​​What Was the Black Death?


The Black Death of the 14th century is well known. When historians discuss "the plague" they are usually referring to this epidemic of bubonic plague caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis. 

In his book, "The Black Death, 1346-1353: The Complete History" (Boydell Press, 2018), Ole Jørgen Benedictow estimates that 50-60% of the population of Europe died during the Black Death, an even higher proportion than the often-cited "one-third" of Europeans lost to the disease. 



Less well known is that the plague continued to strike Europe, the Middle East and beyond for the next four centuries, returning every 10 to 20 years. 

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