Plague in England 17th century. The Great Plague and Great Fire of London

Flash

The Great Plague of 1665 was the last major outbreak of plague in England (previously, about 10,000 people died in 1636, about 35,000 in 1625).

It is believed that the epidemic came to England from the Netherlands, where outbreaks of bubonic plague had occurred periodically since 1599. Initially, the infectious disease was brought to Great Britain by Dutch trading ships that transported bales of cotton from Amsterdam (in 1663-1664, Amsterdam was devastated, about 50,000 people died). Port suburbs of London, including the parish of St Giles' Church St. Giles-in-the-Fields), which was packed with impoverished workers living in terrible conditions, were the first to suffer from the plague. Since the deaths of the very poor were not recorded, the first officially recorded death from the plague was that of Rebecca Andrews. Rebecca Andrews), who died on April 12, 1665.

By July 1665, the plague had reached London. King Charles II of England left Oxfordshire with his family and retinue. However, the alderman and most other city officials chose to remain. Sir John Lawrence, Lord Mayor of London, also decided to remain in the city, quarantining himself with a specially built glass display case; Thus, as a result, he could fully perform his duties, but at the same time he did not need to have direct contact with the infection. When most of the rich merchants left the city, trading activity came to a standstill. Several priests (including the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Bishop of London), doctors and apothecaries were also forced to remain as the plague raged throughout the summer. Doctors roamed the streets diagnosing the sick, although many were not qualified.

There have been several attempts to create public health care. The city authorities hired doctors and organized careful burials for the victims. They also ordered that the fire be kept burning continuously, day and night, in the hope that it would purify the air. In order to ward off infection, various substances that emitted strong odors, such as pepper, hops and incense, were burned. Londoners were forced to smoke tobacco.

Although the plague outbreak was concentrated in London, it also affected other parts of the country. Perhaps the most famous example is the village of Im. Eyam) in Derbyshire Derbyshire) (county of England). It is believed that the plague was brought to the village by merchants transporting bales of cloth from London, although this fact has not been confirmed. In order to stop the further spread of the infection, the villagers voluntarily quarantined themselves. The spread of the plague in the surrounding areas slowed, but approximately 75% of the inhabitants died in the village itself.

According to documents, it is established that mortality in London reached 1,000 people per week, then up to 2,000 people per week, and by September 1665 it reached 7,000 people per week. By the end of autumn, mortality began to decline, and in February 1666 it was considered safe for the king and his entourage to return to the city. By this time, due to ongoing trade contacts with continental Europe, the outbreak of plague had spread to France, where it subsided the following winter.

Cases of outbreaks of the disease continued until September 1666, but at a slower pace. Great (Great) fire Great Fire of London), which occurred in London from September 2 to 3, destroyed houses in most densely populated areas. Around this time, the plague outbreaks ceased, probably because most of the infected fleas carried by the rats were killed in a fire. After the fire, London was partially rebuilt by the architect Christopher Wren. Christopher Wren). Because thatched roofs were a source of fire, they were banned within the city and remain banned under modern law. In order to carry out the second reconstruction of Shakespeare's Globe Theater in -1998, special permission was required to install a thatched roof.

Mention in literature

Daniel Defoe's historical novel The Diary of a Plague Year tells about the events of the plague. (1722) .

Links

Daniel Defoe. A diary of the plague year, containing observations and memories of the most remarkable events, both public and purely personal, that occurred in London during the last great test in 1665 (Translated by K. N. Atarov)
Bell, Walter George. " The Great Plague in London in 1665." London: John Lane, The Bodley Head, 1924.

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Plan
Introduction
1 Flash
2 Mention in literature

Introduction

The Great Plague (1665-1666) was a massive outbreak of disease in England during which approximately 100,000 people, 20% of London's population, died. For a long time, the disease was called bubonic plague, an infectious disease caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis, carried by fleas. The 1665-1666 epidemic was significantly smaller in scale than the earlier Black Death pandemic (a deadly outbreak of disease in Europe between 1347 and 1353). However, it was only after this that the bubonic plague was remembered as the “great” plague because it became one of the most widespread outbreaks of disease in England in recent times.

1. Flash

The Great Plague of 1665 was the last major outbreak of plague in England, and the first since 1636, when about 10,000 people died, and 1625, when about 35,000 died.

It is believed that the epidemic came to England from the Netherlands, where bubonic plague occurred periodically since 1599. The infectious disease was initially brought to Great Britain by Dutch merchant ships transporting bales of cotton from Amsterdam. In 1663-1664 Amsterdam was devastated and about 50,000 people died. Port suburbs of London, including the parish of St Giles' Church St. Giles-in-the-Fields), which was packed with impoverished workers living in terrible conditions, were the first to suffer from the plague. Since the deaths of the very poor were not recorded, the first officially recorded death was Rebecca Andrews. Rebecca Andrews), who died on April 12, 1665.

