When did the Black Death happen?
The Black Death reached Europe in October 1347 when infected ships arrived at Messina, Sicily. The worst of the pandemic lasted from 1347 to 1353, killing roughly one-third to one-half of Europe's population. Smaller outbreaks continued to recur throughout the 14th and 15th centuries.
The Black Death's devastating sweep through Europe is precisely dated thanks to extensive contemporary records. The plague had been spreading across Central Asia and the Middle East for several years before reaching Europe, likely traveling along Silk Road trade routes from its probable origin in the steppe region of Central Asia.
The first recorded arrival in Europe occurred in October 1347, when twelve Genoese trading ships docked at the port of Messina, Sicily. The ships had come from Kaffa (modern Feodosia) in Crimea, where a Mongol army besieging the Genoese trading post had reportedly catapulted plague-infected corpses over the city walls — one of history's earliest examples of biological warfare.
From Sicily, the plague spread with terrifying speed. It reached mainland Italy by early 1348, then moved to France, Spain, and England that same year. By 1349 it had reached Germany, Scandinavia, and Eastern Europe. Russia was struck in 1351. By 1353, the worst of the initial pandemic was over, though it had killed an estimated 75 to 200 million people across Eurasia — including roughly one-third to one-half of Europe's entire population.
The Black Death was not a single event but the most devastating outbreak in a series. Bubonic plague returned to Europe repeatedly throughout the 14th and 15th centuries — roughly every 10 to 20 years — though no subsequent outbreak matched the catastrophic mortality of 1347–1353. These recurring visitations prevented population recovery and prolonged the plague's social, economic, and cultural impact for generations.