Black death

The Black Death of October 1347 to c1352 is one of the worst catastrophes in recorded history – a deadly plague that ravaged communities across Europe. Over three or four years, as many as 50 million people died in Europe. The population was reduced from some 80 million to 30 million. Breaking out in Asia, the Black Death came north and west after striking the eastern Mediterranean and Italy, Spain and France. The Black Death arrived in western Europe in 1347 and in England in 1348. Historians still debate what caused the outbreak and made the disease such a consummate killer, but it is believed to have been spread via fleas living on rats