The Black Death: Worst Pandemic in History Visualized
Summary
TLDRThis video explores the bubonic plague's profound impact on human history, tracing its origins in Central Asia to its devastating pandemics in the 6th and 14th centuries. It discusses how the plague, spread by fleas on rats, reshaped societies, economies, and political landscapes, leading to the decline of empires and the rise of new social structures like capitalism. The video also touches on the modern understanding of the disease and its ongoing, though less severe, presence.
Takeaways
- 😷 The bubonic plague, caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis, has had a profound impact on human history, causing widespread death and societal changes.
- 🌏 The first pandemic of bubonic plague likely originated in Central Asia and spread globally, affecting the Byzantine Empire significantly in the 6th century A.D.
- 🚢 The plague was primarily spread through infected fleas on rats, which often traveled on ships, leading to the disease's rapid spread to new regions.
- 🏰 The disease had a devastating effect on the Byzantine Empire, leading to a long-term decline and the eventual rise of new empires and religions.
- 📉 The economic impact of the plague included a significant loss of workforce and tax revenue, which crippled the empire's ability to maintain its military campaigns and territories.
- 💀 The Black Death, a second wave of the bubonic plague in the 14th century, resulted in the deaths of an estimated 200 million people across Eurasia, which was about 42% of the world's population at the time.
- 🌾 The aftermath of the Black Death led to a rise in wages for common people, a decrease in land prices, and the beginning of the end for serfdom and feudalism in Europe.
- 🌟 The plague's impact on Europe set the stage for the rise of capitalism, as the labor shortage empowered peasants to demand better conditions.
- 🔬 The understanding of the disease's transmission through rats and fleas, along with the discovery of antibiotics, helped to reduce the plague's deadly impact on humanity.
- 📚 CuriosityStream offers documentaries that delve into the biological aspects of diseases like the bubonic plague and the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
- 🎥 The CuriosityStream and Nebula bundle provides access to a wide range of non-fiction shows and documentaries, including those on significant historical events and scientific discoveries.
Q & A
What is the original plague that significantly changed the course of human history?
-The original plague that significantly changed the course of human history is the bubonic plague, caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis.
Where is the bubonic plague believed to have originated?
-The bubonic plague is believed to have originated somewhere around the Tianchan Mountains in Central Asia.
How did the bubonic plague spread in the 6th century A.D.?
-The bubonic plague spread in the 6th century A.D. through infected fleas that lived on the backs of rats, which stowed away on ships and lived in close proximity to humans.
What was the impact of the bubonic plague on the Byzantine Empire?
-The bubonic plague had a devastating impact on the Byzantine Empire, leading to a significant population decline, economic mayhem, and the empire's long-term decline from which it never recovered.
How did the Black Death affect the social and economic structure of Europe?
-The Black Death led to the destruction of serfdom and feudalism, increased demand for laborers, higher wages for common people, and the decline in land prices, which contributed to the rise of capitalism.
What was the estimated death toll of the Black Death in Europe between 1347 and 1351?
-It is estimated that the Black Death caused the deaths of 60% of the population of the European continent, with some regions like Italy, France, and Spain experiencing up to 75% mortality.
How did the bubonic plague re-emerge in the world in 1347?
-The bubonic plague re-emerged in 1347 in Crimea, where the Republic of Genoa had a trading outpost called Kaffa, which was besieged by the Mongols. The plague was brought to Europe by merchants who unknowingly carried infected rats and fleas on their ships.
What was the death toll of the third bubonic plague pandemic that started in 1855 in China?
-The third bubonic plague pandemic, which started in 1855 in China, claimed the lives of 12 million people, mostly in India and China.
How did the discovery of the bacterium Yersinia pestis and the role of rats and fleas help in controlling the bubonic plague?
-The discovery of Yersinia pestis as the bacterium causing the disease and the understanding of rats and fleas as primary carriers allowed for better prevention and control measures, reducing the deadly impact of the bubonic plague.
How many recorded cases of the plague were there worldwide between 2010 and 2015?
-Between 2010 and 2015, there were 3,248 recorded cases of the plague across the world.
Outlines
😷 The Bubonic Plague: A Historical Pandemic
The first paragraph introduces the video, which is sponsored by CuriosityStream, and delves into the historical impact of the bubonic plague. It discusses the origins of the disease around the Tianchan Mountains in Central Asia and its sudden emergence in the 6th century A.D. during the height of the Byzantine Empire. The paragraph explains how the plague, carried by infected fleas on rats, spread through trade routes and devastated populations, leading to significant societal and economic changes. It highlights the high mortality rate and the lack of medical understanding at the time, which contributed to the disease's rapid spread and profound effects on the Byzantine Empire and the wider world, including the decline of the empire and the rise of new powers.
