compiled by Susan Flantzer

The bubonic plague, also known as the Black Death, the Pestilence, and the Plague, is estimated to have killed 30% to 60% of Europe’s population. Bubonic plague was mainly spread by fleas, infected with the bacteria Yersinia pestis, on small animals. Symptoms include chills, general ill feeling, high fever, muscle cramps, and seizures. The best-known symptom is a smooth, painful lymph gland swelling called a bubo, commonly found in the groin, but may occur in the armpits or neck, most often near the site of the initial infection – bite or scratch. Without treatment – and there was no treatment until the advent of antibiotics – plague resulted in the death of 30% to 90% of those infected.

In the Late Middle Ages, Europe experienced the most deadly disease outbreak in history when the Black Death, the infamous pandemic of bubonic plague, hit in 1347. From 1347 to 1665, the Black Death was responsible for about 25 million deaths in Europe.

This does not purport to be a complete list. All images are from Wikipedia unless otherwise indicated.

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Joan of England

• Born: February 1335 at Woodstock Palace
• Parents: King Edward III of England and Philippa of Hainault
• Died: September 2, 1348, aged 13
• Buried: Bayonne Cathedral in Bayonne, France
• Wikipedia: Joan of England

In 1345, Joan was betrothed to Pedro of Castile, the son and heir of King Alfonso XI of Castile (who would die of the plague in 1350). In the summer of 1348, Joan left England to travel to Castile. As Joan started her journey, the plague had not yet appeared in England, and it is unlikely that those traveling with Joan knew of the danger.

The travel schedule included a stop at her family’s castle in Bordeaux, France. The outbreak of the plague was severe in Bordeaux but it did not occur to Joan or her companions to leave the town until members of their entourage began falling sick and dying. They moved to the small village of Loremo but Joan soon became ill with the plague, suffered greatly, and then died.

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Eleanor of Portugal, Queen of Aragon

• Born: February 3, 1328 in Portugal
• Parents: King Afonso IV of Portugal and Beatrice of Castile
• Married: King Pedro IV of Aragon in 1347
• Died: October 29, 1348, aged 20, in Jérica, Kingdom of Aragon, now in Spain
• Buried: Royal Abbey of Santa Maria de Poblet in Vimbodí i Poblet, now in Catalonia, Spain
• Wikipedia: Eleanor of Portugal, Queen of Aragon

Eleanor died on the way to Jérica, Kingdom of Aragon after having contracted the plague while in Teruel, Kingdom of Aragon.

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Jeanne of Burgundy, Queen of France

• Born: June 24, 1293
• Parents: Robert II, Duke of Burgundy and Agnes of France
• Married: King Philippe VI of France in 1313
• Died: December 12, 1349 in Paris, France
• Buried: Basilica of Saint-Denis near Paris, France
• Wikipedia: Jeanne of Burgundy, Queen of France

Jeanne died of the plague as a result of the epidemic that affected France since 1347.

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Bonne of Luxembourg, Duchess of Normandy

Bonne with her husband

• Born: May 20. 1315 in Prague, Kingdom of Bohemia, now in the Czech Republic
• Parents: John the Blind, King of Bohemia, Count of Luxembourg and Elisabeth of Bohemia
• Married: Jean, Duke of Normandy, the future King Jean II of France, in 1322
• Died: September 11, 1349, aged 34, at the Abbey of Maubuisson in Maubuisson, France
• Buried: Abbey of Maubuisson in Maubuisson, France
• Wikipedia: Bonne of Luxembourg, Duchess of Normandy

Bonne died of the plague as a result of the epidemic that affected France since 1347.

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Queen Jeanne II of Navarre

• Born: January 28, 1312 in Conflans-Sainte-Honorine, France
• Parents: King Louis X of France/King Louis I of Navarre and Margaret of Burgundy
• Married: Philip of Évreux in 1318
• Died: October 6, 1349, aged 37, at the Castle in Bréval, Paris, France
• Buried: Basilica of Saint-Denis near Paris, France
• Wikipedia: Queen Jeanne II of Navarre

Jeanne was a victim of the plague.

