New
New
Year 7

The arrival of the Black Death

I can explain the relationship between the Silk Road and the Black Death.

New
New
Year 7

The arrival of the Black Death

I can explain the relationship between the Silk Road and the Black Death.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. The origins of the Black Death have only recently become clearer.
  2. The Black Death affected people in the Middle East, China and Central Asia as well as Europe.
  3. Some historians have argued that the Black Death arrived in Europe along the Silk Road.
  4. The Black Death killed up to half the population of Europe.

Keywords

  • Plague - a plague is a serious contagious disease that can kill many people

  • Black Death - the Black Death was the name given to a plague pandemic which occurred between 1348 and 1353

Common misconception

The Black Death only affected Europe.

European records from the time are numerous and detailed, so we have a very clear idea about the impact of the Black Death on Europe. However, the Black Death affected a large geographic area, including places without detailed records of the impact.

Have students read contemporary accounts of the origins of the Black Death in order to help them gain further understanding about people's beliefs regarding its origins. Discuss with students why a lack of scientific understanding increased the fear that people had of the disease.
Teacher tip

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
  • Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering

Supervision

Adult supervision required

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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6 Questions

Q1.
What ideas were exchanged along the Silk Road?
Correct answer: religion
Correct answer: fashion
gold
Correct answer: language
horses
Q2.
Roughly how long was the Silk Road active for?
500 years
1000 years
Correct answer: 1500 years
2000 years
Q3.
Which disease that was transmitted via the Silk Road killed more than 200 million people in Africa, Asia and Europe in the 14th century?
Correct Answer: The Black Death, Black Death, black death, the Black Death, the black death
Q4.
Which country produced and traded silk along the Silk Road?
Correct Answer: China, china
Q5.
Which empires controlled parts of the Silk Road at different points in history?
Cree
Correct answer: China
Correct answer: Kushan
Inca
Māori
Q6.
Complete the sentence: 'trade' refers to the and of goods.
crafting
weight
breaking
Correct answer: purchase
Correct answer: sale

6 Questions

Q1.
What kind of disease was the Black Death?
Correct Answer: plague, the plague, Plague
Q2.
Which plague killed an estimated quarter of the population of the eastern Mediterranean in the 6th century CE?
The Plague of Marius
The Plague of Alexander
The Plague of Pericles
Correct answer: The Plague of Justinian
Q3.
What is the name of the bacteria that causes the plague?
Panthera leo
Acer palmatum
Bombyx mori
Correct answer: Yersinia Pestis
Q4.
What percentage of the population of India was killed by the Black Death?
Correct Answer: 0, 0%, None, zero, 0 per cent
Q5.
An army from which empire brought the Black Death to Europe?
Aztec
Gupta
Correct answer: Mongol
Zulu
Q6.
Which was the first Western European city to be afflicted by the Black Death in October 1347?
Manchester
Marseille
Correct answer: Messina
Madrid

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