How earthquakes and weather contributed to the Black Death

By Dorsey Armstrong, Ph.D., Medieval Purdue University According to the University of Paris School of Medicine, what contributed to the Black Death was that the air each person breathed was infected with harmful fumes and spread through gusts of wind. Wind. They suggested that toxic air from places such as swamps and lakes, and unburied or unburned bodies may have contributed to the epidemic. According to faculty at the University of Paris, the toxic air from the swamps had some connection to the Black Death. (Photo: Abbie Warnock-Matthews / Shutterstock) The smell of corpses wasn’t just a smell

Anyone from the Middle Ages who had any experience in war or who survived a city siege would know that having corpses around does not help the health of the population.

This is why there were so many mass graves during the plague – it might have been easier to simply leave the dead where they fell, or indoors, but enough civic leaders recognized the danger to sanitation if this were allowed to happen.

Most of the people who went through the war knew that in addition to the smell, people close to the corpses were very likely to get sick. (Photo: Baloncici / Shutterstock)

Those people who were willing to take on the task of transporting and burying corpses managed to get very high wages during the plague years. While most people in the Middle Ages believed they were influenced by astrology, some scholars at the time completely ruled out these planetary relationships and explanations for eclipses.

A plague from under the earth

Although the Medical School of Paris believed that the plague had something to do with astronomy, in addition to the issue of planets, they added:

Another possible cause of corruption, which must be taken into account, is the escape of rot trapped in the center of the Earth as a result of earthquakes – something that has already happened recently.

Some scholars strongly felt that this was the full answer out there. In a chronicle from Germany, a writer puts forward the argument that astrological conjunctions happen all the time, and no epidemic usually occurs in the aftermath.

But what is less common are earthquakes, and the writer considers this to be the most reasonable explanation, on the following grounds:

When air filled with fumes and earthy fumes is sealed and locked for a long time in an earth prison, it becomes so rotten that it is a potent poison for men. This is particularly marked in caves or in the depths of the earth as is often seen in the case of wells that have not been used for a long time. For when such wells are opened for cleaning, it often happens that the first man who enters is suffocated, and sometimes those who follow him.

This is a text from the video series “The Black Death: The World’s Most Destructive Plague”. Watch it now on The Great Courses Plus.

Earthquakes may have contributed to the Black Death

The anonymous historian points out that “it is a scientific fact” that earthquakes occur when harmful fumes accumulate inside the earth and finally explode, and that there was an earthquake in Germany on St. Paul’s Day in 1347, after which many people began to die from exposure to these fumes which were then spread by the action of Storms, winds and lightning.

Also, this reason makes more sense because the planets should affect everyone on Earth in the same way, but from his own experience, the poor were hit more quickly and in greater numbers than the rich. However, he has an answer for this.

The historian says that this is because the upper classes consumed rich food and drink, which made them hot, and “what is inside leaves no room for such fumes and prevents their entry.” However, even they won’t be able to avoid it forever, he acknowledges.

Learn more about literary responses to the Black Death.

Strange weather transmits Miasma

Therefore, while many medieval experts disagreed about the source, they agreed on the fact that there was some kind of bad air that served as a medium for transmission, and they even came up with a name for it, which we still use today – miasma.

What made the outbreak and spread of miasa that much worse, according to nearly every expert, was the fact that over the past few years, the weather across Europe had been really unpredictable.

The Paris School of Medicine confirmed that last winter was not as cold as it should have been, with heavy rain. Spring is windy and wet lately. It was late summer, not as hot as it should have been, and very humid – the weather was very choppy from day to day and hour to hour. Autumn was also very rainy and foggy.

Learn more about the economics of the Black Death.

The unscientific explanation The winter that led to the plague outbreak was unusually warm, so the season of infection extended. (Photo: Kotenko Oleksandr / Shutterstock)

When there is a series of earthquakes followed by an epidemic disease, it is very difficult for the medieval mind not to see any connection. But it is interesting to note how scientific explanations – planets, earthquakes, eclipses, weather – are able to stand alongside the belief that the Black Death was also a punishment from God.

The weather may also have played a role in that the winter that led to the outbreak of the plague was unusually warm, as the Paris School of Medicine noted. The black rat flea usually goes into hibernation, but if the weather is unusually warm, some fleas may not be hibernating, which means that what might be called an infestation season has extended. Of course, the idea that polluted air from unburied corpses may be a contributing factor is perfectly valid.

Frequently Asked Questions About How Earthquakes and Weather Contribute to the Black Death Q: How did medieval scholars look at the relationship between earthquakes and the Black Death?

They believed that harmful fumes were trapped underground, which were eventually released, resulting in earthquakes. These fumes were then spread by storms, winds, and lightning, contributing to the Black Death.

Q: What is miasma?

Many medieval experts agreed on the fact that there was some kind of bad air that served as a medium for transmission. They called this miasma.

Q: What is the effect of bad weather on the Black Death?

Because of the strange weather before the arrival of the plague, people thought this contributed to the Black Death, but it wasn’t quite the way they were thinking. Perhaps some unusually warm winters meant that some black rat fleas, which usually hibernate in winter, did not hibernate, extending the infection season.

Continue reading The Transmission of the Plague: Identifying the Cause The Impact of the Plague: The Plague of Justinian and the Black Death Medieval History, Heroes and Myths

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