A Disease That Struck a Community

In 1348, the bubonic plague struck France.  The disease originated from the Mediterranean via Marseille.  The germs were carried by the fleas living on the black rats on board cargo ships.  At that time, no one knew about that mysterious illness.

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The Black Death, as it was called, was contagious and soon it engulfed the French community in two years, killing as much as one third of the population.  Everyone was afraid, because there was no way of curing it.  Some even thought that the end of the world had come.  People flocked to the churches and prayed.  They were good luck charms for protection and they mixed all kinds of herbs together to make medicines.  Nothing helped.

That pestilence also made the lives of the survivors miserably harsh.  Their value of labour was notably enhanced.  Prices and wages rose sharply and the government tried to impose wage ceilings.  Apart from devising ways for protection against the plague, the terrified community in France now also suffered from lack of food.

The plague struck the French community again in 1361, 1362, 1369, 1372, 1382, 1388 and 1398, bringing further hardships as well as several deaths.  Children born after an outbreak were especially vulnerable in a new outbreak which affected the already great decline in population.

Due to depression and frustration of the people because of the disease, social disruption was frequent.  It included fierce rebellions by peasants caught between high prices and landlords who tried to increase production and keep a lid on wages.