Transcript Black Death and fall of constantinople

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A catastrophic plague that spread across Europe
from 1346 to 1352.
Caused by a form of bacteria.
Appeared in 3 forms:
Pneumonic: attacked the lungs (coughing and
sneezing)
Septicemic: appeared in the bloodstream (rarest
and most deadliest form; caused black spots
beneath the skin and eventually caused victim to
chock on own blood)
Bubonic: caused buboes on the body (egg-sized
swellings in the neck, armpits, and groin, then
caused fever and delirium
Spread through trade with the East (Asian
countries) along the Silk Road (the trans-Asian trade
route) and spread to the Black Sea.
 Bacteria was carried by fleas, which lived on black
rats, that rode on trade caravans across Asia.
 Italian merchant ships brought rats to Europe along
with trade goods.
 1st appeared in Sicily and eventually spread
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It couldn’t be stopped because people did not
know the cause.
People panicked and blamed anything from
the alignment of the planets, God’s wrath,
and Jews.
They tried ineffective cures such as
pomanders (a mixture of aged molasses and
chopped snake), public whipping for God’s
forgiveness, and massacred Jews because
they had “poisoned wells.”
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Killed 1/3 of Europe’s population
After the plague, fewer workers were
available, allowing serfs, peasants, and urban
workers to demand more freedom or higher
wages for their labor.
Nobles wanted to return to the old ways of
serfdom, but the peasants revolted.
Many serfs moved to cities to earn better
wages.
Led to growth and importance of towns and
reduced the power of feudal lords.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZy6XilX
DZQ
Music Video Black Death
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The fall of Constantinople (Istanbul, Turkey
today) in 1453 officially ended the Roman
empire that had been in power for 1,500
years.
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Some people say this is where the Middle
Ages ended and the Renaissance began. This
led to an increase of Ottoman (Islamic)
power in Europe. The Turks would continue
to threaten Christian Europe.
Commoners are able to gain more
independence as feudalism weakens. (Land
ownership is not the only measure of nobility)
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2 Reasons WHY we care:
This is showing increased hostility between
Christians and Muslims.
When Constantinople fell, this changed trade.
Rome and Constantinople were centers for
trade.
This opens new trade routes.
Trade flourishes.
This created more economic opportunities.
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When people couldn’t go through
Constantinople anymore for trade, they
switched to water exploration for new trade
routes. (This leads to the Age of
Exploration…stay tuned for more later ).
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With the Black Death that killed so many in
Europe’s population and the many changes in
trade, feudalism ended. This paved the way
for a new way of life…it was a “rebirth.”
People were able to accumulate their own
wealth from this new life and increased trade.
This created the need for banking.
Bring on the Medici Family 