[The "Nastas'in Pestilence": the Great Plague of 1417-1425 in Rus]

Probl Sotsialnoi Gig Zdravookhranenniiai Istor Med. 2022 May;30(3):517-523. doi: 10.32687/0869-866X-2022-30-3-517-523.
[Article in Russian]

Abstract

The plague pandemic ("The Black Death") that struck Eurasia in the middle of XIV century, "settled" this lethal disease in Europe for a long time. The new outbreaks of this disease, with breaks of several years, occurred in single cities, regions and states, covering sometimes entire continent over the next centuries. However, impression that "The Black Death" made upon minds of European scribes, staggering European society by its inevitability, for a long time determined particular angle of view under which it is accepted to consider the history of plague in Europe in the epoch of Middle Ages and early New Age. The image of The Great Plague of XIV century overshadowed all subsequent outbreaks of this lethal disease, so its subsequent occurrences are traditionally given less attention. The article, being based on on analysis of numerous chronicle evidences, for the first time in Russian historiography analyzes the history of plague in Rus during first decades of XV century and restores chronology of its occurrence and development and determines areas affected by the plague in the first place, estimating caused damage.

Keywords: Middle Ages; Rus; environmental history; history of medicine; pandemic; plague.

Publication types

  • Historical Article

MeSH terms

  • Disease Outbreaks
  • Europe / epidemiology
  • History, Medieval
  • Humans
  • Pandemics / history
  • Plague* / epidemiology
  • Russia / epidemiology