From the brink of the apocalypse

"Relying on rich literary and historical sources John Aberth brings this period to life. Taking his themes from the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, he describes how the Great Famine and Black Death swept away nearly half of Europe's population, while the royal houses of England and France were engaged in a Hundred Years War that meant perpetual political strife. Above all loomed the specter of Death, ever present and constantly feared.". "Throughout the later Middle Ages, ordinary people were transformed by these daunting and fearful series of crises, yet in their prayers, chronicles, poetry, and especially their commemorative art are foreshadowings of the age to come. As John Aberth reveals in this informative and sympathetic work, in their struggles we glimpse the birth of the modern."--BOOK JACKET.

First sentence: Famine, our first apocalyptic horseman, connives to wreak its misery repeatedly upon mankind while its victims stand by, seemingly powerless to act.

Year

2000

Language

English

Publisher

Routledge

Editions

2

Pages

288

ISBN

9780415927161

Data source: Wikidata