Black Death in France
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The
Black Death The Black Death (also known as the Pestilence, the Great Mortality or the Plague) was a bubonic plague pandemic occurring in Western Eurasia and North Africa from 1346 to 1353. It is the most fatal pandemic recorded in human history, causi ...
was present in
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
between 1347 and 1352.Harrison, Dick, ''Stora döden: den värsta katastrof som drabbat Europa'', Ordfront, Stockholm, 2000 The bubonic plague pandemic, known as the Black Death, reached France by ship from
Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
to
Marseille Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Fra ...
in November 1347, spread first through Southern France, and then continued outwards to Northern France. Due to the size of the Kingdom of France, the pandemic lasted for several years, as some parts were not affected until the plague was over in others. The Kingdom of France had the largest population of Europe at the time, and the Black Death was a major catastrophe. The Black Death in France was described by eyewitnesses, such as Louis Heyligen,
Jean de Venette Jean de Venette, or Jean Fillons ( – ) was a French Carmelite friar, from Venette, Oise, who became the Prior of the Carmelite monastery in the Place Maubert, Paris, and was a Provincial Superior of France from 1341 to 1366. He is the au ...
, and
Gilles Li Muisis Gilles Li Muisis (or Le Muiset) (c. 1272 – 15 October 1352) was a French chronicler and poet. Li Muisis was probably born at Tournai, and in 1289 entered the Benedictine abbey of St Martin in his native city, becoming prior of this house in 13 ...
. The Black Death migrated from Southern France to
Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...
, from Eastern France to the
Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a political entity in Western, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its dissolution in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars. From the accession of Otto I in 962 ...
, and to England by ship from Gascony. At the time,
Pope Clement VI Pope Clement VI ( la, Clemens VI; 1291 – 6 December 1352), born Pierre Roger, was head of the Catholic Church from 7 May 1342 to his death in December 1352. He was the fourth Avignon pope. Clement reigned during the first visitation of the Bl ...
resided in Avignon in present-day France during the
Western Schism The Western Schism, also known as the Papal Schism, the Vatican Standoff, the Great Occidental Schism, or the Schism of 1378 (), was a split within the Catholic Church lasting from 1378 to 1417 in which bishops residing in Rome and Avignon b ...
, and issued his condemnations of the
Jewish persecutions during the Black Death There were a series of violent attacks, massacres and mass persecutions of Jews during the Black Death. Jewish communities were falsely blamed for outbreaks of the Black Death in Europe. Violence were committed from 1348 to 1351 in Toulon, Barcelo ...
, as well as the flagellants. During the Black Death in France, King Philip VI of France ordered the
University of Paris , image_name = Coat of arms of the University of Paris.svg , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of Arms , latin_name = Universitas magistrorum et scholarium Parisiensis , motto = ''Hic et ubique terrarum'' (Latin) , mottoeng = Here and a ...
to compose the pioneering work, ''Compendium de epidemia,'' due to the pandemic.


Background


France in the mid-14th century

At this point in time, France and England had entered the Hundred Years' War. In 1346, France had lost the
Battle of Crécy The Battle of Crécy took place on 26 August 1346 in northern France between a French army commanded by King PhilipVI and an English army led by King EdwardIII. The French attacked the English while they were traversing northern France du ...
.
Pope Clement VI Pope Clement VI ( la, Clemens VI; 1291 – 6 December 1352), born Pierre Roger, was head of the Catholic Church from 7 May 1342 to his death in December 1352. He was the fourth Avignon pope. Clement reigned during the first visitation of the Bl ...
lived in Avignon in present-day France during the
Western Schism The Western Schism, also known as the Papal Schism, the Vatican Standoff, the Great Occidental Schism, or the Schism of 1378 (), was a split within the Catholic Church lasting from 1378 to 1417 in which bishops residing in Rome and Avignon b ...
. The Kingdom of France had a population of between 16 and 20 million people, the largest population of Europe. Similarly to Italy, it was relatively urbanised.


The Black Death

Since the outbreak of the Black Death at the
Crimea Crimea, crh, Къырым, Qırım, grc, Κιμμερία / Ταυρική, translit=Kimmería / Taurikḗ ( ) is a peninsula in Ukraine, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, that has been occupied by Russia since 2014. It has a pop ...
, it had reached Sicily by an Italian ship from the Crimea. After having spread across the Italian states, the plague reached France by a plague ship in November 1347.


