How did the Black Death affect Africa and Asia?
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Date: 2022-10-08
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Comments and reviews: 14
Monsieur
There was a theory that in order to do trade with India through Silk Road, traders had to cross high Hindukush Mountains which killed any bacterium infested flea to die because of reletively low pressure present at high altitudes, thus preventing the disease to spread in India. However, there is another theory that roughly at the same time, Sultan Mohammad Bin Tughlaq of Delhi ordered the relocation of capital from Delhi to Daulatabad in Deccan and his vast entourage travelling to Daulatabad was ravaged by disease, probably bubonic plague, and Sultan himself fell extremely ill (probably plague) but survived.
However, non of these theories are completely true in my opinion and both of them are just that, theories.
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There was a theory that in order to do trade with India through Silk Road, traders had to cross high Hindukush Mountains which killed any bacterium infested flea to die because of reletively low pressure present at high altitudes, thus preventing the disease to spread in India. However, there is another theory that roughly at the same time, Sultan Mohammad Bin Tughlaq of Delhi ordered the relocation of capital from Delhi to Daulatabad in Deccan and his vast entourage travelling to Daulatabad was ravaged by disease, probably bubonic plague, and Sultan himself fell extremely ill (probably plague) but survived.
However, non of these theories are completely true in my opinion and both of them are just that, theories.
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Soma's
1: 15 There absolutely is evidence of the plague reaching Sub-Saharan Africa, it's just a subject that's only really come to attention in the last few years, so the research is limited. There are, however, examples of major settlements in Ghana being abandoned mysteriously at a time that just happens to correspond to the Black Death in Europe, and while Ethiopia doesn't have any clear records of the plague, they did embrace a Saint of the Plague, which suggests some familiarity. I believe there's also some evidence of the Plague impacting the Mali Empire, but I don't recall the details about that well enough to talk about it.
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1: 15 There absolutely is evidence of the plague reaching Sub-Saharan Africa, it's just a subject that's only really come to attention in the last few years, so the research is limited. There are, however, examples of major settlements in Ghana being abandoned mysteriously at a time that just happens to correspond to the Black Death in Europe, and while Ethiopia doesn't have any clear records of the plague, they did embrace a Saint of the Plague, which suggests some familiarity. I believe there's also some evidence of the Plague impacting the Mali Empire, but I don't recall the details about that well enough to talk about it.
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Timothy
I'm not surprised the Black Death didn't go very far east; there's no (non-navel) route from the Mediterranean to China that doesn't cross through some mixture of mountains, jungle, or open steppe, none of which usually support the population densities a plague like the Black Death needs to flourish. India isn't quite as isolated, but it's close. If the Black Death got to either India or China, it would have to be by ship. (Which is hardly _impossible, _ but it's harder than having options ranging from grain freighters to itinerant merchants to _really_ unlucky couriers)
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I'm not surprised the Black Death didn't go very far east; there's no (non-navel) route from the Mediterranean to China that doesn't cross through some mixture of mountains, jungle, or open steppe, none of which usually support the population densities a plague like the Black Death needs to flourish. India isn't quite as isolated, but it's close. If the Black Death got to either India or China, it would have to be by ship. (Which is hardly _impossible, _ but it's harder than having options ranging from grain freighters to itinerant merchants to _really_ unlucky couriers)
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Jordan
Well, the disease would have, and did mutate over time as it traveled. So it's entirely possible it built up it's rampage until reaching the European continent. The sad irony would be that it never went way so to speak, but simply latched onto a people who had built up an immunity. So when it circled around, it caused a second round of utter devastation upon the Asian nations. And if it was that nasty a natural-bioweapon, I suspect it legitimately never got to India or China until later.
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Well, the disease would have, and did mutate over time as it traveled. So it's entirely possible it built up it's rampage until reaching the European continent. The sad irony would be that it never went way so to speak, but simply latched onto a people who had built up an immunity. So when it circled around, it caused a second round of utter devastation upon the Asian nations. And if it was that nasty a natural-bioweapon, I suspect it legitimately never got to India or China until later.
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matthew416811
Sidenote: In the year 1347, China was in the late stages of the Yuan Dynasty. Providing that there were already scattered peasant uprisings before a major one, The Red Turban Rebellion (Completely unrelated to the Late Han Yellow Turban Rebellion) broke out which ultimately led to the rise of Zhu Yuanzhang and the retreat of Mongolian forces out back to the steppes.
So, to oversimplify, kinda busy on the hand.
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Sidenote: In the year 1347, China was in the late stages of the Yuan Dynasty. Providing that there were already scattered peasant uprisings before a major one, The Red Turban Rebellion (Completely unrelated to the Late Han Yellow Turban Rebellion) broke out which ultimately led to the rise of Zhu Yuanzhang and the retreat of Mongolian forces out back to the steppes.