By July 1665, the plague had reached London. King Charles II of England left Oxfordshire with his family and retinue. However, the alderman and most other city officials chose to remain. Sir John Lawrence, Lord Mayor of London, also decided to remain in the city, quarantining himself in a specially built glass case so he could carry out his duties without having to come into direct contact with the infection. When most of the rich merchants left the city, trading activity came to a standstill. Only a few priests (including the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Bishop of London), doctors and apothecaries chose to remain, as the plague raged throughout the summer. Doctors roamed the streets diagnosing victims, although many were unqualified.

There have been several attempts to create public health. The city authorities hired doctors and organized careful burials for the victims. They also ordered that the fire be kept burning continuously, day and night, in the hope that it would purify the air. In order to ward off infection, they burned various substances that emitted strong odors, such as pepper, hops and incense. Londoners were forced to smoke tobacco.

Although the plague outbreak was concentrated in London, it also affected other parts of the country. Perhaps the most famous example is the village of Im. Eyam) in Derbyshire Derbyshire) (county of England). It is believed that the plague was brought to the village by merchants transporting bales of cloth from London, although this fact has not been confirmed. The villagers voluntarily quarantined themselves in order to stop the further spread of the infection. The spread of the plague in the surrounding areas slowed, but approximately 75% of the inhabitants died in the village itself.

According to documents, it is established that mortality in London reached 1,000 people per week, then 2,000 people per week, and by September 1665 reached 7,000 people per week. By the end of autumn, mortality began to decline, and already in February 1666 it was considered safe for the king and his entourage to return to the city. However, by this time, thanks to trade with Europe, the plague outbreak had spread to France, where it died down the following winter.

Incidents of the epidemic continued until September 1666, but at a slower pace. Great (Great) fire Great Fire of London), which occurred in London from September 2 to 3, destroyed houses in most densely populated areas. Around this time, plague outbreaks ceased, probably because most of the infected fleas carried by the rats died in a fire. After the fire, London was partially rebuilt by the architect Christopher Wren. Christopher Wren). Because thatched roofs were a high source of fire, they were banned within the city and remain banned under modern laws. In order to carry out the second renovation of Shakespeare's Globe Theater in 1997-1998, special permission was required to install a thatched roof.

2. Mention in literature

· Daniel Defoe's historical novel The Diary of a Plague Year tells about the events of the plague (1722)

· Mentioned in the anime Black Butler. The character Sebastian Michaelis (the demon butler) says that he caused the pestilence.

The plague raged in medieval Europe for several centuries. Outbreaks of the epidemic constantly occurred in one European city or another. From 1347 to 1353, the plague killed almost half the population of Europe. This was the most terrifying and longest stage of the epidemic. At this time, medieval society was on the verge of collapse.

Spread of the plague in Europe

The plague spread throughout Europe, killing almost everyone who became infected, with very few survivors. During this period, there was a moral decline and the rise of unorthodox religious cults, monstrous rituals and sacrifices.

Great Plague of London - 1665

And then the plague suddenly retreated, leaving mountains of corpses in Europe. And although outbreaks of the disease occurred once every twenty years, they were already on a smaller scale.

In 1665, the plague appeared in London. This was the beginning of the Great Plague of London. When the first resident fell ill, the city authorities took measures typical for such a situation - the patient was isolated, locked in a house with healthy family members, and the house was marked with a red cross. People were terribly afraid of the plague, so no one communicated with the sick.

But these measures did not help, the disease began to spread. Mostly middle-class people began to fall ill.
London in the 17th century was the largest city in Europe, and it was very dirty. There were virtually no sewers, and all waste was simply thrown into the street. This is a paradise for the spread of diseases.

Moscow plague riot 1771

Medicine and hygiene were at a very low level, people washed little and rarely changed clothes, and doctors tried to treat with various folk remedies. In addition, there were a huge number of animals on the streets of the city, the fleas from which spread the bubonic plague.

Plague in Italy

As the disease spread, more and more people began to get sick, and people began to die. In the first week, at least ten cases of the disease were recorded. City authorities began to close beer halls, pubs, and places of public gatherings, and various entertainment events ceased to take place.

Plague in Naples 1665

Gaining momentum, the plague was killing more and more people. Some residents of London tried to leave the city, but the authorities closed the exit to the city walls in order to prevent the epidemic from spreading to other cities. Three months later, officials also began to fall ill, and the work of administrative institutions stopped.

At the height of the epidemic, deaths in London reached between one and two thousand people a week. Cemeteries were overflowing to bury people, huge trenches were dug and bodies were buried in them by the thousands. After covering one layer of bodies with earth, new bodies were placed on top. There was a constant smell of death in the city.

