Italian Plague of 1629-1631 facts for kids

The Italian Plague of 1629-1631 was a very serious sickness that spread across northern Italy between 1629 and 1631. It was a type of bubonic plague. This terrible sickness is also known as the Great Plague of Milan. It caused the deaths of about 280,000 people. Many cities in a region called Lombardy were hit very hard. This plague was one of the last big outbreaks of the bubonic plague. This disease had been around for hundreds of years, starting with the Black Death.

How the Plague Started and Spread

The plague first arrived in Italy in 1629. It was brought by soldiers from Germany and France. These soldiers were moving around because of a big war called the Thirty Years' War. They carried the sickness to a city named Mantua.

Soldiers from the Republic of Venice also got sick. They were infected with the plague. As they moved back into northern and central Italy, they spread the disease even more.

Cities Affected by the Plague

In October 1629, the plague reached Milan. Milan was a very important city for trade in Lombardy.

Many other cities also suffered greatly. The city of Bologna, which was important to the Pope, lost about 15,000 people. Nearby cities like Modena and Parma were also badly affected. The plague even spread north into Tyrol, a mountain area in western Austria and northern Italy.

Later Outbreaks in Italy

Even after 1631, there were other outbreaks of the bubonic plague in Italy.

• The city of Florence had an outbreak between 1630 and 1633.
• Areas around Naples, Rome, and Genoa were hit in 1656 and 1657.

Images for kids

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  Melchiorre Gherardini, Piazza S. Babila, Milan, during the plague of 1630: plague carts carry the dead for burial.

See also

In Spanish: Plaga italiana (1629-1631) para niños