How the Black Death Broke and Fixed the World | Animated History

The Black Death was the deadliest pandemic of all time. But which parts of facts and which parts are myths? And how could it also have saved the (old) world from its medieval quagmire? Trace the origin, outbreak, path, and aftermath of the plague that broke and saved the world.
You can support both Drawn of History and MrBettsClass on Patreon at / drawnofhistory
Anchor Text: The Great Mortality by John Kelly - amzn.to/3JbJ0kt (affiliate)
The songs "Crypto," Sneaky Snitch," "Happy Happy Game Show," "The Path of the Goblin King V2," "Interloper," "Shamanistic," "Rising Tide," "Gothamlicious," "Malicious," "Right Behind You," "Midnight Tale," "Professor and the Plant," "The Other Side of the Door," "The Hive," "Long Note Three," "Take A Chance," "Plucky Daisy," "Movement Proposition," "Aquarium," "Spring Thaw," and "Bossa Antigua" by Kevin MacLeod. "Adventure" by Alexander Nakarada. All found here: incompetech.fi...
License: creativecommons...

[@nevaehhamilton3493]

The scariest part is that the bubonic plague never got eradicated like smallpox did. You can still get it from a flea bite, but fortunately (or unfortunately, for paranoids), it's extremely rare. There are also effects treatments for it, too.

[@AhSatan]

True, it never got eradicated, but I'm not sure if you could even do that with a bacterial disease. Luckily for us, we've got the treatments (antibiotics) for plague.

[@GonzoIsCool]

Well, it helps if you don't hang around ground squirrels.

[@marc21256]

@@GonzoIsCool "I'm going to pet them, even if it kills me" doesn't just apply to large cats? It also applies to fun rodents, like squirrels?

[@GonzoIsCool]

@@marc21256Don't worry, it's only in a small population of ground squirrels and not an issue in tree squirrels like gray squirrels, red squirrels, and flying squirrels. The rodent in question also only lives in the western United states.

[@MS-fb3xf]

So... You gonna finish that marmot, or what?

[@iammrbeat]

So when are the Flagellants going on tour again? Hopefully Ticketmaster won't have insane fees this time.

[@DrawnofHistory]

When the all-girl reboot happens, they'll be the Floggin Mollies.

[@HistoryandHeadlines]

Have we had any equivalents of the Flagellants during the current pandemic?

[@DrawnofHistory]

Is drinking windex and eating light bulbs comparable?

[@HistoryandHeadlines]

@@DrawnofHistory Maybe, I was thinking if there are people who think they can do penance to get rid of Covid?

[@onespicysauce6599]

Mr. Beat Great seeing you here Mr Beat

[@afrikasmith1049]

Moral of the story: Nature is neither good nor evil. It just is.

[@someone8240]

The native Americans during the black death: "did y'all hear something?"

[@Aimless6]

The natives were not doing so great, themselves. The Little Ice Age made farming unpredictable. By the time the Spanish arrived, the Aztecs were busy fighting climate change with ritual sacrifices.

[@JoaoluccasRocha-ib3nb]

Ggffb

[@williammoore1980]

They heard smallpox & cholera.

[@US101]

Phenomenal! I'm actually teaching World Studies this year so I hope I'll get to incorporate this video into a lesson. Job well done, Betts!

[@DrawnofHistory]

Thanks buddy. Took forever and at points I thought I'd never get it done but here we are. Now go get that 10k subs!

[@BigHenFor]

Your channel is a hidden gem, and criminally under rated. You deserve many more subs, as you make a sometimes dry subject so funny, interesting, and memorable. Came to you because of the Project Mad playlist, stayed because of the 1812 War series, and now laughing through the Blsck Death. Subbed.

[@DrawnofHistory]

Thanks for the kind words and glad to have you aboard.

[@Jimmydreadful]

"shut up, lets go to the moouuntains". hilarious stuff

[@evabertulli1241]

Really enjoyed this. History is my favorite, and you have a nice balance of humorous & informative. I'm looking forward to seeing more.

[@marc21256]

It would be nice if DoH did a playlist of all history in chronological order (of content, not video release dates), and we could cover all of human history in one playlist!

[@matthewviarrial6360]

This is the best channel under 50k subs around, you need more recognition bro, these are hilarious and informative.

[@DrawnofHistory]

Thanks. Spread it around if you want to help more

[@gabrielyalap6178]

It is a common misconception that the people in the middle ages were unclean. The opposite was the case, they bathed regularly. People went to public baths where infected people would spread the disease. With repeated plague outbreaks people noticed that in the beginning of the 16th century and unfortunately drew the wrong conclusion that it would be better to avoid bathing.

