Page 26 - 100 Events That Made History

Asia
Russia
Black Europe India China

Death Africa

A mystery PLAGUE Origin of
the plague
Progress of
causes panic the plague

Crisis in China
A highly contagious INFECTION, known as the
In the 14th century, a terrible plague or the Black Death, arose deep in Asia.
The disease gripped central China in 1333 and
disease wiped out a third of the spread fast. As a center of trade, China was
population of Europe, as well as visited by merchants from countries all over the
millions more in Asia and Africa. world—who took the plague home with them.

The disease was most likely
caused by bacteria passed on in
bites from fleas carried by rats.

Plague in Europe
The Black Death reached Europe in 1347
and lasted until about 1353. The plague’s
jumping-off point from Asia was probably
the Crimea. Here, Mongol warriors, laying siege
to the city of Kaffa, catapulted their infected
corpses over its walls to weaken the defenders.
This port was colonized by the Genoese, whose
TRADING SHIPS carried the disease to Sicily. Big swellings, called
buboes, were among
the horrible symptoms.

What came before…

In about 250 CE, the There was an even
ROMAN EMPIRE was worse outbreak in
hit by the Plague of Constantinople
Cyprian. At its height, (modern-day
the disease, which Istanbul) in 541 CE.
was probably smallpox, The PLAGUE OF JUSTINIAN
killed about 5,000 wiped out 10,000
Romans a day. people a day.
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