The Black Death

How the bubonic plague conquered Europe, 1347–1351

25M+

Deaths in Europe

30-60%

Population Lost

4 Years

To Cover Europe

Spread Timeline

1347 Entry Point

Genoese trading ships arrive in Messina, Sicily, carrying plague from Caffa (Crimea). The disease spreads rapidly through Italian port cities.

Messina Genoa Venice Marseille

1348 Rapid Expansion

Plague spreads north through France and reaches England via Melcombe Regis. Spain, southern Germany, and the Balkans are infected. Pope Clement VI flees Avignon.

Paris London Barcelona Bordeaux

1349 Peak Mortality

Plague reaches Ireland, Wales, and spreads through Norway via a ghost ship that drifted to Bergen. Half of England's priests die. Flagellant movements spread.

Dublin Bergen Oslo Cork

1350 Northern Reach

The plague reaches Denmark, Sweden, and Poland. Eastern Europe and the Baltic region are infected. Some isolated areas are spared.

Copenhagen Gdansk Stockholm

1351 Final Spread

Plague reaches Russia and Finland. The first wave ends. Europe's population would not recover for 150 years.

Novgorod Moscow

Primary Transmission Routes

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Maritime Trade Routes

Genoese & Venetian ships spread plague to ports

🛤️

Overland Trade Routes

Silk Road caravans brought plague from Central Asia

🐀

Black Rats & Fleas

Xenopsylla cheopis fleas carried Yersinia pestis

Estimated Mortality by Region

Italy 60-75%

France 50-60%

England 40-50%

Germany 30-40%

Poland 20-25%

Poland's relative isolation and King Casimir's quarantine measures reduced mortality

Historical Impact

• Ended feudalism — labor shortages gave peasants bargaining power
• Led to persecution of Jews, lepers, and other minorities
• Weakened Catholic Church's authority
• Inspired Danse Macabre and memento mori art
• Recurrences continued until the 18th century

Sources: Ole Jørgen Benedictow "The Black Death, 1346-1353" (2004); Philip Ziegler "The Black Death" (1969)