The Black DeathRosemary Horrox This series provides texts central to medieval studies courses and focuses upon the diverse cultural, social and political conditions that affected the functioning of all levels of medieval society. Translations are accompanied by introductory and explanatory material and each volume includes a comprehensive guide to the sources' interpretation, including discussion of critical linguistic problems and an assessment of recent research on the topics covered. From 1348 to 1350 Europe was devastated by an epidemic that left between a third and one half of the population dead. This source book traces, through contemporary writings, the calamitous impact of the Black Death in Europe, with a particular emphasis on its spread across England from 1348 to 1349. Rosemary Horrox surveys contemporary attempts to explain the plague, which was universally regarded as an expression of divine vengeance for the sins of humankind. Moralists all had their particular targets for criticism. However, this emphasis on divine chastisement did not preclude attempts to explain the plague in medical or scientific terms. Also, there was a widespread belief that human agencies had been involved, and such scapegoats as foreigners, the poor and Jews were all accused of poisoning wells. The final section of the book charts the social and psychological impact of the plague, and its effect on the late-medieval economy. |
Contents
The fourth pestilence 137479 88 | 11 |
The plague in continental Europe | 14 |
The plague in Florence | 26 |
Copyright | |
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abbot acres alive Archbishop astrologers Avignon Bishop Black Death blood body brother burial buried burnt Canterbury carried Catania cause chaplain Christ Christians chronicle church clergy cloth Collington confession conjunction corruption countries dead died diocese disease earth England English enter epidemic evil father Gilles li Muisis God's heart heaven heir held a messuage heriot holy human humours illness infected inhabitants Item Jean de Venette Jews John judgement Jupiter jurors say justices killed king king's labourers land letters living London Lord lord's manor matter medieval mercy Messina messuage Michaelmas monastery monks mortality neighbours numbers ordinance ordinance of labourers outbreaks parish penalty pestilence Pistoia plague plague's planets podestà poison pope prayers priests received rent Richard Robert Rolls Series Roman Curia Saturn serfs sick sins souls statute tenants tenement things Thomas Thomas Walsingham took town vapours whole William women worth