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Restoration England 1660-1685Deep Dive

What Caused the Plague?

Part of The Plague of 1665 — GCSE History

This deep dive covers What Caused the Plague? within The Plague of 1665 for GCSE History. Revise The Plague of 1665 in Restoration England 1660-1685 for GCSE History with 8 exam-style questions and 4 flashcards. This is a high-frequency topic, so it is worth revising until the explanation feels precise and repeatable. It is section 2 of 16 in this topic. Use this deep dive to connect the idea to the wider topic before moving on to questions and flashcards.

Topic position

Section 2 of 16

Practice

8 questions

Recall

4 flashcards

🧠 What Caused the Plague?

Bubonic plague: Carried by fleas on rats. Yersinia pestis bacteria. Symptoms: fever, swellings (buboes), death in days. 60-70% mortality if untreated.
Living conditions: Overcrowded houses, poor sanitation, rats everywhere. Perfect conditions for spread. Poor areas hit hardest.
What people THOUGHT: Miasma (bad air), God's punishment, planetary alignments. Nobody knew about germs — germ theory would not arrive for 200 years.

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Read this section alongside the surrounding pages in The Plague of 1665. That gives you the full topic sequence instead of a single isolated revision point.

Setting the SceneKey StatisticsGovernment ResponseSocial Impact of the Plague

Practice Questions for The Plague of 1665

What bacterium caused the bubonic plague that devastated London in 1665?

  • A. Yersinia pestis
  • B. Streptococcus pyogenes
  • C. Bacillus anthracis
  • D. Clostridium perfringens
1 markfoundation

Approximately how many people died in London during the Great Plague of 1665?

  • A. Around 25,000 (about 5% of London's population)
  • B. Around 100,000 (about 25% of London's population)
  • C. Around 250,000 (about 60% of London's population)
  • D. Around 500,000 (over 100% of London's population)
1 markfoundation

Quick Recall Flashcards

What was miasma theory?
The dominant 17th-century belief that plague was caused by 'bad air' (miasma) from rotting matter. Led to useless responses: bonfires to purify air, posies of flowers, fumigation. The theory was completely wrong — plague was bacterial, spread by fleas on rats.
What were buboes?
Swollen, blackened lymph nodes (usually in groin, armpits, or neck) — the characteristic symptom of bubonic plague. The appearance of buboes triggered house quarantine. Death typically followed within 2-5 days; mortality without treatment was 60-70%.

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Setting the Scene

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Key Statistics