History glossary
the plague
a severe infectious disease outbreak, used here for the epidemic disease behind the Black Death.
- Category
- Disease
- Region
- Europe
- Date range
- 14th century
What it means
The plague refers here to the epidemic disease behind the Black Death, caused by Yersinia pestis. Its spread through medieval trade routes produced mass mortality and helped destabilise the labour relations that feudal society depended on.
Stories using this term
The Byzantine Empire
From Constantine's new capital to the fall of Constantinople, Byzantium preserved Roman law, Orthodox Christianity, imperial government and classical learning through more than a thousand years of adaptation.
The Scientific Revolution
The Scientific Revolution transformed how humans understand the world, replacing tradition with observation, experimentation and mathematical laws that still shape modern science.
Feudalism and Medieval Society
From the estates of Charlemagne's empire to the flowering of Gothic cathedrals, this story explores how feudal hierarchies, manorial agriculture, and Church authority shaped the lives of kings, knights, and peasants alike.
The Mongol Empire
From scattered steppe tribes to the largest contiguous empire in history, the Mongols reshaped Eurasia through conquest, terror, and trade.
The Plantagenets
From Henry II’s cross-Channel inheritance to Bosworth, the Plantagenets shaped England through royal justice, conquest, rebellion and a struggle over who could control the crown.
