I'm assuming you mean the 'Great Plague" of the 13th-14th Century. The latest theory, which seems to be backed up by archeology, is that it was borne by rats who infested trade ships from the Black Sea to ports in Italy (Genoa, Venice, Pisa). From there, it spread by land north into France, Germany, and Switzerland; by sea to Spain and Britain. Estmates are that it killed off about 1/3 of the European population. Due to the prevailing climatic conditions, crops had failed over the past few seasons; some historians speculate that poor nutrition weakened immune systems. This gave the plague bacillus a foothold...
2006-12-12 14:18:21
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answer #1
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answered by jim 7
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A commonly reported story is that Genoese traders brought it back from their trading depot in Crimea. That town had been under attack by the Tartars, when the Tartars began to die of the plague. In an early form of biological warfare, the Tartars decided to share the joy and catapulted the bodies of their dead into the town. The Genoese decided that disease plus hordes of attacking horsemen weren't good for trade, and so headed back into Europe. They brought the plague with them, dropping the disease off in Greece and Sicily on their way back to northern Italy.
2006-12-12 22:19:52
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answer #2
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answered by Tim N 5
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It entered Europe in Greece and Italy almost simultaneously.
Both ships were out of Port Said.
2006-12-12 22:11:24
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answer #3
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answered by Sophist 7
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Italy
2006-12-13 18:06:55
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answer #4
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answered by lani 2
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