What caused the Black Death and how did it change European society?

The Black Death was like a super sneaky virus that ran through Europe and made many people very sick, even some died.

Imagine you're playing with your friends in a big park, but suddenly a bunch of tiny invisible bugs jump on everyone's hands. These bugs make the people around them feel really bad, and then they get sick too. That’s what happened during the Black Death: it started in one place and spread quickly to others.

Bacteria, which are like super small creatures that can’t be seen with our eyes, were behind this sickness. They lived in rats, think of them as tiny furry friends who also got sick. When these rats died, the bacteria jumped from the rats to people, especially through fleas, like little bugs that bite and travel around.

This terrible illness changed European society a lot: many people lost their jobs because there weren’t enough workers, and some even had more freedom since they could ask for better wages. It was like if all your friends suddenly left the park, and you got to choose what game you wanted to play next!