The Plague That Killed Half of Europe
Discover how one plague killed 40 million people in 6 years — and accidentally gave birth to the modern world. In October 1347, the Black Death arrived in Sicily on Genoese trading ships from Crimea. By 1353, Europe's population had fallen from 75 million to 40–50 million — a death rate of 40–60%. Bubonic plague spread through rat fleas, turning skin black, killing 80–90% of those infected within 3–7 days. Cities ceased to function. But from the devastation came transformation: wages tripled, feudalism began to crumble, Church authority collapsed, and the seeds of the Renaissance were planted. The plague that ended the Middle Ages — and began the modern world.