Black Death

            A ghastly and ferocious outbreak of a lethal disease hit Europe in the Middle Ages eradicating close to one third of the entire population. This plague, or Black Death as it is often referred to, has been the nightmare of all peoples for nearly three centuries, striking throughout the lands of Europe and killing entire settlements of people at a time. Needless to say, this disaster had severely affected the lives of all Europeans.
             Though the Black Death certainly came as a surprise to people of the Middle Ages, considering the living-conditions of those times, and especially the almost complete lack of medical know-how it is safe to say that the plague was a catastrophe waiting to happen. Back in the fifteenth century people knew nothing about hygiene, and went for months if not years at a time without properly cleaning their body. Rotten teeth as well as layers upon layers of unwashed filth on their skin were all factors that contributed to weakening the peoples" immune system, making them highly susceptible to any kind of infection and disease. Cities and towns were all as dirty and mucky as present-day garbage dumps, people literally threw their garbage and bodily waste right out the window, trash covered the streets festering for months attracting all kinds of parasites - vermin, insects, germs and dangerous bacteria. Normal life expectancy in those days was not higher than 30-40 years and most definitely the sub-par living conditions were to blame.
             The plague brought on a very serious impact on European economy. Manufacturing and trading of goods, that had only began to develop after the crusades, ceased partially because millions of workers and craftsmen died thus making production of all kinds of goods come to an end, and also because in fear of letting the plague enter their homes, most kingdoms of Europe went to extreme measures not allowing any trading ships into their ports or caravans inside their town-walls.