[@DrawnofHistory]

With some people, say like vikings and Jews, bathing was more prevelant, but bulk of medieval Christian Europeans did little mod than wash hands and face. It improved by the late middle ages but not considerably. In many ways, it was just impractical to go through the effort to fully do so. And remember, when everybody stinks, nobody stinks.

[@thientuongnguyen2564]

@@DrawnofHistory Everything smelled like horse ass before the invention of soap, and it was also common for people to not wash their hands after going number 2 therefore we have some cultures avoid shaking with the left hand.

[@ElizabethJones-pv3sj]

@@thientuongnguyen2564 Soap dates back to at least Roman times, the Germanic tribes knew about soap, but they used it as hair gel to create wild hairstyles for battle. It wasn't until later that soap was used for washing as most of the time if you weren't washing living things (e.g. for laundry) using straight lye was just as effective and cheaper than combining it with fat to make soap.

[@SMPLYZAY]

Europe was unclean

[@thientuongnguyen2564]

@@SMPLYZAY I dunno, Europe had the most advanced drainage and sewer systems that could still be used today. What did Asia have aside from being the hotbed of 90% of the most deadly plagues in recorded history?

[@ThomasZadro]

I do not entirely understand how it come that you have not more subscribers. After having watched several of your videos, I am amazed by the style and accuracy of your content. This channel seems to be heavily underrated. Please keep up the great work.

[@caroavocado1393]

"Septicemic plague! Your friend till the end~!" Gloriously creative and dark xD What an informative and great video!

[@travishorne8601]

Thanks Mr. Betts for keeping history fun! I have shown my students a lot of your videos, and they're always laughing (or cringing).

[@DrawnofHistory]

Hope this one wasn't too much for them. On deck, America's first war.

[@ardabayer8625]

Man, I just realized that all the info you're giving in your content is pretty special and not told in any other channel. I was already subscribed but now I also turned my notifications on. Great Job mate keep it up in this way...

[@DrawnofHistory]

Thanks. The Great Mortality by John Kelly was my anchor text on this but out really became a rabbit hole of research.

[@xxirishxxblipxx3234]

This dude's gonna be big soon and that's on my life ik this man's gonna get blown up I love these video's keep it up man

[@ngray8201]

As soon as you said you had a new channel, I subscribed!!! Thank you for your videos!

[@DrawnofHistory]

You get an A in my gradebook.

[@DrawnofHistory]

Do you think you would have survived the Black Death. How would have survived or died? Also, what topic should I do next?

[@kingisaiah3643]

Civil wars or world war 1

[@someone8240]

I think if I had a small chance If I bathed regularly and stayed away from everyone I think I would have a chance :)

[@caligulaaugustus2977]

Magellan or Alexanders empire after he died.

[@Newbmann]

Timurid and the timurid invasions or the turkish arival into central anitolia and the period of local greek assimilation into turks.

[@izzayorj4004]

I think I... WOULD DIE! I am horrible at taking bath's\ shower's. Alexander Hamilton!

[@top15z58]

Yo this video is super high quality. Nice job.

[@DrawnofHistory]

Thanks, already at work on the follow up

[@redneckgirl0160]

I remember watching your videos in class back when I was in school can’t believe it’s been that long I loved your videos found out you had a new channel and immediately subscribed

[@DrawnofHistory]

Glad you found the new channel

[@alin-razvanpodasca393]

You're the new OverSimplified. I like it that you do videos on stuff that he doesn't cover, more specific, restricted stuff.

[@DrawnofHistory]

I do really love his stuff. I try not to cross over with topics he's done since the funny animated history approach already draws enough comparisons.

[@coolioplayz9993]

I was brought here by KZbin recommendations and I am staying here FOREVER. This is one of the most educational videos ever. And people think the corona was the worst. Keep it up

[@coreyhall5065]

Thank you for covering both the niches, nuances, and overall consequences of the black death. Many people skip over those things to focus instead on the weird plague doctors and lack of medical knowledge back then. All without covering how important the plague was to human development and how it was arguably a necessary evil to push us further forward as a species

[@tomcrowell6697]

Actually mongols knew about the plague and had guidelines to not handle rodents that might have it even for fur or in desperation of meat. But when they noticed the disease in their dead they yeeted the corpses over the wall as one of the first instances of gern warfare. Also, the disease and the fleas have been found to have originated in the mountains near the Himalayas... Not the Gobi desert, nor China, nor Russia.

