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A fascinating work of detective history, The Black Death traces the causes and far-reaching consequences of this infamous outbreak of plague that spread across the continent of Europe from 1347 to 1351.A fascinating work of detective history,
The Black Death traces the causes and far-reaching consequences of this infamous outbreak of plague that spread across the continent of Europe from 1347 to 1351. Drawing on sources as diverse as monastic manuscripts and dendrochronological studies (which measure growth rings in trees), historian Robert S. Gottfried demonstrates how a bacillus transmitted by rat fleas brought on an ecological reign of terror—killing one European in three, wiping out entire villages and towns, and rocking the foundation of medieval society and civilization.
List of contents
ContentsAcknowledgments
Introduction
Chapter 1 A Natural History of Plague
Chapter 2 The European Environment, 1050-1347
Chapter 3 The Plague's Beginnings
Chapter 4 The Plague's Progress
Chapter 5 The Immediate Consequences
Chapter 6 The Stirrings of Modern Medicine
Chapter 7 Disease and the Transformation of Medieval Europe
Epilogue: Europe's Environmental Crisis
Notes
A Bibliographical Essay
Index
About the author
Robert S. Gottfried is Professor of History and Director of Medieval Studies at Rutgers University. Among his other books is
Epidemic Disease in Fifteenth Century England.
Summary
A fascinating work of detective history, The Black Death traces the causes and far-reaching consequences of this infamous outbreak of plague that spread across the continent of Europe from 1347 to 1351.
A fascinating work of detective history, The Black Death traces the causes and far-reaching consequences of this infamous outbreak of plague that spread across the continent of Europe from 1347 to 1351. Drawing on sources as diverse as monastic manuscripts and dendrochronological studies (which measure growth rings in trees), historian Robert S. Gottfried demonstrates how a bacillus transmitted by rat fleas brought on an ecological reign of terror—killing one European in three, wiping out entire villages and towns, and rocking the foundation of medieval society and civilization.
Additional text
The Boston Globe Book Review Gottfried's own historical expertise serves him well in describing the broad tears, temporary patches, and eventual retailoring of the fabric of medieval life...Gottfried's examination of the Black Death can help us to understand ourselves as well as our darkest past.
