I-Black Death—Ubhadane LwaseYurophu Lwangenkathi Ephakathi

Ngumlobeli we-Phaphama! eFrance

Kwakungunyaka ka-1347. Lolu bhadane lwase lubhubhisile kakade eMpumalanga Ekude. Manje lwase lufike qathatha eYurophu emaphethelweni asempumalanga.

AMAMONGOL ayevimbezele izikhungo zokuhweba ezazivikelwe zaseGenoa, eKaffa, manje esibizwa ngokuthi iFeodosiya, eCrimea. Eqothulwa yilesi sifo esiyimfihlakalo nawo ngokwawo, amaMongol aphonsa ithawula. Kodwa ahlasela kakhulu ngaphambi kokuba ahoxe. Esebenzisa imishini yokuciba emikhulu, ajikijela ngalé kwezindonga zomuzi izidumbu ezazisashisa zezisulu zesifo. Lapho abavikeli abambalwa bamaGenoese kamuva bewela ngemikhumbi yabo bebaleka kuleli dolobha elase likhungethwe yilolu bhadane, basakazela lesi sifo kuwo wonke amatheku ababevakashela kuwo.

Ngezinyanga ezimbalwa nje kwase kufiwa kulo lonke elaseYurophu. Ngokushesha, sasakazekela eNyakatho Afrika, e-Italy, eSpain, eNgilandi, eFrance, e-Austria, eHungary, eSwitzerland, eJalimane, eScandinavia naseBaltics. Ngaphezudlwana nje kweminyaka emibili, abantu baseYurophu abangaphezu kwengxenye yesine, imiphefumulo eyizigidi ezingu-25, baba yizisulu zalokho okuye kwabizwa ngokuthi “inhlekelele eyabulala abantu abaningi kunazo zonke ezaziwayo”—i-Black Death.a

Ukubeka Isisekelo Senhlekelele

Inhlekelele ye-Black Death yayihilela okungaphezu nje kwesifo ngokwaso. Ziningi izici ezabhebhethekisa le nhlekelele, ezinye zazo ukushisekela inkolo. Imfundiso yesihlanzo ingesinye sezibonelo. Isazi-mlando esingumFulentshi, uJacques le Goff, sithi: “Ekupheleni kwekhulu le-13, imfundiso yesihlanzo yase idume yonke indawo.” Ngasekuqaleni kwekhulu le-14, uDante wakhipha incwadi yakhe enethonya ethi The Divine Comedy, nezincazelo zayo zesihogo nesihlanzo ezinemifanekiso. Ngaleyo ndlela inkolo yenza ukuba abantu babhekane nalesi sifo ngokunganaki okumangalisayo futhi basamukele, besibheka njengesijeziso esivela kuNkulunkulu uqobo. Njengoba sizobona, ukuba nezingqondo ezibheka ikusasa ngendlela efiphele kanjalo empeleni kwandisa ukusakazeka kwalesi sifo. Incwadi ethi The Black Death, kaPhilip Ziegler iyaphawula: “Yikho okwanikeza lesi sifo ithuba elingcono lokwanda.”

Kwabe sekuvela inkinga yokungavumi kwezivuno izikhathi zilandelana eYurophu. Ngenxa yalokho, inani labantu elalanda kuleli zwekazi lalingondlekile—lingakwazi ukumelana nokugula.

Ubhadane Luyasakazeka

Ngokukadokotela kaPapa Clement VI, uGuy de Chauliac, iYurophu yahlaselwa izinhlobo ezimbili zalesi sifo: esasihlasela amaphaphu nesasibangela ukuvuvukala kwezimbilapho. Wazichaza kahle lezi zifo, ebhala: “Esokuqala sasithatha izinyanga ezimbili, umuntu wayeba nemfiva engapheli futhi ahlanze igazi, futhi ngemva kwalokho wayefa ezinsukwini ezintathu. Esesibili sasimhlasela umuntu kuze kube yilapho kuphela khona isikhathi salesi sifo, nakhona wayeba nemfiva engapheli, abe namathumba futhi avuvukale ezingxenyeni ezithile zomzimba, ikakhulukazi emakhwapheni nasezimbilaphweni. Ngemva kwalokhu umuntu wayefa ezinsukwini ezinhlanu.” Odokotela babehluleka ukunqanda lolu bhadane.

Abaningi babaleka ngenxa yengebhe—beshiya izinkulungwane zabantu ababengenwe yisifo. Yebo, phakathi kwabokuqala ababaleka kwakuyizicebi nezifundiswa. Nakuba abanye abefundisi nabo babaleka, abantu abaningi bezifunda zabo zenkolo bacasha ezigodlweni zabo, benethemba lokuthi bazosinda kulesi sifo.