So, to oversimplify, kinda busy on the hand.
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Micah
So the Sahara protected Sub-Saharan Africa from the Black Plague. On the other hand, it also slowed the arrival of gunpowder technology, giving foreign powers a decisive military advantage that would eventually lead to considerable misery and death via the slave trade and foreign colonization.
Hmm, maybe the Plague would have been the better disaster to deal with.
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So the Sahara protected Sub-Saharan Africa from the Black Plague. On the other hand, it also slowed the arrival of gunpowder technology, giving foreign powers a decisive military advantage that would eventually lead to considerable misery and death via the slave trade and foreign colonization.
Hmm, maybe the Plague would have been the better disaster to deal with.
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Claus
Oh, while you're at it: could you make a video explaining what kind of plaque was ravaging the Greek city states around the time of (the legend of) Oedipus? All I know is that is that was the plague, but I presume it wasn't the same plague as the one that hit Europe in the 14th century (the Black Death. So what was it? The Flu? Smallpox? A bad case of Diarrhea?
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Oh, while you're at it: could you make a video explaining what kind of plaque was ravaging the Greek city states around the time of (the legend of) Oedipus? All I know is that is that was the plague, but I presume it wasn't the same plague as the one that hit Europe in the 14th century (the Black Death. So what was it? The Flu? Smallpox? A bad case of Diarrhea?
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The
Interesting, my college history textbook actually says that china was the most devastated region by the Black Plague, with some cities reaching 90% mortality, but never mentioned the possibility of smallpox or other diseases. Although I wouldn t put it passed them for being lazy like that in their research. Quite the discrepancy tho
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Interesting, my college history textbook actually says that china was the most devastated region by the Black Plague, with some cities reaching 90% mortality, but never mentioned the possibility of smallpox or other diseases. Although I wouldn t put it passed them for being lazy like that in their research. Quite the discrepancy tho
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Blank
The reason that the Black Plague stopped was because of increased hygiene and better living conditions. The initial horrible death toll is the one that people think is all that the BLack Plague was, while in truth it stayed in the population for hundreds of years.
It didn't stop because of immunity or resistance to the virus.
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The reason that the Black Plague stopped was because of increased hygiene and better living conditions. The initial horrible death toll is the one that people think is all that the BLack Plague was, while in truth it stayed in the population for hundreds of years.
It didn't stop because of immunity or resistance to the virus.
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JR
About 80 years before the Black Death in Europe, China suffered a 50% population collapse. The greatest in it's history. This has always been attributed to the Mongol conquest. The Mongol conquest of Persia also resulted in huge collapse. One has to wonder if some of this may have been disease.
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About 80 years before the Black Death in Europe, China suffered a 50% population collapse. The greatest in it's history. This has always been attributed to the Mongol conquest. The Mongol conquest of Persia also resulted in huge collapse. One has to wonder if some of this may have been disease.
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Justin
Love all your videos. Got a question and a topic for you; was there an Italian version of the Nuremberg trials? Who else was held accountable who survived the? What happened to the remaining members of the fascist regime of Benito mussolini? He of course created fascism in the first place.
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Love all your videos. Got a question and a topic for you; was there an Italian version of the Nuremberg trials? Who else was held accountable who survived the? What happened to the remaining members of the fascist regime of Benito mussolini? He of course created fascism in the first place.
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theycallmesteve
Black Death: originates in Asia
History books: Oh how Europe suffered GREATLY
yeah but what abo
66% OF THE POPULATION DIED
Yeah, but what about Asia?
what?
It came from Asia, so how was it there?
they were pretty alright I guess. OH THE HUMANITY
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Black Death: originates in Asia
History books: Oh how Europe suffered GREATLY
yeah but what abo
66% OF THE POPULATION DIED
Yeah, but what about Asia?
what?
It came from Asia, so how was it there?
they were pretty alright I guess. OH THE HUMANITY
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ViralOracle
perhaps the disease was more deadly to Caucausoid subspecies of humans? (European and Middle Eastern) with all that trade going on its unlikely that none infected people from europe or middle east or even rats from those areas not travelled to far east or black africa?
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perhaps the disease was more deadly to Caucausoid subspecies of humans? (European and Middle Eastern) with all that trade going on its unlikely that none infected people from europe or middle east or even rats from those areas not travelled to far east or black africa?
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Doom
there wasn't really anyone to keep records in sub Saharan Africa, so they could have had it and we'd never have known. Plus the place is already rife with diseases more than happy to kill you so they likely just saw it as another disease of the day as well if it did go there.
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there wasn't really anyone to keep records in sub Saharan Africa, so they could have had it and we'd never have known. Plus the place is already rife with diseases more than happy to kill you so they likely just saw it as another disease of the day as well if it did go there.
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