A Distant Mirror: The Calamitous 14th Century

Product Information

If a servant displeased him, he would force the man to lie on the ground and, standing on his back, would kick him with spurs, crying, “Bark, dog! Contemporary conflicts in neighbouring areas, which were directly related to this conflict, included the War of the Breton Succession (1341–1364), the Castilian Civil War (1366–1369), the War of the Two Peters (1356–1375) in Aragon, and the 1383–85 Crisis in Portugal. 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. This passage is better than an the Index to offer a glimpse to that Distant Mirror that Tuchman has approached to us for our close examination. Literature, written for the first time in the vernacular by masters from Dante to Chaucer, flowered; all was ready for the great leap to print in the next century.

It’s the same with Barbara Tuchman’s terrific idea of approaching the war and politics of 14th century Europe, through just one man - Enguerrand de Coucy - whose lifetime fits so perfectly with the story she wants to relate. In 1357, the merchant class tried but failed to impose its will on the Dauphin, Jean II’s son, with a violent end. Tuchman is, on one level, a seven hundred page encyclopedia of the 14th century’s political, military, religious, social, cultural and economic history.Most of the Hundred Years’ War took place in the 14 th century, and Tuchman talks in her book about the difficult geopolitical situation between England and France at that time, drawing attention to the Battle of Poitiers of 1356, to the anarchy after the Battle of Poitiers, to the tricky situations in Italy and in Flanders, to the military conflicts with the Ottoman Empire, and, finally, to the Battle of Nicopolis in 1396. For belligerent purposes, the 14th century, like the 20th, commanded a technology more sophisticated than the mental and moral capacity that guided its use. Similarly the English could not hold onto the mainland territories they had won by managing them from England.

I’ve known since I was a child that there were differences between the Eastern European and Western European calendars – but I had no idea that for a long time the year started at Easter. This century was probably the most appalling in European history with an epidemic that slaughtered 30%+ of the population; and yet men could not refrain from almost continuous war - that at times just exhausted the combatants. Of course it was the commoners through heavy taxation who as always paid for this ill-conceived effort.What was this peasant who supported the three estates on his back, this bent Atlas of the medieval world…Snub-nosed and rough in belted tunic and long hose, he can be seen in carved stone medallions and illuminated pages representing the twelve months, sowing from a canvas seed bag around his neck, scything hay bare-legged in summer’s heat in loose blouse and straw hat, trampling grapes in a wooden vat, shearing sheep held between his knees, herding swine in the forest, tramping through the snow in hood and sheepskin mantle with a load of firewood on his back, warming himself before a fire in a low hut in February. The book is the story of change, from the start of the 14th Century where the King, Country, and Church reigned supreme to the end of the century where the Plague, Famine, and War have brought those pillars of society and society itself to its knees. In England in the 1370’s and 80’s John Wycliffe began openly criticizing the great wealth and ostentation of the Church and formed a following known as the Lollards who carried his message on after he died.

I’d actually recommend this book to historians and non-historians alike – that’s how much I liked it. The centre of the narrative here is the lifetime of Enguerrand VII de Coucy, whose double allegiances and adventures could be compared to some mythical storytelling. But before I present the quote, I would like to draw attention to how shrewd Tuchman has been in the choice of her subject. While A Distant Mirror certainly isn’t a dry academic textbook on the period, it does cover most bases in describing a period that not many at school have studied before.My friend Eric’s review says simply, “Normally, I have always enjoyed Barbara Tuchman's books, but this one, while very interesting, I felt I had to struggle a bit”. But by the 14th century the international code of chivalry was breaking down and the armor and horses were proving surprisingly vulnerable to such innovations as the long bow. Only the crossroads were lit by flickering candle or lamp placed in a niche holding a stature of Notre Dame or the patron saint of the quarter. It does not make sense to be so cautious, and, in fact, one should be fairly fearless and relaxed in the face of death and ever-present danger so as to simply live a relatively normal life, which is never expected to be a long one anyway.