During the year of the epidemic, out of 460 thousand people in London, almost three-quarters of the inhabitants died from the plague. The city practically turned into a ghost town; the work of many structures was paralyzed.

But the disease was overcome, or rather, survived. The survivors, a year after the outbreak of the epidemic, began to restore life in the city and return to their usual rhythm.

Nicolas Poussin. Plague in Ashdod 1630

Plague is one of the terrible diseases that has existed in human history. The Great Plague of London is an example of how, in an isolated city, nature can deal harshly and painfully with a population.

At the moment, we do not have any reliable information about the plans of the warring parties - France and England - for the summer campaign of 1348, however, we can build relatively reliable assumptions based on the results of the events of the last years of the war, namely a series of defeats for France and the capture by King Edward of a strategically important harbor-fortress of Calais.

Firstly, England gained an undoubted advantage, gaining control of a significant part of the enemy’s coast both in the north and in Gascony-Aquitaine, which made King Edward III able to launch an offensive deep into the French kingdom from two directions simultaneously, and with operational freedom and naval dominance on the sea. Secondly, the French army was seriously weakened after the Battle of Crecy, when more than 1,200 nobles who formed the core of the heavy cavalry died - that is, about a third of the total number of French knightly cavalry. Philip VI de Valois, who had lost confidence in himself, instead of giving the English a decisive battle near Calais in August 1347, decided to retreat and conclude a truce with Edward, and the King of England temporarily preferred to strengthen Calais, a new possession on the continent, and accumulate forces - the approaching It was winter, and fighting at this time of year was difficult in those days. Apparently, a new campaign with an attack on the key cities of France - Paris from Calais and Orleans from Gascony - was planned after the spring thaw of 1348, which seems to be the only reasonable strategy. But…

The first stage of the Hundred Years' WarXIVcentury

But in the late autumn of 1347, vague news began to arrive at the Louvre and the Tower about a certain pestilence in the south - in the Kingdom of Sicily, Genoa, Corsica, Malta and Sardinia. Judging by the chronicles, then none of the conflicting kings took the threat seriously - as we have already mentioned, news spread slowly, at the speed of a horse-drawn messenger or sailing ship, and soon news from the Mediterranean region stopped coming altogether, since there was no one to send them to.

A monstrous thunderstorm broke out over Europe, the total number of victims of which in percentage terms cannot be compared even with the First and Second World Wars combined. Never before and never in the future has humanity experienced such a crushing blow - the Black Death swept through not only Europe, but also almost all regions of Eurasia, from China and Mongolia, to the Arab world, North Africa, remote regions of Scandinavia and Rus'.

A series of crisesXIVcentury

It should be noted right away that the epidemiological situation in Europe during the High Middle Ages was far from ideal, but it cannot be called “unacceptable” and certainly not “catastrophic”. There was a standard set of infections that are often encountered in our times - typhoid, whooping cough, scarlet fever, measles. Natural smallpox occurred - the last major outbreak was recorded a full five centuries before the advent of the Black Death, in 846 during the siege of Paris by the Vikings, and serious smallpox epidemics would occur in later eras, the Renaissance and Modern times.

Among the “exotic” infections, leprosy was widespread, brought by the Crusaders from the Middle East - a heat-loving disease that took root well in Europe during the Medieval Climatic Optimum, when the average annual temperature was much higher. However, non-venereal syphilis and treponematosis, transmitted not sexually, but through contact, could also be mistaken for leprosy - not to be confused with syphilis, which was subsequently imported from the New World. A large-scale plague epidemic (the so-called Justinian Plague) occurred even in chronicle times - in 540-541, and affected mainly Byzantium and the East, partly Italy; they managed to forget about it long ago and firmly.

The unheard-of, transcendental nightmare that began to spread across the Mediterranean in 1347 had no analogues, and in the light of the religious and mythological mentality of the people of the Middle Ages it looked like no more and no less than the very real end of the world. The fantastic virulence of the plague strain, the monstrous speed of the spread of the epidemic, the incredible transience of the disease and the prohibitive mortality rate still boggle the imagination - to say nothing of our ancestors, who were unable to resist the epidemic using medicine, nor to realize the true scale of what was happening!

Spread of the Black Death from 1346 to 1353

However, it should be remembered that the Black Death was only the most widespread of the crises of the 14th century - perhaps the worst era of European history. The entire first half of the century is an unceasing chain of continuous misfortunes that clearly predict the Day of Judgment. We have already written about the Great Famine of 1315–1317, but it was followed by other serious troubles. A cold snap began, now called the Little Ice Age. In 1342 there was an abundance of snow in winter and incessant rain in summer, the fields of France were devastated by severe flooding, and many cities in Germany were flooded. From 1345, a period of “particular dampness” began throughout Europe, which continued for several more years, constant crop failures, and locust invasions right up to Holstein and Denmark. Cultivated areas are being reduced, and the wine industry is dying in Germany and Scotland.

