infected fleas bit people, they got sick. The disease killed millions of people in just a few years.

How It Spread

The Black Death traveled very quickly. It moved along trade routes with ships and traders. Rats carrying sick fleas hid on boats and in wagons. When people got sick, dark spots formed on their skin. That is why the disease was called the Black Death. Doctors in those days did not know how to cure it.

Tiny germs under a microscope that caused the Black Death sickness.
Tiny germs under a microscope that caused the Black Death sickness. (Photo Credit= Content Providers= CDC/ Courtesy of Larry Stauffer, Oregon State Public Health Laboratory / Wikimedia Commons)

Changing the World

The Black Death changed Europe in big ways. So many people died that there were not enough farmers or workers. Workers who were left could ask for better pay. Many people started to question old ideas. The Black Death was terrible, but it also helped lead to new changes in how people lived.

Important Facts

  • Plague doctors wore masks with long beaks filled with herbs.
  • The Black Death killed about one third of the people in Europe.
  • The disease still exists today but can now be cured with medicine.

Did You Know?

Some scientists think the nursery rhyme 'Ring Around the Rosie' may have been about the Black Death, but others do not believe this is true.