In Black Death Patient Zero, we reveal the devastation inflicted on the Medieval Italian city of Siena, and across all of Europe by the 14th Century outbreak of plague. Killing an estimated 200,000,000 people, the Black Death remains the deadliest pandemic in history.
With first-hand testimony and historical documents, we reveal what conditions were like for parts of the continent hit by the plague and discover how people in the Middle Ages attempted to prevent and treat the disease. We trace the illness back over time to discover where it first entered Europe and how it was brought there. And with exclusive access, we follow the work of historian Prof Philip Slavin, and biologists Dr Johannes Krause and Dr Maria Spyrou, as they uncover Patient Zero: the earliest human victim of the Black Death.