The largest economic catastrophe of the High Middle Ages also occurred, directly related to the Hundred Years' War - namely the bankruptcy of the banking houses of Bardi and Peruzzi, as a result of which the European economy plunged into the abyss and was finally finished off by the Black Death, which decimated colossal human resources - primarily the working population.

Edward III Plantagenet was an adventurer in the good sense of the word - he got involved in high-profile scams only with good prospects for success. Another thing is that luck did not always accompany him - this happened during the next war with Scotland in 1327–1328, in which England was defeated and recognized Scottish independence. Loans for this war were obtained from the Florentines of Bardi, as well as indemnities had to be paid from the loans they provided. The Hundred Years' War begins. The debts of the English crown grew to a completely prohibitive amount - almost 2 million florins (900 thousand to the Bardi family and 700 thousand to the Peruzzi family), with a treasury income of 60-65 thousand pounds a year. Edward defaults on debt obligations in 1340, Philip de Valois follows his example (why waste time on trifles?! If the British can, why can’t the French - especially in war conditions?), the houses of Bardi and Peruzzi go bankrupt in 1344, pulling consisting of dozens of less reputable companies, thousands of investors are left without funds, which leads to the default of several kingdoms and even the papal curia, an institution that is far from the poorest.

The bottom line is an almost immediate collapse of the economy throughout Europe, very reminiscent of the recent crisis of 2008 and the current “derivatives bubble”: economic laws work the same at all times. The Florentine politician, historian and banker Giovanni Villani (who, by the way, died of the plague in 1348) left us the following note:

“...For Florence and the entire Christian world, the losses from the ruin of Bardi and Peruzzi were even heavier than from all the wars of the past. Everyone who had money in Florence lost it, and outside the republic, hunger and fear reigned everywhere.”

As you know, one misfortune does not come, and each new cataclysm leads to another - after long centuries of prosperity, economic prosperity, stable population growth and food abundance, in just a few decades, Europe was visited by three of the four horsemen of the Apocalypse: War, Famine and Death: rapidly The climate changed, crop failures followed one after another, the Hundred Years' War began, thanks to which the financial system collapsed. And in the winter from 1347 to 1348, the fourth arrived - in all its power and irresistibility...

Rider on a Pale Horse

Presumably, it all began ten years before the events described, in 1338, in the area of Lake Issyk-Kul - according to researchers, it was from there that the Black Death began its long journey to the West. In eight years, it devastated Central Asia, defeated the Golden Horde, divided into two deadly streams, southern and western, penetrated through the Caucasus into the Middle East and Byzantium, as well as into the Crimean region, where by that time there were several Genoese trading posts - in particular, Kafa fortress, located in modern Feodosia. From the port of Kafa on the ships of Genoa in the spring of 1347, the Black Death reaches Constantinople, immediately causing enormous mortality - even the heir to the throne, the emperor's son Andronicus, died, who fell ill at dawn and died by noon. The total number of losses of Byzantine subjects during the epidemic was more than a third; Constantinople died out by almost half.

"A Man Dying of the Plague." Allegory from the manuscript of the Carthusian monks, beginningXVcentury

Further, as we mentioned above, the squall spreads like lightning across the Mediterranean harbors. Finally, the Black Death comes to France itself - through Marseille to Avignon, where the residence of the Pope and the curia were then located. This is where the real nightmare begins for the unsuspecting subjects of Philip de Valois. Suffice it to say that in just one (!) night of January 1348, about 700 monks died in the Avignon Franciscan monastery, and the overall mortality rate in the papal capital reached more than 60%... There was no way to bury all the dead, Pope Clement had to take an unprecedented step step - he consecrated the waters of the Loire River, where corpses were dumped en masse.

But what is the reason for such incredible mortality and contagiousness of the Black Death? Lack of hygiene? This is just one of the minor factors - baths and baths were widespread in those days, especially in monasteries. More crowding in cities? It's already warmer.

The fact is that in 1348, Europeans were faced with a very unusual course of plague - the disease only in a small number of cases took the bubonic form, when the pathogen Yersinia pestis is concentrated in the affected lymph nodes. The septic form was more widespread (that is, the pathogen immediately penetrated the bloodstream), spread throughout the body, including the lungs, and after the onset of plague pneumonia, the disease was instantly transmitted by airborne droplets, like the flu. A person who fell ill with the pneumonic form of plague died very quickly, in a period of two to three hours to a day and a half, managing to infect everyone around him during this time - this was especially evident in cities, monastic dormitories, and markets. While the very short incubation period lasted, a person could leave the house to see a baker or a money changer, go to a church where there were dozens of parishioners and monks, or visit his lawyer or relatives. Almost all of them were doomed - plague pneumonia guaranteed a quick, but far from easy death for almost everyone.

