This introduction covers Setting the Scene within The Black Death for GCSE History. Revise The Black Death in Medicine Through Time for GCSE History with 8 exam-style questions and 5 flashcards. This topic appears regularly enough that it should still be part of a steady revision cycle. It is section 1 of 11 in this topic. Use this introduction to connect the idea to the wider topic before moving on to questions and flashcards.
Topic position
Section 1 of 11
Practice
8 questions
Recall
5 flashcards
📖 Setting the Scene
It arrived in 1348, carried by fleas on rats in ships from Asia. Within two years, the Black Death killed between 30-50% of England's population — perhaps 2 million people. Victims developed black swellings (buboes) in armpits and groin, vomited blood, and usually died within days. Nobody understood why. Doctors wore bird-like masks filled with herbs, believing this would protect them from bad air. Some towns lost 80% of their population. Entire villages disappeared. Medieval medicine had no answer — because it didn't understand the cause.