Black Death

Ziegler's The Black Death was the only book I could find after a television documentary piqued my interest in the subject. I was worried the book would be too scholarly but, to my surprise, I found the writing style very pleasant and engaging. It is one of the best books I have read all year.Originally published in 1969, Ziegler gathered sources on the plague from the period to more recent examinations to try to create the most accurate picture possible of what it was like in Medieval Europe during 1348-1350 and the effects the Black Death had on Europe. Ziegler admits in his preface that he did not conduct any original research but he does critique the works of others, especially Thorold Rogers' theory that the Black Plague caused the Peasant's Revolt of 1381 (p. 188). He includes a chapter each on Italy, France, and Germany; the latter of which saw the emergence of the Flagellant movement and persecution of the Jews based on suspicions similar to those used in Nazi Germany. England is covered the most with 5 chapters and a 6th on Wales, Ireland, and Scotland. Ziegler demonstrates the fear of the people right from the beginning when the plague entered Europe through Sicily. The patriarch of Catania wished to bring relics to nearby, plague-ridden Messina only to have the Catanians protest against the idea. In compromise, the patriarch dipped the relics in water and brought the water to the suffering neighbors (p. 28).Ziegler describes what Medieval life was like in sometimes witty style: "The medieval house might have been built to specifications approved by a rodent council" (p. 199). Period ideas on how to prevent infection are also interesting, including a elixir made of gold and quicksilver: "At least the high price of gold ensured that not many invalids could afford to be poisoned by such medicine" (p. 55). The chapter on the fictitious villages I also found to be very well-done and a nice change of pace from the somewhat statistically-driven prose. Two things I wish were in this book are a better map and more information on what the plague sufferer went through besides the obvious symptoms like boils. A map is included but it is inadequate as it does not list all (or even a small percentage of) the villages mentioned. Still, the book is well-written AND scholarly. Ziegler is very careful to qualify statements, avoid generalizations, and fairly critique all statistics given about the plague. My copy also has numerous illustrations and a color section on period plague-related art. It is made very evident the horror of the Black Death through such statements as: "Peterborough, another of those low-lying areas which were so remarkably well treated by the plague, [had a mortality] level notably below the average at a mere 27%" (p. 138).

This is the only book I have read on the plague, but I felt that it gave a very complete and comprehensive view. I believe that if you really wish to trace the plague with some accuracy you will need a map of Europe you can write on (I have to see every detail) because unless you are particularly good with geography you will not have a very good idea of how and where the plague traveled. I mention this because the book describes how the plague spread very well, in good detail and this is perhaps the best aspect of the entire book. Zeigler is also good about not overstating the effects of the plague, as many would be tempted to do for sheer entertainment value. I believe Zeigler really tries to present the most accurate picture possible of it. This is done particularly well later in the book where a sort of story is told, putting the reader in a medieval village because the author realizes that statistics cannot portray the real effects of the plague. Other information is throughout the book, such as long term effects of the plague on society, the three different types of plague that there were and some of the beliefs and important people of the time.My one reservation about the book is that some parts do drag along where the plague in England is described in such detail, with statistics about town after town. If I had a very large map of England and knew where he was discussing or perhaps I needed this information for reference it would be helpful, but for just a reader like myself it was just a little too much. Fortunately this only lasts for a chapter or two. Overall its a great book and introduction to this time in history.

For a deep look into the social aspects of the bubonic plagueof the 14th century, this book is it. This is not a medical treastise on the plague - there are enough books on the scienceof the disease. I wanted to explore the social ramificationsof this disease and compare it with the Flu epidenmic of 1918,and this book does explore how the black death affected people in the 14th century socially and economically. Good book.

For anyone interested in the life and politics of the 14th. Century, Philip Ziegler's book is essential reading. Its construction takes the reader from the very origins of the Great Plague and its sweep across Europe in 1348. Medical knowledge and remedies of the period are described, the ghastly flagellants and persecution of the Jews, all remedies designed to avert the inevitable. Ziegler details the arrival of the disease in the West of England and its deadly and remorseless progress throughout England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland. His research is prodigious and local to the areas discussed and occasionally interspersed with literature from the age, some of which is extraordinarily moving. The information gleaned from his research is fairly presented; where a margin for error is possible, it is noted with the relevant explanation. The social and economic consequences of The Great Plague are still a matter of dispute amongst historians. Ziegler tackles this thorny discussion. Firstly the roots of the Peasant's Revolt of 1381 are given an airing, then the conclusions drawn from the highly elective statistics drawn from different parts of the country from various historians. For the reader, this is vexatious, when it is clear to anyone else not engaged in "scoring points" local outcomes were the result of "horses for courses". The single common factor is scarcity of labour raising wages to an unprecedented degree and enabling a mobility of labour hitherto unavailable in a quasi-feudal society. More striking for this reader perhaps, is the fact given the circumstances, it took nearly 600 years for the demands of the Peasants' Revolt to be met in full. As to whether the plagues of 1348 and 1361 and subsequent outbreaks 1368-9, 1371, 1375, 1390 and 1405 created a watershed in British history, is surely a superfluous question by any historian, but one apparently constantly raised. From a population believed to be between 3.7 and 4.6 million of which it's estimated up to 50%, 20-30% of those in the first two plagues died, it would be a miracle if life, political or otherwise, remained the same. Given those remaining were walking, talking human beings, they doubtless had other pressing concerns, enhanced or exacerbated by the dearth of population. Politics never die with people. As Ziegler avers the vacuum left in education provided scope for new ideas and doctrines; written vernacular English was one eventual outcome; the legal redistribution of land was a major issue; old skills were forever lost and new ones invented. The hierarchy of the established church did not emerge with much credit. Taking care of themselves and their possessions during the crisis did not endear them to the population at large. Post plague, being the major landowners, attempting to reimpose pre-plague wages and feudal conditions more strictly than any other freeholders probably laid the first paving slabs on the path

This book was actually one of the sources I used for a history paper which I submitted to my grade eleven history teacher. I was amazed at how Mr. Ziegler presents his material. The book is very well written and keeps you in line with all events described. The Black Death truly was the worst natural and man-made disaster in history. Claiming approx. a third of Europe, it led to great changes in Europe itself and left a mark in the people themselves. Ziegler also describes the Black Death from country to country, and the bulk of the book is devoted to England. I have noticed that almost all historians of Medieval Europe have used Ziegler's book (first published in 1969), and I can now see why! If there is one book on the Black Death that you want to read, let it be this one!