A word from the French medievalist Jean Favier, from the book “The Hundred Years' War,” ch. 47:

“...The lands and cities affected by the plague suffered greatly. There was no family that she avoided, except perhaps the wealthy families who sometimes managed to find fairly isolated refuges. In some places death claimed one in ten, in others eight or nine. The epidemic was all the more deadly because in a rare city or region it lasted less than five to six months. At Givry, in Burgundy, it killed eleven people in July, 110 in August, 302 in September, 168 in October and 35 in November. In Paris it continued from summer to summer. She devastated Reims from spring to autumn.

Cities and villages were paralyzed. Everyone huddled in their own houses or fled, driven by an uncontrollable and useless defensive reflex or simply fear.<…> The cities paid the greatest tribute: overcrowding was killing. In Castres, in Albi, every second family died out completely. Perigueux lost a quarter of its population at once, Reims a little more. Of the twelve chapters of Toulouse noted in 1347, eight were no longer mentioned after the epidemic of 1348. In the Dominican monastery at Montpellier, where there used to be one hundred and forty brothers, eight survived. Not a single Marseille Franciscan, like Carcassonne, survived. The Burgundian "lament" may allow for exaggeration for the sake of rhyme, but it conveys the author's amazement:

Year one thousand three hundred forty eight -

Eight out of a hundred remained in Nui.

Year one thousand three hundred forty nine -

In Bon, out of a hundred, nine remain».

If something similar happened in Europe now, out of a population of 830 million, three hundred million or more would die - and no exaggeration, there are statistics: in the USA from 1950 to 1994. 39 cases of secondary pneumonic plague and 7 cases of primary pneumonic plague were registered. The mortality rate for them was a total of 41%, and this is with all modern achievements in the field of hygiene, antibiotics and medicine in general. That is, the mortality rate is quite comparable to the global disaster of 1348.

“The Triumph of Death”, fragment of a painting by Italian artist Francesco Traini, 1350

Let us return, however, to dying France. Of course, there was no talk of any continuation of the Hundred Years' War since the summer of 1348 - the epidemic spread with monstrous speed. If in January the Black Death raged in Avignon, then by March it reached Lyon and Toulouse, crossed the Pyrenees, heading further to Spain. On July 1, near British-occupied Bordeaux, King Edward's daughter Joan, who was heading to Spain, dies of the plague (most of her retinue also died from the Black Death). Paris fell at the end of June - Philippe de Valois allegedly fled the city, but in reality Marshal Charles de Montmorency isolated the king in the Louvre, where outsiders were not allowed. Queen Jeanne of Burgundy of France died of pneumonic plague at the Nels Hotel on September 1, presumably contracted at a mass at Notre Dame.

In England, things were no better, and in some places even worse, than with their neighbors and irreconcilable opponents - the natural barrier of the English Channel did not save Albion. The first outbreak of the Black Death in the islands dates back to 24 July 1348 in Dorset. At the end of September, the epidemic swept through London and continued to spread to the north and west of England, reaching its peak in the winter of 1349. Moreover, if in France both bubonic and pneumonic forms of plague were encountered, in England it occurred mainly in the form of extremely contagious plague pneumonia - which significantly increased mortality, the rates of which were on average higher than on the continent. A relatively recent and very detailed study by the Norwegian scientist Ole Benediktou from 2004, “The Black Death 1346–1353: The Complete History,” provides frightening figures - 62.5% of the population, that is, out of 6 million inhabitants of Albion, 3 died in just a few months, 75 million... Moreover, in 1349, due to the death of a huge number of peasants, the livestock population in England was left unattended and was struck by an epidemic of foot-and-mouth disease, decreasing five times.

Total deadweight losses in World War I among all participating countries (including colonies) with a total population of 1.47 billion people were 10 million among combatants and 11.5 million among civilians, including famine and disease; in total, rounded, 21.5 million - that is, 1.46% of the number. The Black Death claimed at least 30–35% of the population - figures vary depending on the region: for example, the epidemic almost did not affect Béarn, only marginally touched Flanders and barely touched Bruges, but in other areas the death toll reached astronomical figures - more than two thirds. Jean Froissart in his Chronicle states: “A third of people died,” and he is not far from the truth, although his ideas about statistics are very far from perfect...

