Read Boccaccio on the Black Death at:

http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/boccacio2.asp

And Read Ibn al-Wardi on the Black Death in the Middle East at:

Ibn al-Wardi.pdf Ibn al-Wardi.pdf – Alternative Formats

Using these sources and your textbook, write an essay of 700-900 words answering the following questions.
How does the Black Death come about?  What immediate impact did the Black Death have on the economy and society of Europe?
What evidence does Boccaccio provide on the collapse of Italian urban civilization as it was structured before the plague?
How do the conditions described by Ibn al-Wardi source compare to the those mentioned by Boccaccio?
What do these two sources demonstrate regarding the extent of the plague?
What were some of the larger and long-term political, economic, and social consequences of the Black Death?