Great Plague of London

E17851

The Great Plague of London was a devastating outbreak of bubonic plague in 1665–1666 that killed a large portion of the city’s population and marked the last major epidemic of its kind in England.

Aliases (2)

Statements (50)
Predicate Object
instanceOf bubonic plague outbreak
epidemic
historical event
alsoKnownAs Great Plague
Great Plague of 1665
associatedWith flight of the wealthy from London
increased use of quarantine laws
plague doctors’ beaked masks
authorOfRelatedWork Daniel Defoe
country Kingdom of England
documentedIn London Bills of Mortality
endTime 1666
feature mass graves
plague pits
red crosses painted on infected houses
watchmen guarding quarantined homes
followedBy Great Fire of London
follows earlier outbreaks of Black Death in Europe
hasCause Yersinia pestis
bubonic plague
historicalSignificance last major outbreak of bubonic plague in England
major event of the Stuart period
impact economic disruption in London
significant demographic decline in London
social disruption in London
legacy influenced later public health practices in England
location London
monarchDuringEvent Charles II of England
notableAreaAffected City of London
parishes outside the City walls
numberOfDeaths about 100000
about one quarter of London’s population
partOf Second plague pandemic
peakPeriod summer 1665
pointInTime 17th century
publicHealthResponse closure of theatres
isolation of infected households
quarantine measures
restrictions on public gatherings
use of plague doctors
relatedWork A Journal of the Plague Year
significantEvent mass mortality in London
startTime 1665
symptom chills
delirium
fever
swollen lymph nodes (buboes)
vomiting
transmittedBy fleas
rats


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