The death rates from the plague among ruling families are very indicative - in total in Europe at that time there were eighteen monarchies and two order states (we will not take into account small things like tiny Serbian principalities). The queens of France (and the wife of the Dauphin), Navarre and Aragon died, the wife of the Holy Roman Emperor Blanca, the daughters of the kings of England and Denmark, died, the entire royal family of Sicily died out, the king of Castile and Leon Alfonso the Just, the great commander of the Teutonic Order, Ludolf Koenig, died of the plague. That is, the losses in the royal families amounted to almost 50 percent - and this is only the immediate relatives of the monarchs, without taking into account nephews, aunts and uncles, brothers-in-law, brothers-in-law and so on. No one was protected, neither the monarch nor the peasant.

French royal family, miniatureXIVcentury. In the center is Queen Joan of Burgundy, who died of the plague.

Thus, during the years 1348–1350, while the epidemic continued, a systemic catastrophe of truly biblical proportions was observed throughout Europe. Parapocalypse.

Results

In subsequent decades, the Black Death returned in three waves. 1361 – up to half of those sick, some recovering. 1371 - about one tenth fell ill, many recovered. 1382 – about one-twentieth fell ill, the majority recovered. At the end of the 14th and beginning of the 15th centuries, a serious demographic explosion occurred - although it never restored the population, it was sufficient to allow the Hundred Years' War to be waged for another seventy years. The Spanish historian Morechon points out: “Many newly created families turned out to be unusually fertile - twins were very often born in such marriages.”

However, the Black Death, which can well be considered the dividing line between the “classical” Middle Ages and the early modern era, made a grandiose revolution in all areas of life. The demographic failure and lack of labor caused an increase in the value of the labor of hired workers and the peasantry, and “outsiders” began to be accepted into previously closed workshops (the craft was inherited). Production in grain agriculture sharply decreased, causing grain crises, but more pastures appeared with an increase in the number of livestock; Land prices and rents fall. Financial stability is gradually being restored, although the consequences of the above-described bankruptcy of the Bardi and Peruzzi banks were felt for many decades to come. The problem of lack of money was solved most quickly in England - eight years later, by 1356, the persistent King Edward had found funds to equip a new large army capable of fighting on the mainland.

Funeral of plague victims in Tournai. Miniature from the manuscript “Chronicles of Gill Mayset”, 1349

However, from 1348 to 1356, both sides were physically unable to continue the Hundred Years' War - the plague dealt such a devastating blow to both sides of the conflict that no one could calculate the consequences. Such a sharp and instantaneous disruption of the biosocial balance by historical standards brought an end to the Pax Catholica created by the Roman pontiffs - a single European Catholic community and gave impetus to the Hussite Wars and the subsequent Reformation, which would finally divide Europe. The Renaissance and Modern Times stood on the threshold of the Middle Ages, destroyed by the plague...

However, this did not in any way affect the tenacity of Edward Plantagenet: the king of England, despite all the losses, continued to lay claim to the French crown and was not going to retreat.

To be continued

My name is Nikki Andrews. I'm almost sixteen years old. I started keeping this diary in connection with the strange events occurring throughout London.
It all started when my mother got sick. She developed some strange black spots all over her body, and her father forbade us to approach her. For us, this is for me, my older brother - Alex, and my little sister - Kelen. He said that if we don’t bother mom, she will get better. But it seems to me that mom only got worse.

Today the doctor came to her and said that she had the plague. I don’t know what kind of disease this is, but apparently it’s very bad. Mom had a high fever today and was semi-delirious the entire time. I wanted to approach her and calm her down, but my father didn’t allow me. He said that only a good doctor should treat her.

Richard came today. I was very glad to see him, since I don’t even have anyone to really talk to. Kelen is still young, but Alex has enough worries of his own. Richard is the man to whom I am engaged by parental consent. He came, as always, he sat me on his lap and, tenderly combing my hair, asked about the condition of my mother and Kelen, who was also not feeling very well. We sat for a long time, hugging each other. I cried. But when the tears ended, my soul became calmer. But I think it was not just because I cried, but rather because Richard was there. I asked Richard to stay with me for the night, but he refused. It turns out that his family also gets sick. I wonder if they have the plague too? And what kind of disease is this? Richard, by the way, knows about her; it was not in vain that he received his education. But he refused to tell me. He said maybe later...

Now I’m sitting on the bed and waiting for the doctor to come out of my mother’s room. Kelen is lying on the bed, seemingly asleep. Alexa, as usual, is somewhere...

ABOUT! The doctor is finally out! But why does he have such a sad expression on his face? Is there really something wrong with mom?

Around midnight

I..can barely...write... Mom died.... I can't... believe this.... I thought that... the plague... was not such a terrible disease ...to take....the life of my...mom...This...is wrong...

The funeral took place today. But for some reason she was not buried underground, like all the dead, but burned... Only the priest made a speech at the end, saying that Rebecca Andrews was a kind woman. I always helped everyone in need... But what is his speech worth compared to the fact that I now don’t have a mother?

