Synopses & Reviews
The documents in this fascinating volume focus on the "contagion of rebellion" that followed the Black Death, which ravaged Europe in the years between 1355 and 1382. They comprise a diversity of sources and cover a variety of forms of popular protest in different social, political and economic settings. Their authors include revolutionaries, the artistocracy, merchants and representatives from the church. Of more than 200 documents presented here, most have been translated into English for the first time, providing students and scholars with a new opportunity to compare social movements across Europe over two centuries.
Review
"This volume is a model of how such collections of documents can bring home reinterpretations of major historical problems."--David d'Avary, University College, London
Synopsis
The documents in this stimulating volume span from 1245 to 1424 but focus on the 'contagion of rebellion' from 1355 to 1382 that followed in the wake of the plague. They comprise a diversity of sources and cover a variety of forms of popular protest in different social, political and economic settings. Their authors range across a wide political and intellectual horizon and include revolutionaries, the artistocracy, merchants and representatives from the church. They tell gripping and often gruesome stories of personal and collective violence, anguish, anger, terror, bravery, and foolishness.
Of over 200 documents presented here, most have been translated into English for the first time, providing students and scholars with a new opportunity to compare social movements across Europe over two centuries, allowing a re-evaluation of pre-industrial revolts, the Black Death and its consequences for political culture and action.
This book will be essential reading for those seeking to better understand popular attitudes and protest in medieval Europe.
Synopsis
This collection of documents, spanning the years 1245-1424 concentrates on the 'contagion of rebellion' that followed the Black Death in Europe in the 14th century. Comprising a wide variety of sources from a range of authors - including revolutionaries, the aristoricacy, merchants and op
About the Author
Samuel Kline Cohn, Jr. is Professor of Medieval History at the University of Glasgow.
Table of Contents
Introduction * Notes to the reader * Maps * Before the Black Death, 1245 to 1348 * From the Black Death to 1378 * The Jacquerie * The Revolt of the Ciompi, 1378-1382 * The cluster north of the Alps, 1378-82 * Epilogue: After the cluster, 1382 to 1423 * Suggested readings