Dr. Carl Jung, the founder of analytical psychology, once stated that “the Gods have become our diseases.” In the case of this 900 year time period between 600-1450 C.E., the case could not be more true, with God’s crusaders spreading diseases as willingly as they spread their faith. The Christian crusaders dominated western Europe, riding on horseback as they torched villages in the name of their lord. Similarly, the Portuguese and Spanish missionaries spread Catholicism to the New World in the 14th century, but as they colonized began a sexually transmitted epidemic that continues to affect our modern lives.(4.) Islamic invaders spread their faith in a similar respect, travelling along the Silk Road with the ferocity of the flea-ridden rats carrying one of history’s most deadly killers- The Black Plague.
With history swinging in full motion, every country wanted to expand its territory further with the ultimate goal of controlling the world. The most effective way of spreading their control was to first spread their faith- with nearby kingdoms holding the same beliefs, using a method not unlike the mandate of heaven was a reasonable excuse to conquer and take rule over new land. Thus, rulers and emperors across Europe and The Middle East commissioned knights and missionaries to ride, sail, or march out into new territories in hopes of converting the natives. This led to many problematic issues- the death rate immediately flew, as most took the liberty of adopting a convert-or-die policy. If the natives did not conform to the will of these men and give their faith to a new God, they would be murdered without a second thought.
Most importantly, however, is that the immune systems of these times were extremely weak. Travel was expensive and unnecessary, so the majority of people were born and died in the same place, never letting their body adapt to a new environment. When a group of new people came to ravage the land, they brought with them diseases that they...