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King Alfonso XI of Castile

• Born: August 13, 1311 in Salamanca, Kingdom of Castile, now in Spain
• Parents: King Ferdinand IV of Castile and Constance of Portugal
• Married: (1) Constance of Peñafiel in 1325, annulled 1327 (2) Maria of Portugal in 1328
• Died: March 26, 1350, aged 38, in Gibraltar, Emirate of Granada, now a British Overseas Territory
• Buried: Royal Collegiate Church of Saint Hippolytus in Córdoba, Kingdom of Castile, now in Spain
• Wikipedia: King Alfonso XI of Castile

Alfonso was the would-be father-in-law of Joan of England who died on the plague while on her way to marry his eldest son. (See above.) He died of the plague during the Fifth Siege of Gibraltar.

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Louis, King of Sicily

• Born: February 4, 1338 in Catania, Kingdom of Sicily, now in Italy
• Parents: King Peter II of Sicily and Elisabeth of Carinthia
• Died: October 16, 1355, aged 17, at the Castle of Aci in Catania, Kingdom of Sicily, now in Italy
• Buried: Cathedral of St. Agatha in Catania, Kingdom of Sicily, now in Italy
• Wikipedia: Louis, King of Sicily

Louis became King of Sicily when he was four-year-old. Following the death of his cousin Federico, Lord of Aci from the plague, Louis sought shelter from the disease at the Castle of Aci in Catania, Kingdom of Sicily. However, he was already infected with the plague and died.

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Erik Magnuson, (rival) King of Sweden

• Born: 1339
• Parents: King Magnus IV of Sweden and Blanche of Namur
• Married: Beatrix of Bavaria in 1356
• Died: June 21, 1359, aged 19–20
• Buried: ?
• Wikipedia: Erik Magnusson of Sweden

Sometimes incorrectly called Erik XII, Erik was a rival king of Sweden, competing against his father Magnus IV, from 1356 to his death in 1359 from the plague. His wife died from the plague six months later. (See below.)

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Beatrix of Bavaria, Queen of Sweden

• Born: circa 1344
• Parents: Ludwig IV of Bavaria, King of Germany and Holy Roman Emperor, and Margaret of Holland
• Married: Erik Magnuson, (rival) King of Sweden in 1356
• Died: December 25, 1359, aged 15, in Sweden
• Buried: Black Friars Monastery in Stockholm, Sweden
• Wikipedia: Beatrix of Bavaria, Queen of Sweden

Six months after her husband died from the plague (see above), Beatrix died from the same disease. She had recently given birth to a son who also died from the plague.

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Philip I, Duke of Burgundy

• Born: 1346 at Rouvres-en-Plaine Castle in Rouvres-en-Plaine, Duchy of Burgundy, now in France
• Parents: Philip I, Count of Auvergne and Joan I, Countess of Auvergne
• Married: Margaret III, Countess of Flanders
• Died: November 21, 1361, aged 15, at Rouvres-en-Plaine Castle in Rouvres-en-Plaine, Duchy of Burgundy, now in France
• Buried: ?
• Wikipedia: Philip I, Duke of Burgundy

Philip died from the plague or possibly from a riding accident.

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King Louis I of Naples

• Born: 1320 in the Kingdom of Naples, now in Italy
• Parents: Philip I, Prince of Taranto, and Catherine of Valois
• Married: his first cousin Queen Joanna I of Naples in 1347
• Died: May 26, 1362 in the Kingdom of Naples, now in Italy
• Buried: Territorial Abbey of Montevergine in Montevergine, Kingdom of Naples, now in Italy
• Wikipedia: King Louis I of Naples

Louis gained the crown of Naples by marrying his first cousin Queen Joanna I of Naples. After his death from the plague, his wife reasserted her authority.

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Blanche of Lancaster, Duchess of Lancaster
Blanche of Lancaster and John of Gaunt

• Born: March 25, 1342 at Bolingbroke Castle in Lincolnshire, England
• Parents: Henry of Grosmont, 1st Duke of Lancaster and Isabel de Beaumont
• Married: John of Gaunt, son of King Edward III of England
• Died: September 12, 1368, aged 26, at Tutbury Castle in Staffordshire, England
• Buried: Old St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, England which was destroyed in the Great Fire of 1666
• Unofficial Royalty: Blanche of Lancaster, Duchess of Lancaster

The first of the three wives of John of Gaunt, Blanche was the mother of King Henry IV of England. Blanche died of the plague while John was away at sea. Despite the fact that John of Gaunt married two more times, when he died in 1399, he was buried with Blanche.

