The Great Mortality

Very interesting read. I had not known about unusual geological/climatological activity in decades preceding plague outbreak - wet weather and earthquakes both can drive rats from their normal habitats towards human habitats in search of food. Wet weather may also have caused poor harvests, therefore famine, leaving people in worse physical shape to fight off such a disease outbreak.

What passed for medical knowledge at the time is almost comical. I suppose our descendants 700 years hence will say the same thing. Pogroms against the Jews, who were “of course” to blame, simply heartbreaking. Too bad we haven't yet outgrown the desire for scapegoats and conspiracy theories...

As slowly as news traveled in the 14th century, it still often traveled faster than the disease. To be stuck waiting, knowing that it was getting closer and closer to you - I can't imagine what that felt like.

Was plague good for Europe? Led to increased value of labor, more productive use of land, great creativity in labor-saving devices and methods...broke Europe out of its “Malthusian deadlock.”