An epidemic which devastated Europe and the Near East in the mid-13th century. It is believed to have come from Asia, transmitted by fleas on rats, traveling along the trade routes to Europe and the near East. It reached southern Europe in 1347, and came to France and England in 1348. It is estimated that up to 25 million people may have died in 20 years in Europe. In France one third of the population died, resulting in a shortage of labor for the next generation, and the governments of some countries using forced labor.
