The Black Death | Podcast series | HistoryExtra

Introducing a six-part podcast series examining how the Black Death shook the Middle Ages

HistoryExtra podcast editor Ellie Cawthorne presents a brand new history series. Learn from expert historians on how this devastating disease killed millions and transformed societies.

Join HistoryExtra now for access to all episodes

Episode 1Introduction. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Episode 2Origins & spread. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Episode 3Living through the plague. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Episode 4Medieval medical thinking. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Episode 5Death, sin & spirituality. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Episode 6How the pandemic transformed societies. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Learn more about the Black Death

Clothes infected by the Black Death are burned in medieval Europe, c1340. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Black Death facts: your guide to "the worst catastrophe in recorded history"

An English fleet defeats the French at the battle of Sluys in 1340. By now, Edward III’s war machine was reaping the benefits of a system of national taxation, approved by parliament (Photo by Fine Art Images/Heritage Images via Getty Images)

How King John helped bring about a political miracle in medieval England. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Did Black Death trigger the rise of Europe?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Turning points1348: The Black Death. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Plagues of our past. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Two couples kissing in The Decameron

“Slapstick and smutty”: the real medieval history behind The Decameron

Illustration showing the traders who made a fortune during the wake of the Black Death

Merchants of doom: the traders who profited from the Black Death. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A medieval illustration showing a doctor bleeding a patient

QuizCan you spot the real historical remedies?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Post pandemic: how the years after the Black Death briefly became a ‘golden age’ for medieval women. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Triumphant Death chases Londoners from their city

How 17th-century London reacted to the Great Plague

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