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Edward of Angoulême

Edward of Angouleme and his mother Joan of Kent, depicted on the Wilton Diptych, 1395

• Born: January 27, 1365 at the Château d’Angoulême in Angoulême, Duchy of Aquitaine, now in France
• Parents: Edward of Woodstock, Prince of Wales, the Black Prince, eldest son of King Edward III of England, and Joan of Kent, 4th Countess of Kent, Princess of Wales
• Died: circa September 20, 1370, aged 5, in Bordeaux, Duchy of Aquitaine, now in France
• Buried: first in Bordeaux; moved to England 1388/9 and buried at Kings Langley Palace in Kings Langley, Hertfordshire, England; re-buried at the Church of the Austin Friars in London, England
• Wikipedia: Edward of Angoulême

Edward was the elder son of Edward of Woodstock, Prince of Wales, the Black Prince, who predeceased his father King Edward II of England. Because of young Edward’s death from the plague, it was his younger brother King Richard II who succeeded their grandfather.

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Anne of Bohemia, Queen of England

Anne of Bohemia with her husband King Richard II of England

• Born: May 11, 1366 in Prague, Kingdom of Bohemia, now in the Czech Republic
• Parents: Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor, King of Bohemia, and Elizabeth of Pomerania
• Married: King Richard II of England in 1382
• Died: June 7, 1394, aged 28, at Sheen Palace in Richmond Upon Thames, England
• Buried: Westminster Abbey in London, England
• Unofficial Royalty: Anne of Bohemia, Queen of England

Anne became ill with the plague while at Sheen Palace with her husband and died three days later. King Richard II was so devastated by Anne’s death that he ordered Sheen Palace to be destroyed. For almost 20 years, it lay in ruins until King Henry V started a rebuilding project in 1414.

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Enguerrand VII, Lord of Coucy

• Born: 1340 at Coucy Castle in Picardy, Lordship of Coucy, now in France
• Parents: Enguerrand VI, Lord of Coucy and Catherine of Austria
• Married: (1) Isabella of England, eldest daughter of King Edward III of England, in 1365 (2) Isabelle of Lorraine in 1386
• Died: February 18, 1397, aged 56–57, in captivity, in Bursa, Anatolia, Ottoman Empire, now in Turkey
• Buried: Soissons, France
• Wikipedia: Enguerrand VII, Lord of Coucy

Enguerrand fought in the Battle of Nicopolis in 1396 as part of a failed crusade against the Ottoman Empire and was taken prisoner. While imprisoned, he developed the plague and died.

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Erik I, Duke of Mecklenburg

• Born: circa 1365
• Parents: Albert, King of Sweden, Duke of Mecklenburg and Richardis of Schwerin
• Married: Sophie of Pomerania-Wolgast in 1396
• Died: July 26, 1397, aged circa 32, in Klintehamn, Gotland Island, Sweden
• Buried: Visby Cathedral in Visby, Gotland Island, Sweden
• Wikipedia: Erik I, Duke of Mecklenburg

Erik was the heir to the Swedish throne. He died of the plague at his estate Klintehamn, Gotland Island, Sweden.

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Queen Maria I of Sicily

• Born: July 2, 1363 in Catania, Kingdom of Sicily, now in Italy
• Parents: King Frederick III of Sicily and Constance of Aragon
• Married: Martin of Aragon “the Younger” in 1392
• Died: May 25, 1401, aged 37, at the Castle of of Lentini in Lentini, Kingdom of Sicily, now in Italy
• Buried: Cathedral of St. Agatha in Catania, Kingdom of Sicily, now in Italy
• Wikipedia: Maria, Queen of Sicily

The year before her death from the plague, Maria’s only child, one-year-old Pietro, was killed by a spear blow to the head during a tournament, throwing Maria into a deep depression.

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Gruffudd ab Owain Glyndŵr

• Born: circa 1375
• Parents: Owain Glyndŵr, Prince of Wales and Marred ferch Dafydd
• Died: circa 1412 at the Tower of London in London England
• Buried: ?
• Wikipedia: Gruffudd ab Owain Glyndŵr

Gruffudd’s father Owain Glyndŵr (anglicized to Owen Glendower) was Prince of Wales and Hereditary Prince of Powys Fadog in Wales. He led the Welsh during a long-running, but unsuccessful war of independence with the aim of ending English rule in Wales from 1400 – 1416. He was the last native Welshman to hold the title Prince of Wales. During the unsuccessful war of independence, Gruffudd was taken prisoner by Henry of Monmouth, the future King Henry V of England. He was imprisoned at the Tower of London and died there seven years later of the plague.

