The Bubonic Plague Essay

Submitted By melcoulter30
Words: 714
Pages: 3

The Bubonic Plague Although Europe has recovered from the deadly black plague, which struck during the 15th and 16th centuries, it was a tragic time to be alive. England faced many issues related to the disease, including the crumbling society, definite religious views, and negligence in regards to other people’s lives. The corruption of society in England during this time was the product of multiple factors. Many students didn’t want to attend school for fear of becoming ill. A schoolmaster in Deventer, Netherlands wrote a letter explaining that twenty boys had been killed which caused people to have a fear of a place where they should feel safe, at school. It also affected the children, because they didn’t’ have the opportunity to educate themselves and that education was needed at the time of the chaos. Lack of trade led to increasing problems in the “norm” of society. Daniel Defoe wrote announcing that the trading nations of Europe were all afraid of England, which caused him, as well an abundance of other people to become worried about the lack of supplies. The lack of trade and imports and exports, only added to their devastating situation. Many believed that the rats that travelled on the cargo ships from England are what created the black plague. Businesses were affected immensely, Samuel Pepys wrote in a moment of humor that no one would dare wear a wig, for fear that the hair had been cut off someone who had succumb to the disease. He evidently was trying to be sarcastic, an attempt to make fun of the extremity in which people were reacting, but ultimately it only fueled the fear further, changing the way people viewed certain industries. The fear led to people being too afraid to buy products, which led to the decrease of inflation. The fear of the plague also resulted in a change in religious views for many people. Their ideas often differed between finding refuse in religion, and casting blame on God. Physician Bertrand at Marseilles expressed that the plague must be considered particularly as chastisement, exercised by an angry God. He along with others thought that God was mad at them and casted the plague down as punishment on men. Those with the opposite view took refuge in the church, such as Sir John Reresby, he believed God had nothing to do with the development of the plague. His believed that the plague should not stop you from doing what you want to do; he proved this by going to Rome, where the Pope lived. Nehemiah Wallington, an English Puritan, started hoping against God’s will, he questioned who would die first and hoped that he and his children would be the first. He didn’t want them