Chapter 8, Section 3: "Medieval Society and the Plague"
A. Lecture:
PowerPoint: The Bubonic Plague (or "Black Death") ravaged the European continent, killing nearly 1/3 of the population. View the lecture and take notes, paying close attention to the plague's impact on the powers of both the Church and Monarchs.
Also, check out this interactive map in order to see the geographical (and chronological) spread of the plague throughout Europe.
(Optional) Interested in learning more? Check out theMiddleAges.net website for all things medieval. Click the "Plague" link for information about the Black Death.
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B. Video Clip:
History's Turning Points: The Black Death (The History Channel): It is easy to say that because so many people died during the so-called "Great Pestilence," the Black Death wreaked havoc on the people of the medieval period. But, how so specifically? In this video clip, historians go so far as to say the Plague changed the course of history. Jot down a few notes as to how the plague impacted the period.
How does one liken the Bubonic Plague to a fast-moving, often detrimental menace to society? Many would consider gossip to fit such a characterization…
Gossip, or "the act of talking about another person that is generally damaging to one’s reputation", is something that nearly anyone can relate to; we may have been the subject of gossip, or have unfortunately taken part in it ourselves. Consider the Norman Rockwell painting above, as well as a time you have either gossiped about another individual, or when gossip was spread about you. Do you see any similarities between the painting, your own experiences, and what you have learned thus far about the plague? How quickly do rumors spread throughout a group of friends, a class, and ultimately a school? Does gossip spread to everyone, or do some miss it and/or remain relatively unaffected? When rumors are spread, are their origins ever falsely identified? In other words, is someone ever blamed for spreading a rumor when they actually did not?
In many ways, the spread of the plague throughout Europe is a lot like that of gossip in a high school. Gossip has the propensity to ruin anyone in its path, affects some people while completely missing others, can be blamed on the innocent, and the actual culprit of the gossip's origin often remains elusive.
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E. Black Plague Map & Assignment:
Recall the lecture (section A), readings, and consider the map below. Write down/type your answers to the following questions: What do you notice about the chronological and geographical movements of the plague throughout Europe? How do you think the plague was spread? Where did it come from? Your responses to these questions will be turned in as Monday, April 9th's class warm-up writing prompt.