[Plague epidemics in Bergen and population crises].

Ten epidemics of plague are known to have occurred in Bergen, Norway, from the Black Death in 1349 to the last epidemic in 1637. Seven of them took place after 1530, and the primary sources of only three are known from the first 180 years of the plague period. Therefore, additional epidemics have probably occurred of which we have no knowledge. After the Black Death, bubonic plague probably hit Bergen, and the infection seems to have always been imported by ships, especially ships from Baltic cities. During the last five epidemics in Bergen 12,900-14,500 people died on plague in the course of 70 years, i.e. twice the population of the city. Extended immigration following each epidemic kept the size of the population up to 6,000-7,000. The death rate was clearly lower among the Germans at the Hanseatic Office than in the Norwegian city population. This was probably because an increasing percentage of Germans had become immune to plague after each epidemic, since the losses at the Office were not compensated for by immigration. It is concluded that the plague epidemics are the main reason for the population crises in Bergen in this period.