Black Death trivia
Related Trivia
14th-century bubonic plague, medieval medicine, social upheaval, and fallout.
Black Death Mini Quiz
Test your knowledge with these top questions!
What tactic does a traditional account say Mongol forces used at Caffa?
A medieval chronicle says Mongol forces hurled plague victims into Caffa; historians still debate whether that act spread plague to Europe.
The massive population loss from the Black Death gave European peasants the leverage to demand what?
With up to half of Europe's population dead, the resulting severe labor shortage allowed surviving serfs to negotiate better pay and weakened the feudal system.
Where do buboes most commonly appear in bubonic plague?
Buboes are swollen lymph nodes, most often in the groin but also in the armpit or neck.
Which Italian author opened his Decameron with a portrait of the Black Death in Florence?
Boccaccio wrote the Decameron, in which ten Florentines flee the plague and trade stories.
Which bacterium caused the Black Death in 14th-century Europe?
Rat fleas transmit Yersinia pestis; a flea bite delivers the bacteria into a human's bloodstream.
How did the Black Death's labor shortage change the fortunes of surviving peasants?
With millions of workers dead, lords competed for scarce labor and peasants bargained for higher pay.
Which tradition may have influenced plague quarantine's duration?
The CDC notes that the 40-day extension may have echoed Biblical events such as the Flood or Jesus' fast.
Radical religious groups called flagellants whipped themselves during the Black Death to serve what purpose?
Believing the horrific plague was divine punishment for humanity's sins, these zealots engaged in public self-harm to demonstrate extreme repentance.
The medieval Black Death killed millions and created a massive labor shortage that helped do what?
With up to half the population dead, surviving workers suddenly held immense bargaining power and could demand higher pay and lower rents from desperate lords.
Medieval doctors blamed the Black Death on invisible "miasma" and told people to do what to stay safe?
Miasma theory held that diseases were spread by foul air, so people carried sweet-smelling posies and doctors stuffed their beak masks with aromatic spices.