Richard was there, he consoled me as best he could... But even his caresses are nothing compared to what I am experiencing... Kelen did not understand anything. She saw that both me and dad were crying, but she didn’t understand why. I even feel sorry for her... The doctor, by the way, said that she also has the plague... I don’t want her to die... But the doctor doesn’t know what can be done... Alex wasn’t there... He probably , would not even grieve for his mother if he were at the burning... He never cared about her... Surely he was with Lizzie again... Lizzie is his bride. Quite a eccentric girl, I'll tell you that. But he seems to love her... But you can’t neglect your family because of this?

I can’t write... I’m too tired... My hand can barely move... Good night.

Early morning

This can't be true! How unfair I was to Alex! Yesterday he finally came home. All pale. He said Lizzie had passed away. And she also has a plague... I even feel sorry for her... And Alexa even more!

During these days, Kelen became even worse. Now she doesn’t even get out of bed, and the doctor says that she won’t live to see the evening. I don't want her to die! Don't want! But what can I do...I'm an ordinary girl....

Richard hasn't come these days... He probably has some problems in his family. Since he did not visit me only for important reasons.

Yesterday evening I saw high-ranking gentlemen leaving the city. They leave... And leave ordinary citizens to be torn apart by this stupid disease...

After my mother’s death, my father began to drink... Now he walks, staggering from side to side... I didn’t think that my mother’s death could cripple him like that... I would also start drinking, but what would happen to Richard and Alex then?

I didn’t leave the house at all. My father says that if I go out, I will certainly get sick and die. Maybe that's why Richard doesn't come?

I also talked to the cook a couple of days ago. She said that rats carry the plague! I wonder what kind of creatures these are? The cook said that they are like mice, but more aggressive... I wouldn't like to meet a rat... Brr...

Okay, I’ll go and see my father... He’s probably drinking again somewhere in the back of the kitchen...

Here you go. There are no more tears, so I can write normally. Kelen died. Her body was burned, just like my mother’s. My father was not at the funeral. But there was Alex. And I felt very sorry for him. Just two hours earlier, Lizzie had been buried. But there was Richard. He, too, was in some kind of crushed state... He said that his father died, and that’s why he was so sad. But I think that's not the point.

Why does the plague take the lives of people dear to me? Why is she doing this? If it's carried by rats, then I will destroy every single one of them.

What if Richard gets sick? What will I do then? I will do anything to keep him from getting sick and dying!

Hmm... Alex is already snoring, and his father is singing a song behind the wall... It will be fun for me to fall asleep... Good night...

Tell me, why live if there is no one for whom? If your father, mother, sister, brother are dying... How to live? Why is this necessary?

I became friends with the doctor. He tells me about everything that happens in the city. I asked him to teach me how to care for the sick, and he agreed. Now I go from house to house with him, trying to treat patients with traditional methods. Below is a clipping from a newspaper on the treatment of plague:

"The actions boil down mainly to cutting out or cauterizing the plague buboes. No one knows the real cause of the disease, so there is no idea how to treat it. Doctors are trying to use the most bizarre means. One such drug includes a mixture of 10-year-old molasses, finely chopped snakes, wine and 60 other components. According to another method, the patient had to sleep on his left side, then on his right.

For me, the methods are slightly comical... Who, tell me, will make a potion from snakes? But nevertheless, many people believe in this... and do this nasty thing... And then they also drink it... Brrr... Dr. Evans tells me to ventilate the room, but not to allow healthy people near the patient. .. To prevent infection.

Since I can now go outside, I can see with my own eyes how many people are dying, and how many more need help... It's just terrible! Went to Redriff where there were rumors of sick people, and indeed they could be seen everywhere, 1089 people died from the plague this week. God! How can you see this plague spreading! Now she can be found on Kingo Street, in Ace, next to it, as well as in other places... So many people are dying that they are forced to bury them during the day, because the night is not enough for this...

Why was I born now? I don't want to see all these horrors! This is disgusting, terrible and so disgusting! But at the same time, I feel so sorry for the poor people! It's not their fault that they got sick...

Today I saw Richard... He had changed so much... He turned pale... But he didn’t lose his affection towards me... He asked for forgiveness for his long absence. We talked for a long time... But I didn’t even cry once... I guess I’m already used to it... I just got used to it...

Midnight

OK it's all over Now. Alex died. I was there when it happened. That's why I heard his last words addressed to me:

"Live. Never give up. And live. You have to survive despite all this chaos. Just live, Nikki."

That's what he said. Now I live... But I still don’t know why. After all, I have no future. Even if I survive, they will still kill me. So that the infection does not spread to people who return to London.

Don't want. I don't want this anymore...

But..Richard... No. I will still live. For him. For the sake of those people whom I can still help.

