BLACK DEATH IN DALMATIA DURING 14TH CENTURY WITH SPECIAL FOCUS ON SPLIT

Rečenica Bježi hitno, bježi daleko i kasno se vraćaj!153 najbolji je opis stanja u Europi za vrijeme velike kužne epidemije 14. stoljeća – Crne smrti. U razdoblju srednjega vijeka, pa sve do kraja devetnaestog stoljeća uzročnik kuge bio je nepoznat te je samo liječenje pošasti bio srednjovjekovni misterij koji je oblikovao niz vjerovanja i liječničkih pothvata kako bi se ta pošast uništila. Građa koja se odnosi na Crnu smrt u Dalmaciji samo je jedna fragmentarna mozaik-slika koju je jako teško upotpuniti zbog manjka izvora. Loše stanje u Europi, pogođeno glađu i ratovima, bilo je pogodno tlo za razvoj epidemije. Bolest se, zahvaljujući zaraženoj buhi bacilom Yersinia pestis širila preko odjeće, namirnica, ljudi i mrtvaca te je trgovačkim putovima stigla u Dalmaciju 1347. godine. Kuga je unutar dalmatinskih gradova odnijela oko tri četvrtine stanovništva što je znatno utjecalo na demografski razvitak gradova. Ostavila je snažan utisak među stanovništvom stvarajući tako niz krivaca za širenje zaraze. Prije svega, kuga se doživljavala kao odraz Božjeg gnjeva zbog strahota stanovništva i njihovih grijeha, suprotno tomu se i Židove krivilo za pomor europskog stanovništva. Prevencija od zaraze podrazumijevala je niz odredbi o zabrani ulaska u grad ako se dolazi iz okuženih krajeva, stvaranjem karantena, kao one prve u Dubrovniku 1377. godine, spaljivanjem kuća okuženih stanovnika i sl. U Dalmaciji su najviše bili zahvaćeni gradovi Split i Dubrovnik. Anonimni kroničar u rukopisu A Cutheis tabula izvještava nas o nesretnim danima zla za grad Split pojavom epidemije. „Progutavši“ prvo životinje pa ljude, kuga je letimično, bez ikakvih društvenih i dobnih razlika, zahvaćala sve pred sobom, a gradske su ulice bile zatrpane leševima oboljelih. Osjećaji koji su živjeli među Splićanima probudili su strah od Sudnjeg dana. Crna smrt nije u potpunosti zaustavila gospodarski život dalmatinskih gradova, ali ga je znatno usporila, dok su se s druge strane razvili neki novi poslovi, povećale plaće i rad se malo više počeo cijeniti.The sentence Run quickly, run far and come back late is the best description of the situation that was happening in the 14th century, during the Great Plague, also known as "the Black Death". In the period of the Middle Ages up until the end of the 19th century, the plague was known as a "medieval mystery" since there wasn't a known cause of the actual plague itself and its treatment. The material related to the Black Death in Dalmatia is only one fracture of an imaginary mosaic that is very difficult to complete due to the lack of sources. The bad situation in Europe affected by famine and war made a suitable ground for the development of the epidemic. Thanks to a flea infected with the bacteria "Yersinia pestis" the disease started to spread through clothing, food, people, and dead bodies, and thus it made its way to Dalmatia in 1347 via trade routes. The plague took away about three-quarters of the population in Dalmatian cities, which significantly affected the demographic development of the cities. It left a strong impression among the population creating a series of culprits for the spread of the infection. The plague was mostly believed to be an image of God's wrath due to the population's horrors and sins, while some blamed the Jews for the mass deaths of the European population. Prevention of the infection was reflected in prohibitions like of entering the city if coming from infected areas, creating arson upon houses of residents who had the plague, and by creating quarantines, just like the first one built in Dubrovnik in 1377. The cities which were affected the most were Split and Dubrovnik. An anonymous chronicler in the manuscript "A Cutheis tabula" informs us about the unfortunate evil period for Split with the outbreak of the plague. Having swallowed first animals and then people, the plague quickly, without any social and age differences, encompassed everything in its way. City streets were littered with corpses of the infected, and the eerie feeling of horror awakened the fear of Judgment Day. The Black death did not stop the economic life of the cities, but it slowed them down significantly. But on the other hand, some new jobs developed, wages increased and people started to value work a little more