Black Death
The Black Death was one of the most devastating pandemics in human history, resulting in the deaths of an estimated 75 to 200 million people in Eurasia, peaking in Europe from 1347 to 1351.
Many large-scale consequences of the Black Death have been proposed, including even climate change leading to the "Little Ice Age", by freeing up land and triggering reforestation.
Various groups are claimed to have been blamed and persecuted, including friars, foreigners, beggars, pilgrims, Gypsies, lepers (and others with skin disease), and Jews. Wikipedia cites The Jewish Encyclopedia and claims that thousands of Jews were killed in pogroms, making no mention of the often wildly varying claims regarding (claimed) mass killings. Regarding various criticisms, see the "External links" section.