[@gadaadyn8190]

Also fleas hate horse hair and so it is a theory that among it didn’t spread as fast among Mongols

[@mah81164]

This is awesome I hope your channel gets so many more views! This content is amazing!

[@ihatecatssss]

i know right

[@trowawayrizzay]

Super underrated channel, it’s wild KZbin only now recommended to you when I follow most history channels. 🤔

[@dakoots5835]

i love mr bett and drawn of history, i swear, my teachers teach me a lot, but you somehow teach me more and your more entertaning, you keep me ZOOMed in, ha

[@NvSrAgE679]

These are so good. One of my favourite channels!

[@jannoottenburghs5121]

It is actually quite suprising how (relativly speaking) well Flanders did knowing it was one of the most densly populated ereas in Europe at that time with the cities of Bruges, Ghent and Ypres

[@giovannireyes9455]

Anytime there's animation and history, I'm here for it. Subscribed ✌️

[@mathewkelly9968]

Great channel mate , came here after seeing your Virginia colony video on Mr Terry's history teacher reacts

[@SamiDC]

Being of Irish heritage, I feel quite proud of my ancestors after watching this.

[@willowtdog6449]

Same. :)

[@bcm8984]

Yep 😂

[@hollister2320]

“Shut up-- less go to the mounteens”😂

[@burtan2000]

I've noticed we're in a workforce scenario right now (post covid plague) that the peasants were back in 14th century. Companies have hard time attracting and retaining quality employees, and for the first time in my adult life, the workers have the upper hand. They (those who own the capital and the means of production) are finding they can't do spit without the workers. Everyone blames the extra unemployment benefits that ran out like 18 months ago . This was going to happen no matter what bc of all the boomers retiring; Covid just accelerated that by making many boomers retire and other boomers kinda died.

[@bp9696]

Awesome video, can't wait till your channel explodes in popularity!

[@DrawnofHistory]

You can say you were here early

[@virtualhistory360]

Excellent video! Great storytelling. This new style is going to work out very well for you. You missed one thing though. Pope Gregory IX banned cats in the 1230s which allowed the rat population to explode. This is believed to aid in the spread of the plague.

[@rasmusn.e.m1064]

Really informative and funny! Last year, I had to write a faux pop-science article about the spread of the Bantu languages in Africa for my linguistics degree, and I was surprised to find out how massive the impact that Malaria has been in human history and pre-history. A video on that would be an interesting follow-up to this one, I feel.

[@barbaraherda9212]

Ya, and very interesting is hydroxychloroquine has fully controlled malaria. Some doctors are using it EFFECTIVELY in early treatment of “covid”, yet these doctors are being shut up. Ivermectin another inexpensive medication that’s effective treatment too. But no, they want their vaccines shoved into people’s bodies...

[@sourishshinoj9086]

Your art style looks horrifying and I love it!

[@jkent9915]

This was great. COVID did in fact turn out to be Chinese, so that part didn’t age so well.

[@anthonyminimum]

6:13 No, hygiene existed in Europe, but it wasn’t routinely practiced because of superstitions and other factors

[@yoloswaggins7121]

It also depended on where in Europe exactly you're talking about.

[@RazorsharpLT]

Thats... literally what he said

[@anneexoskin2287]

Enter the plague doctor Scp 049 walks in Nope not yet buddy Scp 049: aww

[@samiam2003]

this is TOO underrated, should be more popular

[@TB64967]

Subbed can't wait for more! Thanks Mr.Beat!

[@DrawnofHistory]

Mr. Beat should be a KZbin ambassador.

[@dewilew2137]

Excellent video, great job! 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽

[@BERNTRR]

Very nice video, the bubonic plague basicly decemated scandinavia too, and almost wiped out the norwegian language, which wasnt "rediscovered" for centuries later

[@sonny1524]

This was great! Looking forward to more:)

[@techrin3570]

one thing, the printing press did not come from china exactly. Gutenberg innovated on other press designs in Europe and added movable type making books a lot easier to make. China did make a lot of the first presses but they are not the same as the printing press Gutenberg made.

[@scottanos9981]

9:24 the plague was brought in on merchant ships, and the chews were known as merchants at the time. That was the connection in the mind of the population.

[@MetalboxwithKanon]

Bro you deserve to be on the “millions subscribers club”.

[@ktmorange02]

Love it! Please make more!

[@grapefruit9308]

This video is way higher quality than it should be

[@DrawnofHistory]

Thank you?

