The Black Death, The Fall Of Constantinople, And The...

History is a series of important battles, wars, dynasties, and rulers that transform the world. Throughout history, there have been many turning points. These turning points have shaped the world, past, present and future. Without certain milestones in history, western civilization would be drastically different. In the end, the Black Death, the Fall of Constantinople, and the invention of the printing press were three of the major turning points in western civilization. The Black Death was one of the major turning points that led to chaos and transformation in the Western world. â€Å"Black Death† was a disease that came from overseas in 1347. When it arrives, the disease attacked an already weakened population. This population had been dealing with famines for years, which left them weak and susceptible to disease. Sailors on trading ships came and docked at the port of Messina. Many civilians were there to greet them, however when the sailors came off the ship, the citizens received a horrifying and shocking surprise. This surprise was the fact that many of the sailors were either dead or gravely ill, having a fever or being unable to eat anything. The strangest symptom/sign was black boils on their bodies that were oozing pus and blood. This disease was devastating for many reasons, one of which was simply because it was contagious and the origin was unknown. It spread like wildfire and caused death within one to three days of contracting. The â€Å"Black Death† followed theShow MoreRelatedThe Transformational Century And Historical Sources And Tools Essay1409 Words   |  6 Pagesthat collectively caused it to be called the transformational century, such as the fall of the Ottoman Empire, the rise of the Byzantine Empire, and the use of guns to fight battles, I believe that the printing press makes a strong statement about the change in society. The reason the printing press stands out is it was a major change to how information was exchanged. Prior to the invention of the printing press, it’s estimated that only about 10% men/1% women were literate (Willis, 2015). HoweverRead MoreA Picatrix Miscellany52019 Words   |  209 Pagesthe Wise, king of Castille, and exerted a considerable influence on Western magic thereafter. It is said that much of Ficino’s astrological magic derives from the Picatrix (see I.P.Couliano, Eros and Magic in the Renaissance, University of Chicago Press, 1987, p. 118 ). The Picatrix is mentioned by Johannes Trithemius in Book 2 of his notorious Steganographia (1500) and in his Antipalus Maleficiorum (c. 1500). One copy (British Library, Sloane manuscript 3679) passed down from Simon Forman (d. 1611)