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Saint Sebastian, a saint of the plague, sits in the sky. Below him, an outbreak of plague occurs.
Patron saint Sebastian, saint of the plague, by Josse Lieferinxe (1497). (Photo: Walters Art Museum)

The Black Death plague arrives in Europe.

1350s

EPD
EUR
MED
Patron saint Sebastian, saint of the plague, by Josse Lieferinxe (1497). (Photo: Walters Art Museum)

Over the next five years, nearly one-third of the population of Europe will die in this epidemic, leaving widespread trauma and profoundly altering the social and political landscape of the continent. Physicians rely on techniques like bloodletting and boil-lancing, which are both dangerous to the patient and often lead to further disease spread.