earticle

영어

The Contemporary Responses of the Cities to the Black Death Heung-Sik Park This study examines many measures and relevant policies of cities to overcome the Black Death as well as the effects of cities’ measures on poor people. European cities responded to the plague diversely. They blocked movement from the infected region, isolated the patient from city dwellers, and arranged special workers exclusively responsible for it to provide them with foods and medicines. Such measures were expanded across Europe, quarantine was generalized in the mid-15th century and public health system were permanent, which showed considerable improvement in the response system. Although it failed to find out the cause and the expansion reason scientifically, cities could be alive and well due to the urban government’s efficient response measures. The poor were marginalized during the process of overcoming the Black Death by urban government, and as a legal way, the control about citizens was intensified as well. Based on the assumption that the poor or wanderer had high percentage of carrying the infectious disease in cities, they were prevented from entering cities and movement of areas in the cities was also controlled. The polarization of the urban society was more set in due to the plague, and the poor were pushed away from cities. The repeated Black Death changed cities into more closed and exclusive space. (Seoul National University / hspark@snu.ac.kr)