The Black Death was the first recorded pandemic in Europe after the fall of the Roman Empire. All across the continent, people learned just how gruesome and horrific disease could be as the plague crossed the boundaries of countries and the lines established by society, killing everyone equally. It showed that no one-not even archbishops and kings-were immune from its grasp. The ferocity with which the plague swept across the continent, even reaching the shores of England, demonstrated how unprepared they were for something on such a large scale. It was the first time that a major disease would strike the continent after the fall of the Roman Empire, but it would not be the last.

Over the next few centuries, the bubonic plague would return several times. Although it was incredibly deadly, it never again had the same catastrophic effect on the European population. People began to study it from a scientific perspective instead of the same superstitious angle or religious fatalism, making it possible to understand exactly what was causing the deaths. Today, those in the medical profession can easily treat the bubonic plague if they realize what it is early enough. With examples of the illness occurring in many nations during the last decade, including the US, the Black Death is not gone, but it is no longer the death sentence that it once was.

In The Black Death: A Captivating Guide to the Deadliest Pandemic in Medieval Europe and Human History, you will discover topics such as

• The First Pandemics
• The Black Death
• The Unlikely Use of the Black Death
• Rumors and Arrival
• Perceptions Vs. The Reality
• The Ultimate Equalizer
• Stealing the Future - Princess Joan
• Decline of the Catholic Church and the Rise of Mysticism
• Art of the Black Death
• The First Quarantine and Successful Containment
• Beyond the Human Toll
• Lasting Effects on Europe's Future
• And much, much more