For example, last week I visited a little boy, James, who had the early stages of the plague and I managed to neutralize it. I don’t know how, but I did it. His mother thanked me from the bottom of her heart... And today she died... It’s a pity...

What if Richard dies? What should I do then? I don’t know... We’ll see... I hope everything will work out.... For now... sleep...
June 1, 1665.

Time...day...

A month passed, and I didn’t even pick up the diary... There was no time... I’ll write it down in order...

Early this morning, King Charles II left the city with his family and retinue. Went to Oxfordshire. And he left us...

I still go to the sick, do what I can... But nothing helps... People are dying like flies... It’s amazing how I haven’t gotten sick yet! I’ve already visited so many patients in these two months!

Here's a note from the newspaper:

"This week the plague has grown greatly, beyond all expectations, by almost 2000 people, the total number of deaths was 7000 and another 100; over 6000 from the plague. So, the month, due to the extent of the plague throughout the kingdom, ends for the people with great sorrow. With Every day the sad news increases as the plague spreads. In the City this week 7,496 have died, including 6,102 from the plague. The real figure this week is feared to be closer to 10,000."

How many people died... Dr. Evans, by the way, also died. Just last week. Now I am alone for most of the patients. It's all so exhausting...

City authorities came up with new methods to combat the plague:

"The city authorities hired doctors and organized a careful burial of the victims. They also ordered that the fire burn continuously, day and night, in the hope that it would purify the air. In order to ward off infection, various substances were burned, spreading strong smells such as pepper, hops and incense. Londoners were forced to smoke tobacco."

I feel so sorry when I have to force people who can barely breathe to smoke! This is disgusting! And harmful to health! Ahah, bad...for...health...Ha-ha-ha! They are already sick, how can smoking harm them? How come I didn’t think of this right away... The funny thing is...

I'm rarely at home... And why should I go back there? Anyway, I’m alone now... I can walk around the city all day long... Father won’t punish, mother won’t yell, Kelen won’t be left at home alone either... and Alex won’t complain... Even Richard... Even mine Dear Richard won't be able to tell me anything now...

Why? Why is life so unfair to me? Why did she take away the people most dear to me? And he’s not going to take my life? Even Richard! She took Richard from me! How dare she? This is... I mean... Why should I live now? For what? I tried to follow Alex’s behest...But now why do I need this? Without Richard my life has no meaning! This is not life, but simple existence! I so want to feel him next to me again... To hug him, burying my hands in his brown hair... To drown in his gray eyes... I feel so calm next to him, as if I felt safe from everything that haunts me in reality... I feel so comfortable next to him that it seems that I don’t need anyone else except him. But he’s gone... And he’ll never put me on his lap again... He won’t hug me... He won’t kiss me...

Time doesn't exist

These months were pure hell for me. No emotions. No feelings. No joy.

Walked to the Tower. God! How deserted and sad the streets are; there are so many poor sick people on the streets full of sorrow and pain; While I was walking, I heard so many sad stories; All they talk about is that this one died and that one got sick, in this place there is so much, and in another there is even more. And they also told me that not only was there not a single doctor left in Westminster, but not a single pharmacist, they were all dead.

From then on, all responsibilities were mine. But finally all the torment came to an end. I finally got sick. How happy I was when I discovered this. Apparently, life still spared me. What happiness it is to lie there and wait for death... It’s like you’re just waiting for a long-awaited friend to come for you. And you will extend your hand to him with a smile and go with him. Towards oblivion. Towards destiny. There I can meet Richard. And we will be happy. Forever.

People came. They wanted me to help them heal even while lying in bed. Ungrateful. Although... What can I demand from them? They are just people who want to survive... But it’s still a shame... Nobody is interested in how I’m doing... how I feel... Although, in general, why do I need this? I want to die! Probably because I still want to feel people’s gratitude...

Recently I saw myself in the mirror... How scary I am... All haggard... There are bags under my eyes... My long-unwashed red hair has lost its shine and has bunched up in a terrible tangle at the back of my head... I can no longer see the former attractiveness in my green eyes ... Now even the most jaded idiot won’t pay attention to me... To some extent this is good, but if after death I remain just as terrible, then I should put myself in order...

Time doesn't exist

OK it's all over Now. I feel death is already close. I can already see the light at the end of the black tunnel. Richard...How happy...

It turns out that the plague brings not only grief, but also joy... I fell ill with one of the types of plague when you don’t even feel like you’re dying... Pneumonic plague...

All. Goodbye everything... I had a good time in this life... But I'm dying happy... Know that I did everything I could for people... Now I can retire... Goodbye...... ..

Note: A month after Nikki Andrews' death, the plague subsided. The girl survived almost the entire plague, and only died at the end.