A Distant Mirror
Encyclopedia
A Distant Mirror: The Calamitous 14th Century, published in 1978, is a work by American historian
and Pulitizer Prize winner Barbara Tuchman
, focusing on life in 14th century Europe
.
To provide a central figure to weave a narrative
around, Tuchman chose the French nobleman Enguerrand de Coucy
, partly because he lived a relatively long life and could therefore stay in the story during most of the 14th century. (Coucy was born in 1340, seven years before the Black Death
began in southern Italy
. He died in 1397.) But he was chosen mostly because he was in the forefront of action, tied as he was to both France
and England
. Coucy was a French noble, but he married Isabella
, the eldest daughter of Edward III of England
.
The book covers the cataclysms
suffered by Europe in the 14th century: the Hundred Years' War
, the Black Plague, the papal schism
, pillaging mercenaries, anti-Semitism
, and popular revolts, including the Jacquerie
in France, ruthlessly suppressed by Coucy and his contemporaries, the liberation of Switzerland
, the Battle of the Golden Spurs
and peasant uprisings against laws that enforced the use of hops
in beer
. However, Tuchman does not just focus on political and religious changes. She begins her book with a discussion of the Little Ice Age
, a change in climate that lowered the average temperature
of Europe until the 18th century. Tuchman also takes care to describe the lives of the people, from nobles and clergymen, right down to the peasantry.
Tuchman relies much on Froissart's Chronicles
. The title A Distant Mirror refers to the author's implication that the death and suffering of the 14th century reflects that of the 20th century, especially the horrors of World War I.
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
and Pulitizer Prize winner Barbara Tuchman
Barbara Tuchman
Barbara Wertheim Tuchman was an American historian and author. She became known for her best-selling book The Guns of August, a history of the prelude to and first month of World War I, which won the Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction in 1963....
, focusing on life in 14th century Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
.
To provide a central figure to weave a narrative
Narrative
A narrative is a constructive format that describes a sequence of non-fictional or fictional events. The word derives from the Latin verb narrare, "to recount", and is related to the adjective gnarus, "knowing" or "skilled"...
around, Tuchman chose the French nobleman Enguerrand de Coucy
Enguerrand VII de Coucy
Enguerrand VII de Coucy, KG , also known as Ingelram de Coucy, was a 14th century French nobleman, the last Sieur de Coucy, and the son-in-law of King Edward III of England and Philippa of Hainault...
, partly because he lived a relatively long life and could therefore stay in the story during most of the 14th century. (Coucy was born in 1340, seven years before the Black Death
Black Death
The Black Death was one of the most devastating pandemics in human history, peaking in Europe between 1348 and 1350. Of several competing theories, the dominant explanation for the Black Death is the plague theory, which attributes the outbreak to the bacterium Yersinia pestis. Thought to have...
began in southern Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. He died in 1397.) But he was chosen mostly because he was in the forefront of action, tied as he was to both France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Coucy was a French noble, but he married Isabella
Isabella de Coucy
Isabella of England, also known as Dame Isabella de Coucy , was the eldest daughter of King Edward III of England and Philippa of Hainault and the wife of Enguerrand VII, Lord of Coucy, by whom she had two daughters.She was made a Lady of the Garter in 1376.-Early years:Isabella was the royal...
, the eldest daughter of Edward III of England
Edward III of England
Edward III was King of England from 1327 until his death and is noted for his military success. Restoring royal authority after the disastrous reign of his father, Edward II, Edward III went on to transform the Kingdom of England into one of the most formidable military powers in Europe...
.
The book covers the cataclysms
Crisis of the Late Middle Ages
The Crisis of the Late Middle Ages refers to a series of events in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries that brought centuries of European prosperity and growth to a halt...
suffered by Europe in the 14th century: the Hundred Years' War
Hundred Years' War
The Hundred Years' War was a series of separate wars waged from 1337 to 1453 by the House of Valois and the House of Plantagenet, also known as the House of Anjou, for the French throne, which had become vacant upon the extinction of the senior Capetian line of French kings...
, the Black Plague, the papal schism
Western Schism
The Western Schism or Papal Schism was a split within the Catholic Church from 1378 to 1417. Two men simultaneously claimed to be the true pope. Driven by politics rather than any theological disagreement, the schism was ended by the Council of Constance . The simultaneous claims to the papal chair...
, pillaging mercenaries, anti-Semitism
Anti-Semitism
Antisemitism is suspicion of, hatred toward, or discrimination against Jews for reasons connected to their Jewish heritage. According to a 2005 U.S...
, and popular revolts, including the Jacquerie
Jacquerie
The Jacquerie was a popular revolt in late medieval Europe by peasants that took place in northern France in the summer of 1358, during the Hundred Years' War. The revolt, which was violently suppressed after a few weeks of violence, centered in the Oise valley north of Paris...
in France, ruthlessly suppressed by Coucy and his contemporaries, the liberation of Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, the Battle of the Golden Spurs
Battle of the Golden Spurs
The Battle of the Golden Spurs, known also as the Battle of Courtrai was fought on July 11, 1302, near Kortrijk in Flanders...
and peasant uprisings against laws that enforced the use of hops
Hops
Hops are the female flower clusters , of a hop species, Humulus lupulus. They are used primarily as a flavoring and stability agent in beer, to which they impart a bitter, tangy flavor, though hops are also used for various purposes in other beverages and herbal medicine...
in beer
Beer
Beer is the world's most widely consumed andprobably oldest alcoholic beverage; it is the third most popular drink overall, after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of sugars, mainly derived from malted cereal grains, most commonly malted barley and malted wheat...
. However, Tuchman does not just focus on political and religious changes. She begins her book with a discussion of the Little Ice Age
Little Ice Age
The Little Ice Age was a period of cooling that occurred after the Medieval Warm Period . While not a true ice age, the term was introduced into the scientific literature by François E. Matthes in 1939...
, a change in climate that lowered the average temperature
Temperature
Temperature is a physical property of matter that quantitatively expresses the common notions of hot and cold. Objects of low temperature are cold, while various degrees of higher temperatures are referred to as warm or hot...
of Europe until the 18th century. Tuchman also takes care to describe the lives of the people, from nobles and clergymen, right down to the peasantry.
Tuchman relies much on Froissart's Chronicles
Froissart's Chronicles
Froissart's Chronicles was written in French by Jean Froissart. It covers the years 1322 until 1400 and describes the conditions that created the Hundred Years' War and the first fifty years of the conflict...
. The title A Distant Mirror refers to the author's implication that the death and suffering of the 14th century reflects that of the 20th century, especially the horrors of World War I.
Publications
- A Distant Mirror: The Calamitous 14th Century
- Publisher: Ballantine Books; Reissue edition (July 12, 1987) ISBN 0-345-34957-1 or ISBN 978-0-345-34957-6 paperback
- Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf; Reissue edition (August 1978) ISBN 0-394-40026-7 or ISBN 978-0-394-40026-6 Hardcover