Composition and movement of the population. Diseases, wars, famines, epidemics and their consequences
At dawn of the Middle Ages, the territory of Europe was inhabited by different tribes and nationalities. Among them, the formation of a future Europe was mostly influenced by the Celts. Romanesque nationalities, Thracians, Germans, Balts, Threatened Finns, Slavs, Asians and Africans, Arabs, Jews, Berbers, Turks also played a significant role. This motley and multilingual “crowd” was in constant motion. Even the whole people were moved. Such relocations are usually called migrations, or migratory movements, the largest of which is the Great Migration of Peoples of the 4th-7th centuries.
However, for a medieval man, wanderings were often a vital necessity or a spiritual need. Traveled people of different professions artisans, architects, artists, musicians, actors. The desire for enrichment pushed into the unknown path of merchants and artisans. To get education, the students and students embarked on a long journey. Pilgrims and monks went to holy places. It was not
The population of medieval Europe was influenced by various factors, which, on the one hand, contributed to its growth, and on the other hand, hampered it. To the first, first of all, we attribute the change in the diet as a result of the development of livestock, gardening.
The four great misfortunes of the time – Disease, War, Hunger and Epidemics – had a negative effect on the composition and movement of the population.
In the Middle Ages, people almost always fought. The spirit of war was firmly entrenched in the consciousness of a medieval man, regardless of his status. Fought feudal lords, kings, popes, peoples and countries. The warring seniors tried, first of all, to undermine the basis of the power of their adversary, ravaging the peasant farms, burning crops, stealing cattle, and so on. According to general estimates, the victims of endless wars were a third of the adult population of that time in Europe.
No less people died, and from hunger, which resulted, first of all, in a crop failure; droughts,
XI century. From the “Five Books of the History of My Time” by the monk Raul Glaber about the famine of 1027-1030. in Normandy
… The famine began to intensify but all the land, and the threat of death appeared almost before the whole human race… There were not several fine days to assemble the bread… Continuous rains so flooded the land, there was no furrow suitable for sowing for three years. And during the harvest the weed covered the surface of all the fields…
When all the cattle and poultry were eaten, the hunger began to pester more people, they began to devour the carrion and do other unheard of things. In order to avoid death, some people chipped out the forest roots and gathered algae… people devoured the meat of people… Some hungry attacked travelers, killed and devoured them… showed the children an apple or egg, taken them to a secluded place, killed and eaten. This terrible famine raged for three years. There were so many dead people that they did not have time to bury them…
Since the XII century, the lords are trying to resist hunger. They personally control the stocks of food, the division of food between the poor in the hungry years. However, a medieval man used to live one day and not think about the future, which did not allow taking care of food supplies in case of hunger. Then they did not know how to store food: grain in damp barns often rotted, meat spoiled. In addition, stocks were destroyed by rats – the real punishment of medieval cities.
Hunger was undermining the physical strength of people and they were sick. Unsanitary conditions and lack of basic medical care led to the spread of dangerous diseases and high, especially child, mortality. The constant companions of Europeans were smallpox, malaria, leprosy, consumption.
They say that smallpox was brought to Europe by smallpox. On the eve of the Battle of the Catalaun fields, many of Attila’s soldiers were already struck by a disease similar to smallpox. If this is so, then it is the Huns that have increased the European list of dangerous diseases.
But the greatest damage to the population of Europe was caused by epidemics of plague and cholera. There are two major outbreaks of the plague, called the “black broom of humanity” – in the 6th and 14th centuries. The epidemic of 1347-1350 was especially large. It is assumed that almost 25 million people died.
The epidemics hit the cities first of all, because they already had a large population, and often in terrible conditions. That is why the number of urban residents after the “black death” fell by 60%. The epidemic also spread to the villages, the warriors also tolerated the disease.
The terrible epidemic of 1361-1363. almost 70% of children of different ages took their lives, that’s why they called it “child morality”.
XIV century. Mikel de Pyatsts on the “black death” in Sicily 1347
And in October of the summer of 1347 … in the port city of Messina, the Genoese moored, who flew on twelve galleries from the wrath of the Lord… Genoese brought with them a disease that pierced them to the bone, and was so strong that all who communicated with they were afflicted with this deadly disease; and the death of this one that struck instantly could not be avoided… Death overtook not only those who communicated with the sick, but also those who bought from them things, touched or approached them… The bodies remained in houses and one priest, no relative, son, father or any of his relatives dared enter it. The undertakers promised huge sums of money so that they could bear and bury the dead. The houses of the dead stood open with all the treasures, money and jewels; if someone wanted to go in there, no one stopped him.
The inhabitants of Messina, amazed by this terrible and unheard of grief, desired to leave the city better than to die in it.
Desperation, rage, disappointment prompted the search for the guilty. It was believed that the forerunners of epidemics were comets, solar eclipses, etc. It was perceived as a kind of manifestation of God’s wrath to punish a person, to force him to repent of his sins. Often unjustly accused Jews. In Spain in 1348 pogroms began because Jews were accused of selling poisoned cloth. Throughout Europe, the idea spread that the Jews who once crucified Christ are responsible for the “black death”. The Christian preachers also aggravated hostility toward Jews. Therefore, the Jewish population was forced to live in isolated, high-walled urban areas – the Ghetto.
The consequences of the plague epidemic were mixed. They were manifested not only in the sharp reduction of the population and the massive persecution of Jews, but also led to significant changes in the economy. The living conditions of peasants and artisans, who were lucky to be saved from death, have improved. There was more good land, but there was nobody to work on it. The cities needed workers’ hands too. The heirs were incredibly enriched, receiving the capitals of deceased relatives, and became the founders of the future mighty merchant and banker dynasties.
Because of constant wars, famine, diseases, epidemics, etc., the life expectancy of a European in the Middle Ages was small. Women, usually, died in old age, that is in 30-35 years, and men lived up to 40-45 years. In addition, women often died during childbirth. Only crowned persons, representatives of the clergy and scholars-theologians could live up to 60 years or more.
Since there were no censuses or other calculations at that time, it is only possible to establish the population size of Europe in the Middle Ages. It is assumed that during the reign of Charlemagne, the population of the main part of his empire was 4-5 million. And in the beginning of the XV century. In Europe, approximately 43 million people lived.
Pilgrimage – wanderings of believers to holy places for the purpose of worship, thankful prayer or atonement for sins. The name comes from the custom of pilgrims to bring palm branches from Palestine.
Pilgrims, pilgrims – believers, wandering but holy places for the purpose of worship, thankful prayer or atonement for sins. There were many such places, among the most famous – the city of Rome and the tomb of St. Jacob in Compostela, places associated with the life of Jesus in the Holy Land.
The ghetto is part of the city for the forced settlement of groups of people of a certain race, nation, religion. The name comes from the Italian word, which means “gun factory”. Near it was a Jewish quarter in Venice.
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