What was the Black Death?
In today's world, scientists claim that the Black Death, or the plague, was spread by a bacteria called Yersina pestis (named after the French biologist Alexandre Yersin who discovered this germ at the end of the 19th century). The name of the disease came several centuries after the plague (it was likely a mis-translation of the Latin word 'atra' meaning both 'terrible' and 'black').The disease was contracted either through insect or rodent bites, or spread through the air. In both cases, victims rarely lasted more than three to four days after infection. The symptoms included intense fever, chills, weakness, abdominal pains and vomiting that led to painful and enlarged lymph nodes.
Spread Across Europe
Research shows that the plague began in the spring of 1346 in the steppe region, where a plague area stretches from the north-western shores of the Caspian Sea into southern Russia. The estuary of the river Don where it flows into the Sea of Azov might have been the area of the original outbreak. It is also possible that it started in the area of the estuary of the river Volga on the Caspian Sea. Mongol Khanate of the Golden Horde ruled the area at that time. After converting to Islam, trade with the Christians was no longer permitted, resulting in the Silk Road caravan routes between China and Europe to be cut off. As a result, the Black Death stopped abruptly on the Mongol border and spread last to Russia from the west.
References
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The Florentine Chronicle: Rubric 643: Concerning a Mortality in the City of Florence in Which Many People Died
http://wwnorton.com/college/history/worlds-together-concise/ch/11/documents.aspx​
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Black Death
http://www.history.com/topics/black-death
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The Black Death: The Greatest Catastrophe Ever
http://www.historytoday.com/ole-j-benedictow/black-death-greatest-catastrophe-ever
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Tragedy and Chaos
The tragedy was extraordinary. Chronicles and letters from the time describe the terror wrought by the illness. According to a Florentine Chronicle,
Almost none of the ill survived past the fourth day. Neither physicians nor medicines were effective. Whether because these illnesses were previously unknown or because physicians had not previously studied them, there seemed to be no cure. There was such a fear that no one seemed to know what to do. Frightened people abandoned the house and fled to another. Those in town fled to villages. Physicians could not be found because they had died like the others. And those who could be found wanted vast sums in hand before they entered the house.
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Losing friends and loved ones in such a short term created fear and grief. Because they did not understand the disease, people started thinking that the plague was God's punishment for their sins. Many resorted to prayer for God's forgiveness. Others believed that the way to do this was to purge their communities of heretics and other troublemakers–so, for example, many thousands of Jews were massacred in 1348 and 1349. Some upper class people joined processions and traveled from town to town to publicly display self-punishment while the townspeople looked on. This movement disintegrated after resistance from the Pope, whose authority was threatened by these flagellants.
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The plague killed animals just as it did humans. The high mortality rate for sheep caused a shortage of wool in Europe. In only a few months, the plague claimed the life of 60 percent of Florence's population. People dug deep trenches to bury the dead. Bodies were tossed into the trenches one on top of the other. Those who provided the burial service were paid a high price for it. The plague caused similar devastation in China, which lost nearly a third of it's population before the world knew. By the time the destruction ended, nearly half of the population in each of the areas had suffered a painful death. In the end, an estimated 75 million people had perished.
The disastrous disease known as the Black Death spread across Europe from 1346 - 1353. It started when 12 Genoese ships arrived in Messina after travelling through the Black Sea. Most of the sailors were dead or suffered severe illness. In addition to other symptoms, they were covered in mysterious black boils that oozed blood and pus. Rodents and fleas were very common on the ships, which made the deadly plague easy to spread from one European port city to another. Soon after it struck Messina, the plague spread to Marseilles in France and Tunis in North Africa. Next were Florence and Rome in Italy, both of which were at the heart of the European trade routes. By 1348, the Black Death had spread to Paris, London, Lyon and Bordeaux.
Source:
The Black Death: The Greatest Catastrophe Ever
http://www.historytoday.com/ole-j-benedictow/black-death-greatest-catastrophe-ever