The Long History of the Medieval Plague
Getty medievalist Larisa Grollemond discusses illness in the Middle Ages
Initial D: A Woman Feeding a Leper in Bed, about 1275-1300, Swiss. Tempera colors and gold leaf, 8 1/2 × 6 1/8 in. Getty Museum, Ms. Ludwig VIII 3 (83.MK.94), fol. 43
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If you know one thing about the European Middle Ages, chances are, it’s the Plague.
Usually, when people refer to the Plague they’re talking about a really specific, ten(ish)-year period beginning in the late 1340s when a deadly illness swept across Europe, causing mass death and destruction. Medievalists usually call this specific outbreak the “Black Death.”
But that’s only part of the Black Death’s story.
Recently, archaeologists and historians have studied plague victims buried in English cemeteries, providing crucial new evidence about the disease. Additional research by Dr. Monica Green and others suggests that the bacteria that caused the Black Death in Europe can be traced back to the ascendant Mongol Empire in 13th-century Asia—a much longer lineage than previously thought.
Initial A: Arrival of Ships in Constantinople, about 1465-1470, Master of the Brussels Romuléon or workshop. Tempera colors, gold leaf, gold paint, and ink, 9 3/4 × 6 15/16 in. Getty Museum, Ms. Ludwig XI 8 (83.MN.127), fol. 45
This medieval manuscript depicts medieval travelers arriving at a port in Constantinople (modern day Turkey)
They were even able to identify the likely origin point: infected marmots from the Mongolian steppe. These squirrel-like animals hitched aboard grain wagons making their way across the Tian Shan mountains to Baghdad, and eventually into Europe via major seaports in Crimea and Italy. It was a truly global pandemic.
The Three Living and the Three Dead, about 1480-1485, Master of the Dresden Prayer Book or workshop. Tempera colors and gold, 8 1/16 × 5 13/16 in. Getty Museum, Ms. 23 (86.ML.606), fol. 146v
And while the Plague was by far the most deadly in the medieval period, it wasn't the first time that the bacteria that caused it made an appearance. Scientists have genetically traced outbreaks to as far back as 3000 BCE in places ranging from China to the Roman Empire.
And there have been plenty of outbreaks since, all over the world. The most recent was in Madagascar in 2017.
Plagued with more questions about the Middle Ages? Head to our Instagram page for more stories from Getty medievalist Larisa Grollemond.
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