Phakathi nalesi siphithiphithi, upapa wamemezela ukuthi unyaka ka-1350 uNyaka Ongcwele. Ababethatha uhambo lokuya endaweni engcwele besuka eRoma babezovunyelwa ukuba bangene ngokuqondile epharadesi ngaphandle kokuba kudingeke badlule esihlanzweni! Amakhulu ezinkulungwane zababeya endaweni engcwele basabela obizweni—besakaza lesi sifo lapho babehamba khona.

Imizamo Eyize

Imizamo yokulawula i-Black Death yayiyize ngoba akekho owayazi ngempela ukuthi ithathelwana kanjani. Abaningi baqaphela ukuthi ukuthintana nophethwe yiyo—ngisho nokuthinta izingubo zakhe—kwakuyingozi. Abanye babesaba ngisho nokubhekwa ophethwe yiyo! Nokho, izakhamuzi zaseFlorence, e-Italy, zathi lesi sifo sibangelwa amakati nezinja. Bazibulala lezi zilwane, bengaqapheli ukuthi ngokwenza kanjalo, babenikeza inkululeko esilwaneni okwakuyiso esasihilelekile ekusakazeni lesi sifo—igundane.

Njengoba ukufa kwakudlanga, abanye baphendukela kuNkulunkulu ukuze abasize. Abesilisa nabesifazane banikela ngakho konke ababenakho esontweni, benethemba lokuthi uNkulunkulu uzobavikela ekuguleni—noma okungenani abavuze ngokuphila kwasezulwini uma befa. Lokhu kwangenisa izindodla zemali esontweni. Izintelezi zenhlanhla, izithombe zikaKristu, neziphandla kwakungamakhambi avamile. Abanye baphendukela kuzinkolelo-ze, imilingo nemithi yamanga ukuze belapheke. Amakha, uviniga nezimbiza kwakuthiwa kuyasiqeda lesi sifo. Ukuchitha igazi kwakungelinye ikhambi elithandwayo. Umkhakha wezokwelapha e-University of Paris waze wathi lesi sifo sibangwa ukuma kwamaplanethi! Nokho, izincazelo mbumbulu “namakhambi” akuzange kusinqande lesi sifo esibulalayo.

Imiphumela Engapheli

Ngemva kweminyaka emihlanu kwabonakala sengathi i-Black Death yayisiphelile. Kodwa yayisazobuya lingakapheli ikhulu leminyaka, okungenani izikhathi ezine. Kuze kube manje imiphumela ye-Black Death iye yaqhathaniswa neyeMpi Yezwe I. “Cishe izazi-mlando zanamuhla ziyavumelana ngokuthi ukufika kwalesi sifo kwaba nemiphumela emikhulu kokubili kwezomnotho nasemphakathini ngemva kuka-1348,” kuphawula incwadi ka-1996 ethi The Black Death in England. Lolu bhadane lwaqothula ingxenye enkulu yomphakathi, futhi kwathatha amakhulu eminyaka ukuba ezinye izindawo zilulame. Njengoba izisebenzi zase zinciphile, lezo ezazisasele zafuna amaholo aphezulu. Abanikazi bamapulazi abake bakhomba ngophakathi baphelelwa yimali, futhi umphakathi wezikhulu nezikhonzi—owawuwuphawu lweNkathi Ephakathi—washabalala.

Ngakho-ke, lolu bhadane lwaluyimbangela yoshintsho kwezombangazwe, kwezenkolo nakwezenhlalo. Ngaphambi kwalolu bhadane, ulimi lwesiFulentshi lwaluvame ukukhulunywa yizifundiswa kuphela eNgilandi. Nokho, ukufa kothisha abaningi besiFulentshi, kwenza ulimi lwesiNgisi lwadlondlobala ngaphezu kwesiFulentshi eBrithani. Kwaba khona nezinguquko ezithile kwezenkolo. Njengoba isazi-mlando esingumFulentshi uJacqueline Brossollet siphawula, ngenxa yokuntuleka kwabazofundela ukuba abapristi, “iSonto lalivame ukuthatha abantu abangenalwazi nabanganaki.” UBrossollet ugomela ngokuthi “ukuwohloka kwezikhungo [zesonto] zokufunda nokholo kwakungenye yezimbangela zeNguquko.”

