How did the Black Death of 1348 impact on the rivalry for political power and social and cultural dominance between the Irish and English in Ireland?

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Introduction

The Black Death has been called one of the deadliest pandemics to have ever ravaged humankind . The first outbreak of the bubonic plague in Europe, was in fact around 540 A.D. , however this essay focuses on the 14th century outbreak which is usually called the Black Death. Originally from the East, the European outbreak of the Black Death began in the spring of 1348 when it reached the shores of Italy by ship . This outbreak lasted approximately three years and is estimated to have killed between 25% and 50% of Europe's population . This essay will be focussing on the Black Death in Ireland, which reached the country in late July 1348 . Despite the fact that the country was obliterated by the pestilence , little historical sources exist today which detail the number of casualties. It so happens that the Black Death mainly ravaged the more populated, colonised areas of Ireland . Some historians believe that this led to the strengthening of the native Irish in relation to the ongoing race-war at the time between them and the English-Norman colonisers. However, this specific area in the history of Ireland is never thoroughly detailed, and its actual influence is rarely definitely stipulated, making it worthy of study. This therefore prompts the research question: How did the Black Death of 1348 impact on the rivalry for political power and social and cultural dominance between the Irish and English in Ireland? Thus, to answer this question, all aspects of the topic will be covered. The Black Death in Ireland as well as elsewhere to gain perspective will be discussed, along with the rivalries for cultural and social dominance, and political power before and after the Black Death, and the information on the Black Death in relation to these aspects.

The Black Death Overview

There exist three known strains of the plague caused by bacteria, which were assumed to be The Black Death: bubonic, pneumonic, and septicaemic . The bubonic variation was originally spread by fleas, which domesticated themselves on black rats, before being transmittable between humans . This theory however is currently under debate by contemporary historians. Bubonic plague involves swellings known as buboes ranging from the size of an egg to an apple which appear in the groin, neck and armpit regions . Other symptoms include fever, headaches, nausea and vomiting and black and purple spots varying in size and number following the buboes, which make an appearance all over the body . Victims had a greater chance of survival with this variation; however, even so, life expectancy was only a week . The second variation, pneumonic plague, so named due to its resemblance with pneumonia, was spread in a similar manner: by inhaling the breath of an infected person . The pneumonic plague, like pneumonia, is an infection of the respiratory system and caused victims to exhibit symptoms such as fever, coughing and bloody sputum . This version was more fatal than the bubonic and therefore reduced its victims to corpses within one to two days . The third most prevalent form of plague contracted was septicaemic and occurred when bacteria were either delivered directly into the blood stream from a flea bite, or migrated to the blood stream, causing a blood infection . In the East a gush of blood from the nose was another common symptom of the plague . Bubonic plague is 75% fatal; after a coma, death results in 95% of cases of the pneumonic plague, meanwhile septicaemic is always fatal . Due to its dispersion abilities, the Black Death spread like a modern day virus, however the actual strain is still under debate with the general consensus being that there was a variety of strains .

In relation to social, economic and cultural trends at the time, the Black Death is believed to have only accelerated them, albeit neither instigated nor significantly changed them . The devastating pandemic caused significant mortalities which eventually resulted in shrunken or ghost towns, villages in stasis, protests, a peasant revolt, substantial changes in the church and the influence of death themes in the arts . The peasants' revolt mainly occurred in France and England, with peasants demanding higher wages due to the diminished workforce, which in turn incited parliament to take action against the increase, thereby creating a massive revolt . Owing to the newly discovered mortality of priests and the lack of warning of the coming plague, scepticism of the church increased and people believed the church had abandoned them and fallen short of expectations . This scepticism and anger at the church led to acts of violence towards the clergy in many countries .

 

In response to the Black Death, numerous remedies were employed, including herbs, flowers or perfumes, intoxication, moderation, jests and merriment . Most people avoided the sick and their belongings which broke up families and prevented friends and family from visiting one another. Many believed that it was in fact a corruption of the air which caused the sickness . Despite their efforts however, corpses were in excess and all cemeteries were full, which resulted in the digging of huge trenches for mass graves able to contain hundreds of bodies .

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The Black Death in Ireland

The Black Death arrived in Ireland in late July 1348 through the County (Co) Dublin port of Howth  and continued to decimate the country until 1349 . From Howth it spread to Dublin, Drogheda, Dundalk and following this, in the autumn it reached inland, in particular the manors of Louth, Meath and Co Dublin, before infecting people in Waterford including traders, which eventually carried the disease up the river Nore to Kilkenny . All of Ireland suffered, however 40 percent of the colonising population is supposed to have died . Due to the ...

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