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WonderHistory fact

The Black Death, a pandemic of plague, killed an estimated 30 to 60 per cent of Europe's population between 1346 and 1353, up to 50 million people. With so few left to farm and work, labour became scarce, and landlords and rulers struggled to hold down wages.

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The story behind the card

The disease was plague, caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis and spread mainly by the bites of fleas that live on rats. It reached Europe in 1347, reportedly from the siege of Caffa, a Genoese trading port in Crimea, and travelled along Mediterranean shipping routes to Sicily, Italy and beyond. It also struck Cairo and much of the Middle East. Because so many workers died, survivors could ask for more pay and better terms. In England, the Statute of Labourers of 1351 tried to cap wages at pre-plague levels and stop workers moving in search of better offers. Europe's population did not return to its earlier level until the 16th century, and plague kept coming back for centuries. People at the time spoke of the great pestilence or great death; the name ‘Black Death’ became usual only much later.

Türkçe oku
Kara Ölüm adıyla bilinen veba salgını, 1346–1353 yılları arasında Avrupa nüfusunun tahminen %30 ile %60'ını, yani 50 milyona varan insanı öldürdü. Tarlada ve işte çalışacak insan azalınca emeğin değeri arttı; toprak sahipleri ve yöneticiler ücretleri eski düzeyde tutmakta zorlandı.

Hastalığın nedeni Yersinia pestis adlı bakteriydi; veba çoğunlukla farelerde yaşayan pirelerin ısırığıyla bulaşır. Salgın 1347'de Avrupa'ya ulaştı. Anlatılanlara göre Kırım'daki Ceneviz ticaret limanı Kefe'nin kuşatmasından yayıldı ve Akdeniz'deki gemi yollarıyla Sicilya'ya, İtalya'ya ve daha ötesine geçti. Kahire'yi ve Orta Doğu'nun büyük bölümünü de vurdu. Pek çok işçi öldüğü için hayatta kalanlar daha yüksek ücret ve daha iyi koşullar isteyebildi. İngiltere'de 1351'de çıkarılan İşçiler Yasası (Statute of Labourers), ücretleri vebadan önceki düzeyde sabitlemeye ve işçilerin daha iyi iş bulmak için başka yere gitmesini engellemeye çalıştı. Avrupa nüfusu ancak 16. yüzyılda eski düzeyine döndü; veba da yüzyıllar boyunca tekrar tekrar patlak verdi. O dönemin insanları salgından “büyük ölüm” ya da “büyük veba” diye söz ederdi; “Kara Ölüm” adı çok sonra yerleşti.

Sources and further reading

Background reading: Black Death
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