The Black Death, caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis, was the most fatal pandemic in recorded human history. It arrived in Europe in 1347 via merchant ships arriving in Sicily from the Black Sea. Over the next few years, it spread rapidly across the continent, killing an estimated 30% to 60% of the European population. The societal impact was immense; it led to a massive labor shortage, which eventually improved the bargaining power of the peasantry and accelerated the decline of serfdom and the feudal system. The plague also sparked religious zealotry, scapegoating of minority groups, and a profound shift in artistic themes toward death and mortality. While a horrific tragedy, the resulting population decline and economic shifts are often cited as factors that paved the way for the Renaissance by destabilizing the old medieval order.