Mankind: The Story of all of Us (Part 5: Plague)

Beginning in 2012 (nearly 10 years ago), the History Channel has released this 12-episode docu-series about some of the most famous events of the 2 million years of the existence of our species.

This is Part 5 of this 12-part wiki page series. In this part we will cover the devastation of the Back Death as well as the conquest of some warlords.

## Plague

### A "Kahn" quest for China

The episode begins in the grasslands of northeast China in the early 13th century where it talks about one of the ruthless warlords in history; "Genghis Kahn".

According to the Episode, Kahn was said that he was driven to exile, and after taking over what is modern day Mongolia, he begins a "Kahn" quest for China which is richer and full of resources. The episode also said that the Kahn's aim on China was driven by some kind of climate change brought on my an upsurge in activity from our Sun which turned Mongolia into the landscape we know it today; a barren desert which was once grassland.

The episode also says that Kahn and his Mongols use horses and to great effect, this is how Kahn would conquer China, very much now Nazi Germany would use tanks to conquer Europe nearly 700 years later.

Kahn's aim was for the capital of the Middle Jin Dynasty; Chengdu. He would use fire arrows, and even prisoners from Chengdu to build battering rams to bring down the gates of the walled city.

The Mongols laid siege to the city, causing over 100,000 people to flee, and thousands of women to commit suicide as the Mongols would commit horrible atrocities against them, including...........invasion of personal privacy. By 1235, the Mongols would conquer the Middle Jin Dynasty as it would be absorbed into Kahn's long stretching empire.

Eventually, the Mongol Empire would go as far east as North Korea, to even as far west as Poland. The Mongols would rule over more land in lesser time than the Romans, and they would use the latest in communication for the time.

The Mongols would also open up new trade routes as well as re-open the Silk Road. One person can also travel very far and using one of the first passports for a new horse and fresh provisions. Though the Mongol Empire would eventually divide into many other empires or "Kahnates" (the Chinese part would be called the "Yuan Dynasty")

### Death is Black

Before I begin this part of the episode. I just want to tell you that I have already made a wiki page about the Black Death (click here if you want to read about the disaster itself in more detail)

The episode now makes a stop at a trading town of "Issy-Kul" (in modern day Kyrgyzstan) where one of the worst pandemics will begin.

The year is 1333, and Issy-Kul is where a pandemic will begin.

A form of Bacteria called "Yersinia Pestis" which is carried by fleas is spreading throughout Issy-Kul. Most species of Bacteria are good (despite what some of us clean people think) in fact some are essential to life, but some (like Yersinia Pestis) can harm or even kill us. Fleas act as a hypodermic needle as they inject the bacteria into their hosts.

Anybody catching Bubonic Plague (how it would eventually be called) would experience sweating, a fever, fatigue and even coughing up blood. But the most distinctive symptom of Bubonic Plague are the red-blueish sores that occur either by the neck, armpit, or genital area called "Buboes", and anybody who catches the disease would be dead in a matter of weeks. In 1333, around 40 people in Issy-Kul would die from the disease, 2 years later 100 people would die.

But this is only the beginning, the fleas ride along the Black Rats who ride along with the traders along the Silk Road and the Mongol Trade Routes.

Within the next few years, the Plague would spread out of Issy-Kul and head elsewhere along the Mongol Trade routes and the Silk Road, it heads east to China, eventually it heads west too.

As the disease heads west, so to does this episode and to the Crimean town of Kaffa (another trading town) where the Pandemic would really take off.

This is where a warlord claims to be the descendant of Genghis Kahn; "Jani Beg" wants to seize the town of Kaffa, and he'll do it by using his dead men (killed by the Plague) and place their bodies onto trebuchets (huge catapults) and throw the bodies into the walled city. The people inside the city would flee in terror of these bodies being launched into the city. Those who were fleeing Kaffa, don't know of the Plague, nor do they have any idea that they're bringing the disease with them. Now the deadliest disease is heading to the world's most densely populated continent; Europe.

And that is what this episode turns its attention to. There are 3 locations it goes to somewhere in Modern Day Italy, Avignon in Modern Day France, and Strasbourg in Modern Day Germany

Now, there's one thing that you must understand is that it wasn't only the Plague is what caused so much death, but it was also the dense population of Europe at the time, the earlier famine that hit Europe, as well as the unsanitary lifestyle which was the norm for Europe at the time is what made the disease so deadly. In fact, so many died as a result of the Plague, Plague pits were established and as many as 1,000 bodies were buried every day. The Episode makes its first stop in Italy where it talked about "Pneumonic Plague" where the Plague would spread much easier when somebody sneezes or coughs as the Plague would be first reported in Europe in 1347.

In Avignon (in Modern Day France and on the Rhone River) the Pope (Clement the 6th) was given an important task to go to Jehovah (the Christian God) and tell him to stop the Plague, unfortunately for Avignon, the Pope was powerless to stop it, he then consecrate the Rhone River as one giant Plague pit, bodies by the thousands were washed away.

In Strasbourg (in Modern Day Germany), a Jewish community is under threat by an angry mob. As the Plague Pandemic worsens, people are looking for a scapegoat and they think the Jewish people are poisoning the drinking water. Though, the guards would put up a fight, but the mob would overpower them and storm the city, and they would kill some Jewish people inside trying to flee. Soon after, it would seem like the entire continent of Europe was abandoned as cities would seem like it was deserted, microscopic bacteria has rendered mankind in Europe powerless. But the disease would eventually burn itself out as people will get immune to it.

### American Empire

The Episode now turns to South America where a huge empire would begin.

Here, a tribe of humans calling themselves the "Incas" (led by their leader named "Pachacuti Inca Yupanqui" pronounced "patch-a-cootie-eenka-you-pan-ki") are at war against their rivals, the "Chankas" a ruthless tribe who take no prisoners. This episode talks about Pachacuti and this battle he fought as his father fled. The Incas are outnumbered, but Pachacuti is divinely inspired as he believes that the Inca Sun God (Inti) has promised him a great victory.

Knowing that his forces are outnumbered, Pachacuti had to come up with a clever way to defeat the Chankas, and he knew that they had a sore spot, their mummified leader "Uscovilca" (pronounced "us-ka-ville-ka") and if Pachacuti can topple Uscovilca, he can defeat the Chankas.

First, he taunts the Chankas, provoking them to attack. As the Chankas charged forward, Pachacuti then holds his men back and throw bolas (a stone weapon) at the charging Chankas which disorients them, but then during the battle Pachacuti sees his opportunity to topple Uscovilca, he does this, and the Chankas were defeated. With the Chankas defeated, Pachacuti would go on to create his empire, the biggest one in the Americas.

The Inca Empire would then build a huge system of roads which allowed for easy and safe travel across the mountains. In the center of the Empire is Pachacuti's own palace village; Macchu Pichu. Also came with it is the safety of the Inca's crops consisting of Potatoes, Tomatoes, and even Corn.

That'l do it for this episode, in the next episode we will cover the episode "Survivors" (click here), those who survived the devastation of the Plague and create a new generation which would help Europe recover from the Plague such as the Renaissance, Modern Banking, and the Mali Empire which saw the best in West Africa. Until next time, this is JohnnyOTGS signing out.