The Black Death: Resources

This BBC article explains that the long term effects of the Black Death were devastating and far reaching. Agriculture, religion, economics and even social class were affected. Contemporary accounts shed light on how medieval Britain was irreversibly changed.

The majority of the population lived in the countryside at the time of the Black Death. Dr Mike Ibeji traces the plague's devastating impact on the rural communities, by examining contemporary village records. 14th century plague.

Entry from Encyclopedia Britannica on the Black Death. Includes some useful video, images and sources.

This encyclopaedia article describes the pattern of outbreak of the Black Death - the Asian outbreak, European outbreak, Middle Eastern outbreak, alternative explanations of the causes of the plague, and its consequences.

Details of the Black Death and its impact from Lumen Learning (collection of educational resources). Especially good for the social, cultural and religious impacts.

An eyewitness account of the ravages of the bubonic plague that swept through Europe in the mid 14th century is given via the introductory text of The Decameron by Giovanni Boccaccio. A map shows the spread of the plague through Europe and Africa. Boccaccio describes the signs and symptoms of the disease, the varying reactions to disaster, the breakdown of social order, and the mass burials of corpses brought to the Church.

From BBC Bitesize. A clear list exploring some of the impacts of the Black Death.

An overview of the social and economic effects of the Plague from Brown University.

Some really great points on the impact of the Black Death - both positive and negative - from Ohio State University.

New Statesman article exploring the following question: 'Could the coronavirus pandemic have an effect as lasting and profound as the Black Death?'