The Black Death is usually associated with Europe and the period 1346-1350 but it neither began nor ended then. The earliest records of this pestilence are in China. In 46 AD an epidemic in Mongolia killed two-thirds of the population. In 312 northern and central China became a wasteland and in the province of Shensi, only one or two out of 100 taxpayers survived. In 468, 140,000 people died in the Chinese cities of Honan, Hopei, Shantung and others. During the next 900 years this pestilence traveled slowly throughout China and the Middle East though major outbreaks were not common.
Bibliography
The New Encyclopedia Brittanica. Robert McHenry, editor., vol 2. (Chicago; Brittanica Inc, 1992).
Collier's Encyclopedia. Lauren Bahr, Bernard Johnston, editors. (New York; P.F.Collier, Inc., 1993).
Lecture by Lynn Harry Nelson,Emeritus Professor of Medieval History,The University of Kansas
Philip Ziegler The Black Death (1969)
HG Koeningsberger Medieval Europe 400-1500 ( 1987)
C Warren Hollister Medieval Europe:A short history sixth edition (1990 )
Maurice Keen The Pelican History of Medieval Europe (1968)
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