1. 1347 was the peak of the bubonic plague, with around 60% of all Europeans dying swift, but agonizing deaths.
The year 1347 marked the high point of the bubonic plague in Europe and parts of Asia. For months it had been killing thousands of poor souls in the Black Sea region. Then, at the start of 1347, it was brought to the rest of Europe on trade ships and went pandemic. According to one contemporary quip, victims would enjoy lunch with their friends at home, and then dinner with their ancestors in heaven, such was the speed with which it killed. Quite simply, if you got the plague, your chances of survival were minimal.
Estimates on the total number of casualties vary. However, most guesses put the total number of victims at 200 million, meaning as much as 60% of Europe’s population was wiped out in a few months. But it didn’t just have a physical impact. The psychological burden was huge, too. People living past the year 1347 were scarred for life. Doom-mongers and religious leaders blamed the plague on a loss of faith. For the next few hundred years, fear and superstition would reign across Europe – indeed, according to some observers, the physiological scars of 1347 were only really healed with the dawn of the Enlightenment towards the end of the 18th century.
Where did we find this stuff? Here are our sources:
“200 years ago, we endured a ‘year without a summer’.” USA Today, May 2016.
“The Great Flood and the Great Famine of 1314.” Historic UK.
“The Black Death: The Greatest Catastrophe Ever.” History Today.
“The volcano that changed the world.” Nature News, April 2008.
“Great Depression History.” History.com.
“Why 536 was ‘the worst year to be alive'”. Science Mag, November 2018.