🚴♂️ The Black Death: Europe's Worst Pandemic
The second paragraph continues the historical narrative by focusing on the second major outbreak of the bubonic plague, known as the Black Death, which occurred between 1347 and 1351. It describes how the disease was inadvertently spread by Genoese merchants escaping from Crimea, leading to a pandemic that killed an estimated 60% of Europe's population. The paragraph details the devastating impact on various regions, with some areas experiencing up to 75% mortality rates. It also discusses the socio-economic consequences of the pandemic, such as the rise in demand for labor, increased wages for peasants, and the decline of feudalism, which paved the way for the emergence of capitalism. The paragraph concludes by noting the long-term recovery of Europe and the eventual decline of the bubonic plague's influence after the discovery of antibiotics and understanding of disease vectors.
🌐 Modern Pandemics and CuriosityStream
The third and final paragraph shifts focus to the present day, mentioning the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and the availability of documentaries on CuriosityStream that explore the biological aspects of diseases and the current health crisis. The paragraph promotes the CuriosityStream and Nebula bundle, which offers a wide range of non-fiction content, including ambitious projects by educational creators. It emphasizes the value of the subscription, which includes access to Nebula, and invites viewers to sign up for the service to enjoy a variety of high-quality documentaries and shows that provide insights into historical and modern pandemics.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡CuriosityStream
💡Bubonic Plague
💡Pandemics
💡Yersinia pestis
💡Fleas
💡Rats
💡Byzantine Empire
💡Black Death
💡Serfdom and Feudalism
💡Capitalism
💡Antibiotics
Highlights
Pandemics and diseases have been a constant companion of humanity for thousands of years.
The bubonic plague likely originated in the Tianchan Mountains in Central Asia.
The bacterium Yersinia pestis, which causes bubonic plague, remained dormant until the 6th century A.D.
The first global pandemic began in the Byzantine Empire during its peak of power.
Bubonic plague is spread by infected fleas living on rats, which stow away on ships.
The disease can be transmitted to humans when fleas jump from dying rats to humans.
Without treatment, the fatality rate of bubonic plague is between 30 and 90%.
In the 6th century, the plague wiped out 40% of Constantinople's population, including the emperor.
The plague's spread led to economic mayhem and the decline of the Byzantine Empire.
The first pandemic resulted in the deaths of around 50 million people, or 13% of the world's population at the time.
The plague's resurgence in the 14th century, known as the Black Death, killed 200 million people across Eurasia.
The Black Death led to the destruction of feudalism and the rise of capitalism in Europe.
The third pandemic of 1855 originated in China and spread to British colonies in India.
Modern understanding of the disease and the discovery of antibiotics have reduced the plague's impact.
CuriosityStream offers documentaries on the bubonic plague and the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
The CuriosityStream Nebula bundle provides access to a wide range of educational content.
Transcripts
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pandemics and diseases have been a
constant companion of humanity for
thousands of years
and although they happen relatively
rarely they can be tremendously
destructive
and they often change society in strange
and unexpected ways
and there is perhaps no disease that has
changed the entire course of human
history more than the original plague
the bubonic plague likely originating
somewhere around the tianchan mountains
in central asia
the bacterium yersinia pestis that
causes bubonic plague
lied relatively dormant with only
occasional outbreaks for untold
millennia until something changed in the
6th century
a.d the byzantine empire was at its apex
of power and influence
she had just retaken the italian
peninsula and was close to reuniting the
entire roman
empire again when all of a sudden at the
worst possible time
the bubonic plague appeared in egypt
it's not
entirely clear how it got here from its
origins in central asia
but the first global pandemic in human
history
was about to begin anyway the bubonic
plague is spread by infected fleas that
live on the backs of rats
the rats stow away on ships and live
within close proximity to humans
so when the ships carry the infected
rats to new cities the disease
inevitably follows the rats eventually
die and the fleas that actually carry
the disease search for new hosts and
jump on humans
when the flea bites a human bacterium
enters the body
and rapidly spreads to the human's
lymphatic system and multiplies
the infected person may not show any
symptoms for one to seven days after
getting bitten
but they'll eventually develop a fever
chills
vomiting and eventually the trademark
appearance of smooth
painful booboos developing out of
swelled up lymph glands around the groin
armpits and the neck game green of the
victim's fingers toes
lips and nose will eventually develop
followed by extreme
pain caused by the decomposition of
living skin
while the victim is still alive without
proper medical treatment the fatality
rate is between 30
and 90 of victims who become infected
and even with
proper modern antibiotic care the
fatality rate still
remains around 10 today obviously the
people in sixth century europe and the
middle east had no access to antibiotics
and they didn't even know that the rats
and fleas were the cause of the pandemic
so the bubonic plague
exploded when ships carrying grain and
infected rats left
egypt for constantinople the biggest
city in the world at the time
the disease spread and would go on to
wipe out 40 percent of the city's
population
infecting even the emperor himself and
as the epicenter of the byzantine empire
the plague spread out on ships leaving
for ports across the mediterranean and
spread like
wildfire 25 of all the humans living in
the eastern mediterranean region
died within just a few years and
tens of millions died across the empire
and eurasia
the millions of deaths caused economic
mayhem across the empire who had just
taken out
massive loans to fight the wars of
reconquest in italy and the western
