Military

During the time of the plague, those who gathered and maneuvered armies had little regard for disease. When armies were mobile, camp life tended to be hard and dirty, with presence of rats, which brought fleas with disease, and often the plague.

Soldiers were ordered to stay away from the sick, but soldiers often went into towns and cities due to hunger, fatigue, callousness and seek food, clothing and sex. If a soldier contracted the disease, they often wouldn't know until it was too late. This allowed the spread of the disease within the unit. There would also be soldiers who would desert the military either to go back home or to a local town. This allowed the plague to spread more. However, soldiers were often joined by mistresses, prostitutes, merchants, and servants, who all followed the army troops.

Due to war, food stocks were plundered or horded from cities and towns, houses were destroyed, and any survivors would run to another town and spread the plague.