The Black Death is generally considered to have started around 1346 , with outbreaks in Central Asia and the region of the Black Sea, and it reached Europe in 1347 , then spread rapidly between 1347 and 1351.

Key dates in simple terms

  • Around 1346: Plague outbreaks appear in Central Asia and near the trade routes of the Golden Horde, often cited as the beginning of the Black Death pandemic.
  • 1347: The disease reaches the Crimean port of Kaffa and then enters the Mediterranean and Europe via Genoese trading ships.
  • 1347–1351: The main Black Death wave devastates Europe, killing tens of millions and reshaping societies.

So, when people ask “when did the Black Death start?”, historians usually point to mid‑1340s (around 1346) as the origin, and 1347 as the year it visibly erupts in Europe.

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