Crisis+and+Bubonic+Plague+(576-579)+2

=Crisis and Bubonic Plague (576-579)= Joshua

The Little Ice Age

 * Global climate change in 1300 C.E.
 * Average temperatures decreased for 500 years, mini ice age
 * Agricultural production decreased in many areas
 * Norse people living in Greenland had to migrate

Origins of The Plague

 * Along with the cold, most of the eastern hemisphere experienced the bubonic plague
 * came from the Yunnan region in southwest China
 * Is a bacteria transfered by fleas, mostly infects rodents
 * Fleas can infect people
 * In 1331, an outbreak killed 90% of the people in Hebei, near Beijing
 * Broke out widespread in China in the 1350s

Spread of The Plague

 * Began to be spread in 1340s by Mongols, merchants, and travelers
 * Thrived in large cities with many animals for flea breeding grounds
 * Reached the Black Sea by 1347
 * Reached the rest of western Europe in 1348

Effects of The Plague

 * also known as the black death
 * lymph nodes, internal bleeding
 * 60-90% of victims died, could wipe out a town in just a few months
 * some places did not suffer because of cold temps
 * india avoided detrimental effects

**Population Decline**

 * china, europe populations decreased dramatically
 * islamic societies also effected by plague

**Social and Economic Effects**

 * The disease caused massive labor shortages, which led to social unrest
 * In western Europe, workers demanded higher wages and left their homes in search of better conditions
 * Landlords responded to this by restricting the freedom of peasants to move
 * Authorities resisted change; peasant rebellions
 * but only after considerable social disruption and loss of life