Misfortunate Monday: England - The Black Plague Outbreaks

    Hello everyone and welcome back to another installment of Nations Made Fun! Today we're going to be discussing the Black Blague and how it ravaged Europe, but we're mostly going to be focused on the effects that it had on Great Britain. Let's get straight into it!

     The first recorded outbreak of the plague tore through Europe in 1348 - 1349. It is believed to have traveled across the south in the bubonic form during the summer months of 1348, before mutating into the much deadlier pneumonic form during the winter months. The plague swept through Europe with frightening speed and was eventually ravaging through several major cities such as Wales. Scotland, taking advantage of the weakening British empire, ransacked the city of Durham in 1349, but this would eventually come to backfire on the Scots by bringing the plague back to their home country. 

     It didn't help that the people of Europe didn't exactly have the cleanest living habits. Most residents still dumped their waste-filled chamberpots out the windows of their homes and owned their own pigs. They drew water from the river, which was also used for industrial purposes, and raw contaminants were often poured in them. Of course, the Black Death was going to flourish in these conditions. 

     The final death toll is still unknown but is believed to be anywhere from 350 to 450 million people. It's an absolutely devastating tragedy that happened at the time, but luckily a remedy exists for the plague today. We're so lucky that we live in a world where medicine is so abundant. Until tomorrow, Mr. Nations out!

     Sources: http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/middle_ages/black_01.shtml