mediterranean
with millions of less people to work on
farms and pay their taxes
the empire can no longer afford to pay
for future campaigns or even to garrison
the new reconquests
and therefore the empire entered into a
long
long state of decline from which she
would never recover
the vast depopulation and economic
mayhem left the byzantine empire
crippled and overextended which allowed
the lombards the opportunity to quickly
and easily take over northern italy
while also providing a
once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the
arabs and
islam to surge over the rest of the
empire
and take most of it over just a couple
generations later
the first global pandemic would
ultimately cause the deaths of around
50 million people or 13
of all the humans in the world alive at
the time and led
to the final destruction once and for
all of the roman empire
while making room for new empires and
religions to rise up in the chaos
the plague would finally quiet down
again and remained relatively dormant
after the mid-8th century
until several hundred years later when
it would explode onto the world scene
once again
with even more fury and death than it
had ever done before
in 1347 the bubonic plague re-emerged on
the world scene in crimea
the republic of genoa in italy had a
trading outpost at the time in crimea
called
kapha which was being besieged by the
mongols a few years previously
the plague had broken out in the chinese
province of hubei around wuhan
and had killed 80 of the province's
population
it was carried across the silk road in
the mongol army's supply and logistics
lines
before infecting the army that was
besieging kaffa after suffering from the
plague for a while the mongol army
camped outside got the idea to begin
catapulting their infected corpses over
the city walls in an early attempted
biological warfare the residents of kafa
began falling victim to the plague as
well and the g
e's merchants decided to just call it
quits and escaped on their ships back to
italy
unknowingly to them however they had
brought the infected rats and fleas with
them on their ships which were the seeds
that would sow the worst pandemic
ever in all of human history after the
rats got off the ships in sicily and
genoa
the plague exploded all across italy and
quickly spread along trade routes across
the entire mediterranean and europe
so between 1347 and 1351
the plague ravaged most of the european
continent
in just these five years it's estimated
that as much as
60 of the population of the european
continent
died but some areas were hit harder than
others
mediterranean regions like italy france
and spain saw as much as 75
of their populations dying 70 percent of
england's population died out
60 percent of norway's and 20 of
germany's
paris and london both lost half of their
populations
and florence lost so many people that
they didn't recover their population
back until the 1800s but other areas of
europe were almost never even
touched by the plague like poland most
of hungary and belgium
it's unclear why exactly the plague
varied so greatly in intensity across
the continent
but within just five years six out of
every 10 people living on the continent
beforehand
was dead the black death as it became to
be known
also heavily afflicted the middle east
where approximately one
out of every three people died in that
same five-year time frame as well
it's believed that in just this
five-year length of time the bubonic
plague
may have killed as many as 200 million
people across eurasia which is
absolutely
staggering when you remember that the
entire world population
prior to the pandemic was only 475
million people
that means that it's possible that
around 42
of the entire human population of the
world died within just a few years from
a single disease
to put into perspective how absolutely
earth-shattering and cataclysmic it was
for the time
that would be exactly like if a disease
wiped out 3.15
billion people today in just a few years
it would irrevocably change the world
forever just like the black death did in
the 14th century and like the first
plague did in the 6th century
in this case the black death wiped out
most of the people living in europe
which caused the demand for common
people as laborers to skyrocket
the surviving peasants were in a much
better position to demand higher wages
and more freedom from the nobility which
the nobility had to accept as reality in
order to keep society
moving wages for surviving common people
went up the price of land plummeted and
peasants found new opportunities they
never would have had beforehand
the black death had begun the
destruction of serfdom and feudalism as
institutions in europe and gave rise to
the very beginnings of capitalism that
would replace it
it would take europe an entire two
centuries to recover back to the
population that she had
prior to the eruption of the plague and
by that point in the 1550s
capitalism was well on its way to taking
over the continent
the bubonic plague would periodically
flare back up in various places across
europe and the middle east for
centuries afterwards most notably in
london in 1665
and marseille in 1720 but none ever
became a true pandemic again
until the final and the most recent
third great plague pandemic of 1855
in china this time around the plague
appeared in the yunnan province of china
and quickly spread across the qing
empire to the british outpost of hong
kong
where it was transmitted aboard ships to
the british colonies in india
where it wreaked immense havoc this
third bubonic plague pandemic would go
on to claim the lives of 12 million more
people
mostly in india and china but it was
relatively mild everywhere else in the
world
after the discovery of the bacterium
that causes the disease and the
realization that rats and fleas were the
primary carriers in the late 19th
century
and especially after the discovery of
antibiotics the deadly
grip that the plague had over the human
species began to finally fade away
but the bubonic plague does still exist
today between
2010 and 2015 there were still 3248
recorded cases of the plague across the
world
and on average nine people still managed
to get infected by it per
year in the united states after
thousands of years of chaos and
earth-shattering pandemics though
humanity has finally learned how to
properly fight back against the bubonic
plague
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