[@lololololkitty]

I clicked this video because one of my favorite music bands is a Norwegian band called 1394, and the name is a reference to the year the black death reached Norway and this video popped up in the search query, best side quest ever lmao

[@Brandonhayhew]

the most important event in the 14th century was the black deatg

[@38hellshotssreal]

Literally watched this because I could, amazing video, highly recommended for anything history.

[@noxauracille]

I only knew about Bubonic and Pneumonic but not Septisemic. Thank you for teaching me about the third type!!

[@michaeldebidart]

Great video man

[@blazinginfernape2205]

I lived in Mongolia for two years, and the people treat marmot like it's a delicacy. Even though it still can spread plague now, people knowingly eat it. It tastes funky, would not recommend.

[@vossboss220]

9:35 i mean... the romans were willing to release jesus its the jews who wanted him dead for blasphemy charges

[@tm9tp797]

Doesn’t change the fact Romans killed him. Or that Jesus died for humanity’s sake.

[@vossboss220]

@tm9tp797 the Roman's did the dirty work yeah but the Jewish Pharisees compelled them

[@CrankyPantss]

Well done. I’m.looking forward to seeing more videos from this channel. Thanks for sharing this with us.

[@DrawnofHistory]

Looking forward to making more. What should the next one be on?

[@michellehrin1670]

@@DrawnofHistory Phyllis Wheatley's published book of poems was on the ship from the Boston Tea Party. Maybe something about her?

[@TheJoshVerse]

Just a nitpick. Henry VIII was not Protestant. He was still a devout Catholic. He just had his own Catholic Church.

[@craigheath6699]

Top tier KZbin history channel in it’s infancy

[@DrawnofHistory]

Thanks for the compliment. Should have a new one (at least new for this channel) coming this week.

[@rfvtgbzhn]

10:02 judaic law does forbid usary, but only from other jews. They where free to loan to christians and muslins with interest.

[@carlosangel7282]

basically hit the refresh button on europe

[@blenderbanana]

I had not thought of the progroms as state sanctioned proscriptions

[@joshuawayneyork]

"Only 1310's kids will understand"😂 I wish you'd make a bunch more of these videos, they're hilarious!

[@starseeker1334]

amazing video only short information the myth of not bathing is a later issue , mostly of the 1500s It is BECAUSE of the plauge that some people thought that being too clean was the issue or that being clean did not save them anyway, and for the flees it was the not often changed ,same worn cloths that carried the plauge further, high middle ages were incredibly clean with many knights being according to some sources addicted to baths Also in the context of the middle ages we are speaking of Anti-Judaism, not yet anti-semitism, as the prejudice was based on the religion, not the race, which began mostly in the 1800s

[@barakdan1858]

Great Video, thank you!

[@andymurray8620]

I am looking through the comments...after 3 years am I possibly the first to notice your sly reference? Surely not! And no way did you do this accidentally: Right before launching the cow via catapult in Monty Python and the Holy Grail, the French taunter says "Fetchez la vache." "What?" Fetchez la vache!" (Get the cow) And you have the Khan say "Fetcha the corpse." "What?" "Fetcha the corpse!" in the exact same intonation. ...excellent easter egg!

[@drdog4589]

The sly cooper music in back is killing it

[@joshuapatrick682]

17:07 wait til the great Fungal Infection happens. Why do you think we consume so much food produced by the Fungal Overlords? Because it tastes good? 😂 because if we didn’t, we’d have been wiped out long ago.

[@sandeepgobind758]

Nice video... glad to be here before this channel becomes a mega channel 🇿🇦🇿🇦🇿🇦🇿🇦

[@ngray8201]

I was at St Paul sur Ubaye in France last week and so many marmots!!! I wanted to grab one and take it home! They are so cute. But, alas, I could never really do it.

[@DrawnofHistory]

No! People still get the plague from marmots today! They're history's deadliest animal!

[@heikkijhautanen4576]

makes Covid look like a lil saturday hangover :/

[@hollister2320]

“Shut up-- less go to the mounteens”😂

[@minato1048]

Black death: killing all of all Europe Europe: damn, that sucks… not my problem though

[@michaelfrye9864]

This is completely fantastic

[@DrawnofHistory]

Thank you. I like it too

[@mustafaaalmosawi]

Keep going 🫡.

[@DrawnofHistory]

Thank you so much. In fact, they'll be a new vid next Saturday!

[@DeeRiv1977]

Hi Mr.Betts you should do one about the Brazen Bull.