Ngokuqinisekile i-Black Death yashiya izibazi kwezobuciko, ukufa kwaba into evelele kwezobuciko. Izithombe zomdanso odumile wokufa, ezazivame ukuba nohlaka lwamathambo nezidumbu, zaba isifanekiselo esidumile samandla okufa. Bengaqiniseki ngekusasa, abaningi abasinda kulolu bhadane bakulahla ukuzithiba ngokokuziphatha. Ngakho-ke ukuziphatha kahle kwaphela nyá. Ngenxa yokwehluleka kwesonto ukuvimbela i-Black Death, “umuntu owayephila ngenkathi ephakathi waba nomuzwa wokuthi isonto lakhe lalimenzele phansi.” (The Black Death) Ezinye izazi-mlando zithi izinguquko ezaba khona kwezenhlalo kamuva ngenxa ye-Black Death zagqugquzela ukuzimela namabhizinisi futhi zathuthukisa ukuhlangana kwezenhlalo nezomnotho—okwandulela isimiso sokuhweba ngokukhululekile.

I-Black Death yashukumisa nohulumeni ukuba basungule izimiso zokukhuculula indle. Ngemva kokuba lolu bhadane selunciphile, iVenice yathatha izinyathelo zokuhlanza imigwaqo yedolobha layo. INkosi uJohn II yaseFrance, ebizwa ngokuthi Omuhle, nayo yayaleza ukuba kuhlanzwe imigwaqo ukuze kulwisanwe nosongo lwalo mqedazwe. Inkosi yathatha lesi sinyathelo ngemva kokuzwa ngodokotela ongumGreki wasendulo owasindisa abase-Athene ngokuhlanza nokugeza imigqwaqo. Imigwaqo eminingi yangenkathi ephakathi, eyayingamapayipi endle avulekile, ekugcineni yahlanzwa.

Into Yesikhathi Esidlule?

Nokho, igciwane elibangela i-Black Death laze latholakala ngo-1894 litholwa isazi sama-bacterium esingumFulentshi u-Alexandre Yersin. Laqanjwa ngaso kwathiwa i-Yersinia pestis. Eminyakeni emine kamuva enye indoda engumFulentshi, uPaul-Louis Simond, yathola ukuthi izenze (elalithwalwa amagundane) lalinengxenye ekudluliseni lesi sifo. Ngokushesha kwasungulwa ikhambi elaphumelela ngezinga elithile.

Ingabe lesi sifo sesiyinto yesikhathi esidlulile? Lutho neze. Ebusika bango-1910, kwafa abantu abangaba ngu-50 000 eManchuria ngenxa yalolu bhadane. Futhi unyaka ngamunye i-World Health Organization ibhalisa izinkulungwane zabanye esibahlasele—isibalo siyaqhubeka sikhuphuka. Kuye kwatholakala amagciwane amasha alesi sifo—amagciwane angelapheki. Yebo, ngaphandle kokuba kunanyathelwe ezindinganisweni zokuhlanzeka eziyisisekelo, lolu bhadane lusewusongo esintwini. Ngakho-ke incwadi ethi Pourquoi la peste? Le rat, la puce et le bubon (Kungani Kunalolu Bhadane? Igundane, Impukane Nembilapho), eyahlelwa uJacqueline Brossollet noHenri Mollaret yaphetha ngokuthi “kwakungesona neze isifo saseYurophu yangeNkathi Ephakathi, . . . ngokudabukisayo, lolu bhadane mhlawumbe luseyisifo sesikhathi esizayo.”

[Umbhalo waphansi]

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Abesilisa nabesifazane banikela ngakho konke aba-benakho esontweni, bene-themba lokuthi uNkulunkulu uzobavikela ekuguleni

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Ihlelo Labazihluphayo

Bebheka lesi sifo njengesijeziso esivela kuNkulunkulu, abanye bafuna ukuqeda intukuthelo kaNkulunkulu ngokuzibhaxabula noma ngokuzihlupha. UBuzalwane Babazihluphayo, inhlangano okuthiwa inabantu ababalelwa ku-800 000, baduma kakhulu phakathi ne-Black Death. Imithetho yaleli hlelo yayikwenqabela ukukhuluma nabesifazane, ukugeza noma ukushintsha izingubo zokugqoka. Ukuzihlupha obala kwakwenziwa kabili ngosuku.

Incwadi ethi Medieval Heresy iphawula ukuthi “ukuzihlupha kwakungenye yezindlela zokuzikhulula eyayisetshenziswa yilo mphakathi owawugajwe ukwesaba.” Laba bantu abazihluphayo babevelele ekusoleni isigaba sabefundisi sesonto nasekujivazeni umkhuba wesonto owawungenisa imali wokuthethelela izono. Yingakho nje upapa alilahla leli hlelo ngo-1349. Nokho, ekugcineni le nhlangano yawa ngemva kokuba i-Black Death isidlulile.

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Abazihluphayo babefuna ukushweleza kuNkulunkulu

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© Bibliothèque Royale de Belgique, Bruxelles

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© Cliché Bibliothèque Nationale de France, Paris

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Ubhadane eMarseilles, eFrance

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U-Alexandre Yersin owathola igciwane elibanga lesi sifo

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Culver Pictures