During the Dark Ages, theology was legal, science was a rebellion against the death penalty, and technology was considered the work of the devil. History and social consciousness commemorate the Dark Ages because of the above factors, as well as the Crusades, which were just a few examples of the slightly imperialist ideologies of Europe. However, another major event from the Dark Ages, in its own way, had a profound effect on modern culture. In fact, the widespread bacterial infection, no doubt, had a greater impact than many other cases of the time.
One small-scale bacterial infection wiped out almost half of Europe, leaving it open to attack the Mongols at Genghis Khan. The very same epidemic has left Europe so weak that it has taken a tremendous amount of energy to recover, and some historians believe that the continent has never fully recovered. One small virus became a major epidemic, spawned a number of apostate Christian groups, indirectly caused the formation of the Inquisition, left the Old World paralyzed decades later, and possibly caused the killing of cats. Surprisingly, one small virus could easily be remembered in history as the Black Death.
The Black Death was perhaps the greatest tragedy ever to befall Europe since Rome was overthrown by the Huns, who were soon followed by the Visigoths. The most persistent impact was apparently the annihilation of Europe, with an estimated death toll from a third of the population to more than half of the continent. Horror events were told by many sources at the time, giving a grim picture of a once-powerful continent that was degraded by “the act of God.” However, in addition to the death toll and the impact of the strategy, one could argue that the epidemic left Europe with a state of panic and anxiety that plagued Europeans for years, especially as small outbreaks occurred centuries later.
Art and literature abound with “sweeping deaths” of surviving generations, leading to some of the first Renaissance work to be dominated by “Le Danse Macabre,” the dance of death. The clergy of the day, who by nature were unable to keep their promise to end the epidemic by divine power, lost much of their hold on Europe. In addition, clerical lists were easily destroyed by the Black Death, forcing the Vatican to include other unscrupulous and untrained ones. This action led to further loss of faith in the church and power in the hands of apostate sects. As the plague subsided and the apostasy eased, the Christian authorities instituted an outrage against the Inquisition.
In what some may consider being a good example of dark jokes, the Black Death also demonstrated how quickly a crowd can turn to foolish ways when confronted with fear and anxiety. At a time when belief in God was still strong, despite the weak faith of His clergy, cats were seen as agents of the devil. There are hundreds of reports of healthy residents attacking and biting cats, and their fears and anxieties have prompted them to suggest that cats carry “miasma,” the toxic air that carried the disease. Naturally, with the dramatic decline in the number of cats, the number of mice increased, and with those mice, viruses became infected.
Perhaps the biggest consequence of this disease was that it was critical to the social changes that were to come in the years to come. The Catholic Church, having lost much of its power because of it, was now split apart to form a coalition with the opposition. People stopped following the instructions of the clergy, as well as of the politicians who had close ties to the Church. In fact, one might argue that there is little connection between the rise in the number of state officials and the onset of the Black Death. Many historians have even gone so far as to challenge the legitimacy of capitalism when various European nobles were forced to compete with one another for the benefit of emerging peasants and serfs.
Finally, countless changes can be attributed to the Black Death. Some, like Europe's complete military weakness when facing the Mongol Hordes, are straightforward, while others, such as the Reformation and the Renaissance, are less direct. One result, however, is undeniable. The fear and anxiety caused by the Black Death had permanently changed the economic, social, and political climate of Europe, so much so that Europe could have changed dramatically had it not been for the simpler virus.
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