Why were Basque Country, Poland, Bohemia and Milan spared from the Black Death?

Remember this chart?

Who survived the Black Plague?

Or rather this image:

Did you notice anything in particular?

Yes, you are correct:

Poland, along with the Czech Republic, the northern Pyrenees and Milan, is often believed to have been minimally affected by the disease compared to other regions of Europe.

The region now Czech Republic was of course called Bohemia during that time.

The “Celtic Curse” has been attributed with a higher survival rate against the plague, but is this the only factor in play?

What is hereditary haemochromatosis (the “Celtic Curse”) ?

Of course, the northern Pyrenees are the now French side of Basque Country.

The root of the word Bohemia as Bavaria stems from the Boii, a Celtic tribe.

And we all know about the Basques:

Rh negative frequencies in Basque Country

Poland has recently hit our radar:

Rh negative hotspots: Poland

Especially the region of Silesia:

Silesia responsible for high Rh- frequencies in Poland?

Silesia is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately 40,000 km², and the population is estimated at around 8,000,000.

Surprised?

No me.

Wait…

I am surprised I missed this the first time, but that can happen when you read articles and books rather than focus on raw unaltered data.

So what about Milan?

Milan, a metropolis in Italy’s northern Lombardy region

I have often referred to the Etruscans.

Rh Negative Mysteries: The Etruscans

The Etruscan civilization of ancient Italy covered a territory, at its greatest extent, of roughly what is now Tuscany, western Umbria, and northern Lazio, as well as what are now the Po Valley, Emilia-Romagna, south-eastern Lombardy, southern Veneto, and western Campania.

In the following centuries it was inhabited by different peoples, among whom were the Etruscans, who founded the city of Mantua and spread the use of writing. It was seat of the Celtic Canegrate culture (starting from the 13th Century BC) and later of the Celtic Golasecca culture. Later, starting from the 5th century BC, the area was invaded by more Celtic Gallic tribes coming from north of the Alps. These people settled in several cities including Milan, and extended their rule to the Adriatic Sea.

Here is Part II:

Why were Basque Country, Poland, Bohemia and Milan spared from the Black Death? – Part II