Black Death
You’ve probably heard of the Pestilence, Black Plague or Great Plague before. This is considered the deadliest pandemic in human history. It peaked in Europe between 1347 to 1351 and claimed the lives of 200 million people.
As we know by now, the plague was carried by rats and infected fleas. In this instance, it is believed it had originated in either Central or East Asia, then travelled the Silk Road and continued to spread. Around 30% to 60% of Europe’s population was believed to have died of the infection, lowering the global population to 350–375 million in the 14th century, from 475 million.
Historians believe that the outbreak had such vast repercussions that even the climate had cooled down due to the extensive number of deaths, which later lead to reforestation and, possibly, to the Little Ice Age. It took Europe 200 years to recover from the population loss caused by the Black Death.