[@juliestephens6717]

You have one I found but not on this channel----about World War I--I showed it to my 11th grade ush on level class and they loved it! I know you aren't doing song parodies anymore-but-would you consider doing an updated Colonies thru Biden like the Bohemian Rhapsody one? My classes love it--I show it before the EOC even though they are on-level. The Black Death here is great!

[@june1952]

Okay but your ability to do Scottish, Irish, Old English, etc accents is pretty impressive.

[@abbcc5996]

0:15 is that a stock thunder sound because it sounds familiar

[@malegria9641]

Yeah I think it comes with Final Cut Pro

[@brucekilmoyer1503]

Just subscribed...great content...thanks!!

[@DrawnofHistory]

Thanks for joining

[@BarryMcCauciner]

Are we getting video on the silk road anytime soon?

[@DrawnofHistory]

I would doubt this year if that counts as soon

[@terrygrossmann2295]

Great upload. Really enjoyed. So is COVID-19 natures way of getting rid of too many human varmints?

[@moosemuffins2191]

Thank you China, for creating the coronavirus in a lab since 2013

[@tfenact]

Mr. Bett's introduces this "Its gory" Me: *Watches Son's of Anarchy, John Wick, Spartacus, you get the point

[@suzanneemry5770]

Yay! 2 Channels by Mr. Betts!

[@DrawnofHistory]

This one's for the older students

[@suzanneemry5770]

@@DrawnofHistory I saw that on your video telling us about it on your other channel. I'm 46. I probably qualify as "older". LOL

[@retf8977]

8:25 Ibn Al-Khatib (not "Khatrib"), 1: lived in Andalusia, not the mamluk sultanate, which you talked about just before 2. Was assassinated in a politically charged series of events that had no relation to his ideas or writings on the plague. It seems like you just wanted to add flavour. An edgy, unnecessary one.

[@robertharris6092]

Europeans in the medieval ages bathed regularly. Bath houses were literaly in every town.

[@Suksass]

Depends on Europeans.

[@dantetre]

13:10 Mountains? The highest point of Ireland barely qualifies as a mountain, let alone the rest of the country...

[@DrawnofHistory]

Yeah, well, I've climbed (walked) the Slieve League. It's the highest cliffs in Europe.

[@jukaa1012]

Insane how good this is

[@DrawnofHistory]

Thanks. Please subscribe and check out the other stuff

[@Wakshaani]

Weird question but it's bugging me. At 16:51, Tiffany Amber Theissen is on the bad pope's right, but who teh heck is on his left? (The video, as a whole? Just terrifying. And entertaining! But also very, very scary.)

[@DrawnofHistory]

I think ariana grande and some random Google image hot chick

[@coquimapping8680]

Could you do a video on the history of something in the pacific

[@DrawnofHistory]

Pacific's a big ocean. Anything in particular?

[@coquimapping8680]

@@DrawnofHistory Either polynesia or australia, or maybe micronesia

[@DrawnofHistory]

I can put it on the list. In the meantime, check out brain4breakfasts video on Australia

[@coquimapping8680]

@@DrawnofHistory Yeah...him

[@yrbelite8450]

Damn. Even the flea’s had it bad💀

[@duckieboi8305]

*That cuddly son of a b*tch* I died-

[@veiledrecalcitrance4314]

This video has made my night, this might be the first historical bit of information where the Irish weren’t either treated like garbage, mis stereotyped, or dying in huge numbers and instead were just really smart. That choice they made might explain why there are so many of us here in the U.S., since when the famine hit, there were enough of us to go “fuck this, let’s run to the states and get treated like trash there instead of trash here, at least the Americans won’t be the actual cause of our hunger like the British here in Ireland”.

[@Napoleon_Bonaparte92.15]

This video makes me feel like I was born in the wrong time period…

[@VerveQuest-zc4ri]

Really looked like Cartman was there at the wall with the Mongols

[@kingpatch95]

You know this video will age well because of the attention to facts and delightful animations. That being said free wifi doesn’t exist. Were moving towards an age of ridiculous that will genuinely topple selling the roman empire.

[@mathieuleader8601]

its amazing to think that the black death is still around now

[@DrawnofHistory]

Nature... finds a way.

[@jakedoesyoutube]

Why has barely anyone liked this? Do they know the time and effort put into this stuff?

[@DrawnofHistory]

You liked it and that works for me.

[@jakedoesyoutube]

@@DrawnofHistory Fun fact: My History teacher showed your main channel. Been a fan for about a few months.

[@izzayorj4004]

OMG HI! I just watched this video and it's great!

[@lildegree7013]

Idk how u guys ain’t blow up