What pandemic, originating in China, significantly impacted Europe in the mid-14th century?

The pandemic that had a profound impact on Europe in the mid-14th century is the Black Death. This devastating outbreak of bubonic plague, which originated in China, spread rapidly along trade routes to Europe, where it led to the deaths of an estimated one-third of the population. The Black Death fundamentally altered European society by causing significant labor shortages, shifting economic power dynamics, and stimulating changes in social structures. Its effects led to increased wages for workers, a decline in the feudal system, and contributed to significant religious, cultural, and social transformation.

In contrast, the Spanish Flu occurred in the early 20th century, typhus is primarily associated with conditions related to war or famine rather than a specific outbreak in the 14th century, and smallpox, while deadly, does not align with the timeline or specific historical impacts of the Black Death during that period.