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Black Death Strikes Florence
In spring 1348 the Black Death entered Florence via Pisa and other ports, causing extremely high mortality within months and paralyzing the city's ec…
Timeline
- 1348Florence · TuscanyIn spring 1348 the epidemic spread overland from the neighboring port city of Pisa into Florence; chronicles such as those of Marchione di Coppo Stefani record that mass deaths quickly appeared in the city, families abandoned corpses, funeral order collapsed, and municipal authorities struggled to maintain daily governance.
- 1348Florence · TuscanyIn summer 1348 Florence's mortality rate rose sharply, with later estimates suggesting population losses of up to half; commerce halted, craftsmen and guild members were greatly reduced, and neither religious rites nor public health measures could curb the spread, laying the groundwork for economic decline in Tuscany and all of Italy.
Sources
- The Decameron — Giovanni Boccaccio (1353)
- Florence and the Black Death https://www.britannica.com/event/Black-Death