The Black Death, caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis, arrived in Europe in October 1347 when Genoese trading ships docked at the Sicilian port of Messina. Over the next five years, the pandemic killed an estimated 75 to 200 million people across Eurasia, wiping out 30-60% of Europe's population. The plague had profound effects on European society, contributing to labor shortages, social upheaval, and ultimately transforming the feudal economic system.
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