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Queen Margrethe I of Denmark

• Born: March 15, 1353 at Søborg Castle in North Zealand, Denmark
• Parents: King Valdemar IV of Denmark and Helvig of Schleswig
• Married: King Haakon VI of Norway in 1363
• Died: October 28, 1412, aged 59, aboard a ship in the harbor of Flensburg, Schleswig, Denmark, now in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany
• Buried: Roskilde Cathedral in Roskilde, Denmark
• Wikipedia: Queen Margrethe I of Denmark

Margrethe became suddenly and violently ill probably with the plague, and died soon afterward.

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Philippa of Lancaster, Queen of Portugal

• Born: March 31, 1359 at Leicester Castle in Leicestershire, England
• Parents: John of Gaunt, son of King Edward III of England, and Blanche of Lancaster
• Married: King Joáo I of Portugal in 1387
• Died: July 19, 1415, aged 55, at the Odivelas Monastery in Odivelas, Portugal
• Buried: Monastery of Santa Maria da Vitória, in Batalha, Portugal
• Unofficial Royalty: Philippa of Lancaster, Queen of Portugal

Like her mother, Philippa died from the plague. In 1415, the plague has invaded Lisbon and Porto in Portugal. King Joáo and Queen Philippa took refuge in Sacavém, Portugal but Philippa’s long and frequent fasts, prayers, and vigils weakened her. The plague eventually reached Sacavém. King Joáo took shelter in Odivelas, Portgual but Philippa chose to go later. When she arrived in Odivelas, she was already ill with the plague and she died at the Odivelas Monastery.

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King Duarte of Portugal

• Born: October 31, 1391 in Viseu, Portugal
• Parents: King Joáo I of Portugal and Philippa of Lancaster
• Married: Eleanor of Aragon in 1428
• Died: September 9, 1438, aged 46, in Tomar, Portugal
• Buried: Monastery of Santa Maria da Vitória, in Batalha, Portugal
• Wikipedia: King Duarte of Portugal

Like his mother Philippa of Lancaster and his maternal grandmother Blanche of Lancaster, Duarte died from the plague. In 1438, while the court was in Évora, the plague reached the city. Trying to escape the plague, Duarte, his pregnant wife, and their two youngest children went to Avis, then to Ponte de Sor, and finally to Tomar where he died of the plague.

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Edmund Tudor, 1st Earl of Richmond

• Born: June 11, 1430 at Much Hadham Palace in Hertfordshire, England
• Parents: Owen Tudor and Catherine of Valois, Dowager Queen of England
• Married: Lady Margaret Beaufort in 1455
• Died: November 2, 1456, aged 26, at Carmarthen Castle in Carmarthen, Wales
• Buried: St. David’s Cathedral, Pembrokeshire, Wales
• Wikipedia: Edmund Tudor, 1st Earl of Richmond

Edmund Tudor and his wife Lady Margaret Beaufort were the parents of Henry Tudor, better known as King Henry VII of England, the founder of the Tudor dynasty. Through his mother, the widow of King Henry V of England, Edmund was descended from the Kings of France. His wife Lady Margaret Beaufort was a descendant of King Edward III of England.

In 1455, twelve-year-old Margaret married 24-year-old Edmund. The Wars of the Roses, the fight for the English throne between the House of Lancaster and the House of York, had just started and Edmund, a Lancastrian, was taken prisoner by the Yorkists less than a year later. He died of the plague in captivity at Carmarthen Castle, leaving a 13-year-old widow who was seven months pregnant with their child.

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George Plantagenet, 1st Duke of Bedford

• Born: March 1477 at Windsor Castle in Windsor, England
• Parents: King Edward IV of England and Elizabeth Woodville
• Died: March 1479, aged 2, at Windsor Castle in Windsor, England
• Buried: St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle in Windsor, England
• Wikipedia: George Plantagenet, 1st Duke of Bedford

Little George was a victim of an outbreak of the plague.

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Emanuele Filiberto of Savoy

• Born: January 12, 1562 in Castle of Rivoli in Rivoli, Piedmont, Duchy of Savoy, now in Italy
• Parents: Carlo Emanuele I, Duke of Savoy and Catherine Michelle of Spain, daughter of King Felipe II of Spain
• Died: August 4, 1624, aged 36, in Palermo, Sicily, now in Italy
• Buried: Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial in El Escorial, Spain
• Wikipedia: Emanuele Filiberto of Savoy

In 1622, King Felipe IV of Spain appointed Emanuele Filiberto Viceroy of Sicily. He died two years later during the plague epidemic of 1624.

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