King Death: The Black Death and its Aftermath in Late-Medieval England

by Colin Platt

The black death came to England in 1347 and for three centuries bubonic plague remained a continual and threatening presence in the everyday life (and death) of the country. The Black Death and subsequent population losses are central, therefore, to any understanding of the period. From rural labourer to nobleman, from village priest to abbot, contemptuous of rank and wealth, Death was the guest of every late-medieval household in 'pestilence time.' In this masterly survey, Colin Platt examines what it was like to live with plague at all levels of society. Drawing on evidence from architecture and the arts, he examines the visible legacies of the investment that Christian men and women made in the provision of after-death soul-care. In addition he examines the social and economic consequences of a steep and unprecedented population decline. It is argued that the severe labour shortage that persisted for over a century after the Black Death ultimately broke the ties of feudal bondage. Written with verve and rich in detail, King Death offers an important analysis of one of the most potent instruments of change in late-medieval England, and a fascinating insight into the industry of death that pestilence brought with it. It will be required reading for all students of late-medieval England.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Medieval, British Literature, European History, Collections

262 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

Reviews

[Hillary]

The most interesting thing about this book is the cover.

[Victor Sonkin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not very instructive regarding the plague, but the post-plague British architecture and the changes in other areas of life described here are quite interesting.

[David O. · Rating 3 out of 5]

The devastation of the plague on the way of life in medieval England was both profound and long lasting. The information provided by the author will be very helpful for me as I add the information from King Death into a novel I'm working on.

This book was generally well-researched and written, however the sexism of the author rang through loud and clear. His point of view was always that of the leading males, whether land owner or head of household, and as such, could only see the long lives of dowagers and "hardship" for the "family." Apparently the dowager's themselves should have just died and freed up their dowries.

[Jennie Butler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unless you like loads of statistics, you will not enjoy this book. While some of the information is interesting, the narrative is at times lost in the numbers game.

[Stephen Morrissey · Rating 3 out of 5]

In Black Death literature, there is a constant tug-and-pull between the notions that "The Black Death changed everything" and "The Black Death changed very little." Platt makes the case in "King Death" that the plague of 1349 in England may not have changed everything for medieval England, but it did unleash massive changes in how society was organized, and how free those at the bottom of society were.

Platt's book is a bit scattershot in its chapters, with details on particular estates and religious institutions, but no focus on the plague itself. Instead, the book dwells more on the thematic repercussions of the Black Death for late-medieval England. The hyper-focused nature of the chapters does not lend itself to a memorable book, besides a few broad take-aways on the enduring art and egalitarian nature of the Black Death.

[Cate Meredith · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is informative but has two major flaws. The first is that Platt is not an engaging writer and the second is that he's a raging misogynist. Every mention of a woman is essentially how she was standing in the way of an important man's inheritance. It gets tiresome.

[Caleb · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good thesis, but only adequately defended. The argument was not made clear until the final chapter, which gave most of the book a feeling of waywardness and lack of direction. Also, there is no narrative. This is one of the dryers books I have read.

[Emma Harris · Rating 1 out of 5]

It bored me! It was so hard to get into that I quit half way

[Ricky Balas · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a niche book which may require a certain audience, but I thoroughly enjoyed the read and in particular his chapter on the influence on art and architecture.

[Julaine]

Source: Athabasca Books

[Anatolikon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Platt vaguely argues something about increased populations hitting the Malthusian limit and that their collapse helped to bring about the end of feudalism. The role of the Black Death is that of a catalyst. England’s population was already declining after 1300 but the plague accelerated the process. The wave in 1348 only helped to removed the economically unproductive, which Platt identifies as the very young and very old. Platt argues that it was the 1361 wave of plague that really set England into a period of economic trouble and demographic crisis. Platt is often confusing - did more monks die because they lived in close proximity in the cloisters, or did the plague leave them for obesity and liver disease to kill?