Editor's Choice
Which country was most affected by the Black Death?
Quick answer:
Determining which country was most affected by the Black Death is challenging due to incomplete demographic records. It entered Europe through Sicily, heavily impacting Italy, where cities like Florence lost over half their populations. However, Italy's extensive records might exaggerate its relative impact. England lost about 1.5 million people, or roughly 37.5% of its population. Overall, European death rates ranged from 25% to over 50%, but the total impact in Asia remains unclear.
Because of the lack of good demographic information it is very difficult to say which country was most affected by the black death. It came to Europe through Sicily and moved quickly to Italy. High centers of population were hit particularly hard. Florence lost over 65,000 people, probably more than 1/2 of its population. If you read the statistics you often see a staggering number of deaths in the Italian cities quoted, but to draw the conclusion that Italy was the hardest hit can be misleading, since Italy had the best statistical information it is frequently quoted. English estimates say that their country lost 1.5 million inhabitants out of an estimated 4 million. Whole villages and monasteries were lost while other villages were spared. Estimates of deaths vary greatly from 1/4 if the population to over 1/2 of the population of Europe. The number of deaths overflowed any recordkeeping of the times. The dead were often just flung into pits and covered with lime, never being named or recorded. Many times there were no funerals for the dead as the rest of their family's had died too, and priests and monks died in higher percentages than the rest since doing their duty put them in contact with those from the plague. While most accounts of the plague focus on Europe, the plague came from Asia and we have little idea of how many deaths it caused there. Below are some good sites to check.
Get Ahead with eNotes
Start your 48-hour free trial to access everything you need to rise to the top of the class. Enjoy expert answers and study guides ad-free and take your learning to the next level.
Already a member? Log in here.
References