The Bubonic Plague
The Bubonic Plague was also called the Black Plague or the Black Death that spread throughout Europe in the 1340s and 1350s. As many as 200 million people (1/3 of the population of Europe) died as a result of the Bubonic Plague.
The Bubonic Plague began in Asia and traveled west along the "silk road." The disease was carried by fleas that lived on rats (and sometimes people!). We think that rats traveled on ships, bringing the disease to Europe. Check out this map to see the spread of the plague. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Death#mediaviewer/File:Blackdeath2.gif
Larger cities and towns, which were very dirty during the Middle Ages, were especially dangerous as there were lots of rats there. Sometimes entire towns or villages were wiped out by the plague.
It took Europe nearly 150 years to recover from the effects of the plague.
The Bubonic Plague began in Asia and traveled west along the "silk road." The disease was carried by fleas that lived on rats (and sometimes people!). We think that rats traveled on ships, bringing the disease to Europe. Check out this map to see the spread of the plague. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Death#mediaviewer/File:Blackdeath2.gif
Larger cities and towns, which were very dirty during the Middle Ages, were especially dangerous as there were lots of rats there. Sometimes entire towns or villages were wiped out by the plague.
It took Europe nearly 150 years to recover from the effects of the plague.