A Distant Mirror: The Calamitous 14th Century

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Often, I felt that, like Connie Willis’ time traveler, I had suddenly arrived, transported through the distant mirror…. I only read the book because I knew I had to do some reading, my dad recommended it, and I didn’t know where else to start; but it was a really good choice. As in any age, it makes for more comfortable living being at the top rather than at the bottom of the social scale.

A powerful French noble who married Isabella, eldest daughter of Edward III of England, Coucy's ties put him in the middle of events. The author makes a point that this may be due to the fact that deaths of infants were common and pretty much expected, and, this, coupled with frequent child-bearing, meant that love and attachment to children were discouraged since both would, more likely than not, prove to be meaningless in the end and only lead to the experience of sorrow upon sorrow. Excelente retrato da França, Inglaterra e as relações/consequências com a igreja católica no final da idade média. Of course it was the commoners through heavy taxation who as always paid for this ill-conceived effort.You can unsubscribe from our list at any point by changing your preferences, or contacting us directly. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Thoughts on Papyrus with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

She also discusses the advance of the Islamic Ottoman Empire into Europe until the disastrous Battle of Nicopolis. I could see how the excesses of the fourteenth century set the stage for dramatic changes to follow. In the chapter entitled 'The Worms of the Earth Against the Lions' I was just about to cheer wholeheartedly for the weavers of Ghent until I read of the way they in turn oppressed the lower class fullers; and my sympathy was with commoners of Anjou demanding tax relief until "In a frenzy of triumph and unspent wrath, the people rushed to rob and assault the Jews, the one section of society upon whom the poor could safely vent their aggression. The Hundred Years' War was a series of conflicts waged from 1337 to 1453 pitting the House of Plantagenet, rulers of the Kingdom of England, against the House of Valois for control of the Kingdom of France.Opportunely Enguerrrand is well documented by one of the most striking chroniclers of the time, Jean Froissart. The Middle Ages present a fascinating conundrum in the history of mankind since it was the period of immense losses, violence and stagnation while, at the same time, there reigned in the land the idea of the chivalric behaviour worthy of every admiration, and religious devotion and loyalty to masters like few periods have seen before or since.

But it's not so much Tuchman's command of language that draws you in as her infectious enchantment with her subject: the period of Western European history beginning with the Black Death of 1348 and ending with the fall of the Byzantine Empire in the early 1400s, all as seen through the life of a single French nobleman. A GR friend said that he was disappointed in this book because it did not offer the narrow focus and sleek thematic underpinnings of Tuchman's The March of Folly. The Hundred Years War, the Papal Schism, the Black Death, peasant uprisings, the death of chivalry, crusades, assassinations, tournaments, all these things and more Tuchman explores through an examination of the life of one man, Enguerrand de Coucy. At first I thought it was because this book lacked a central thesis – her March of Folly, for example, has just such a thesis and it bridges with ease stories from diverse centuries, giving a dreadful perspective on self-destructive foolishness that is all-to-human. I am intrigued by how insightful it is on iconic historical events, giving insight on how humankind strived to overcome tragedies, e.

The tradition of chivalry of the knights was shown to be hollow, the knights themselves to be petty, the Church to be a charade and its leaders self-serving. The 14th century gives us back two contradictory images: a glittering time of crusades and castles, cathedrals and chivalry, and a dark time of ferocity and spiritual agony, a world plunged into a chaos of war, fear and the Plague. One of the finest examples of top-notch historical writing and one that ought to be read by anyone interested in this calamitous time.