Bubonic Plague, Also Known as the Black

¶ … bubonic plague, also known as the Black Death, has wrought devastation and death across Asia and Europe. In the 1300s, it decimated Europe's population. Despite the carnage, the aftermath of the disease helped usher in a rebirth of European society. The symptoms of the bubonic plague appeared within days of infection. The infected individual would suffer fever, headache, general feeling of weakness, aches in the upper leg and groin, and fatigue (Perlin & Cohen 2002).

The most evident sign of the bubonic plague is the painful swelling of the lymph glands called "buboes." The "Black Death" is believed to have originated in China; it spread to Europe through the Silk Road. Trading ships and caravans were infested with rats that contained infected fleas (Sanders et al. 2005). This helped spread the disease quickly and over a large area. The devastation of the Bubonic Plague created great social and economic unrest. The plague killed an estimated 30%-50% percent of the European population (Perlin & Cohen 2002).

Before the plague, Europe had been overpopulated; the loss of population created an opening of resources previously unattainable by the peasant class. Due to the fact that there was a shortage of laborers, landlords competed for peasants with higher wages and unprecedented freedoms (Sanders et al. 2005). Ultimately, this gave peasants more control over their lives and more power in society. This economic freedom and the effect the Black Death had on European's spirituality helped usher in the Renaissance.

The Bubonic Plague had a profound effect on the religious views of the Europeans during the 1300s. Many turned cynical that their religious leaders could not prevent or even cure the disease (Sanders et al. 2005). The Renaissance was a cultural phenomenon in which the arts was revived between the 14th and 17th century. This movement was seen mostly throughout Europe and expanded from Italy on to the rest of the European countries (Bentley & Ziegler 2010). This cultural act was one of political, artistic, scientific, and religious expression.

Michelangelo Buonarroti played a pivoting role during this era and he become associated with the term, Renaissance Man. His immense contributions embodied what it meant to live during the Renaissance time, as he made artistic, and literary contributions to people during his time (Willmer 2008). Michelangelo is most famously known for his painting of the ceiling in the Sistine Chapel in Rome. As a matter of fact, most of his artistic contributions were in Italy.

His first sculptures were the Battle of the Lapiths and the Centaurs and Madonna of the Stairs. At this time, he was already developing his own way of expressing himself through the arts, which is what the Renaissance movement was all about (Willmer 2008). The impact that Michelangelo had during his time was one that brought relief after facing a devastating blow to society. The entire Renaissance era was full of new hope being offered after a period of deterioration.

During his lifetime, there were already two separate biographies depicting his life thus far, further demonstrating how highly regarded he was, and proving that there is a reason why he still lives on today. Michelangelo's art still lives.