Plague migration


Southern France

The plague in Southern France was described by Louis Heyligen in Avignon. According to Heyligen, the Black Death reached France in December 1347, when a Genovese plague ship from the East was forced to leave its home port of
Genova Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian census, the Province of G ...
shortly after its return, and arrived in Marseilles instead. The ship spread the plague in Marseilles, was subsequently forced to leave the city, and continued on its way along the coast of Southern France. The plague ship spread the pestilence all along its course, which included areas from West Marseille towards
Toulouse Toulouse ( , ; oc, Tolosa ) is the prefecture of the French department of Haute-Garonne and of the larger region of Occitania. The city is on the banks of the River Garonne, from the Mediterranean Sea, from the Atlantic Ocean and from Pa ...
, and north toward Avignon. In May 1348, a second wave came by land from Genova. In Avignon, the pope arranged religious processions to dampen the wrath of God, as the plague was interpreted by the church as the punishment of God for the sins of humanity. The pope was advised by his physician,
Gui de Chauliac Guy de Chauliac (), also called Guido or Guigo de Cauliaco ( 1300 – 25 July 1368), was a French physician and surgeon who wrote a lengthy and influential treatise on surgery in Latin, titled '' Chirurgia Magna''. It was translated into many oth ...
, to hide from the plague in
Étoile-sur-Rhône Étoile-sur-Rhône (, literally ''Étoile on Rhône''; oc, Estiala) is a commune in the Drôme department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in southeastern France. Population See also *Communes of the Drôme department The following is a ...
, where he survived the outbreak. The Black Death in Southwest France was not as well-documented as it was in Avignon. It was noted to have been in
Carcassonne Carcassonne (, also , , ; ; la, Carcaso) is a French fortified city in the department of Aude, in the region of Occitanie. It is the prefecture of the department. Inhabited since the Neolithic, Carcassonne is located in the plain of the Au ...
in January 1348, and in Toulouse by April that same year. It was confirmed in
Bordeaux Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefect ...
in June 1348, but it was likely to have been present there already by as early as March. Documentation stated that it was a ship of pilgrims from Bordeaux who brought the plague to
Santiago de Compostela Santiago de Compostela is the capital of the autonomous community of Galicia, in northwestern Spain. The city has its origin in the shrine of Saint James the Great, now the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, as the destination of the Way of S ...
in Spain. In April 1348, the Black Death was recorded to have reached
Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan language, Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, third-largest city and Urban area (France), second-largest metropolitan area of F ...
.


Northern France

From Lyon, the plague spread rapidly across Burgundy. In the village of Givry in Burgundy, half of the population was confirmed to have died within the short period of August to November 1348. The Black Death in
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...
has been described in the famous chronicle of the Carmelite
Jean de Venette Jean de Venette, or Jean Fillons ( – ) was a French Carmelite friar, from Venette, Oise, who became the Prior of the Carmelite monastery in the Place Maubert, Paris, and was a Provincial Superior of France from 1341 to 1366. He is the au ...
, who resided at the
Saint-Denis Abbey The Basilica of Saint-Denis (french: Basilique royale de Saint-Denis, links=no, now formally known as the ) is a large former medieval abbey church and present cathedral in the commune of Saint-Denis, a northern suburb of Paris. The building ...
in
Île-de-France The Île-de-France (, ; literally "Isle of France") is the most populous of the eighteen regions of France. Centred on the capital Paris, it is located in the north-central part of the country and often called the ''Région parisienne'' (; en, Pa ...
, located outside of Paris. At the time, Paris was the biggest city in Europe, with a population between 80,000 and 200,000 people. According to Jean de Venette, the plague first arrived to Roissy near
Gonesse Gonesse () is a commune in the Val-d'Oise department, in the north-eastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris. The commune lies immediately north of Le Bourget Airport, and it is six kilometres (four miles) south- ...
in June 1348. In his writings, de Venette claimed that 16,000 people died in Saint-Denis, and an additional 800 people perished each day in Paris between November and December 1348. Overwhelming amounts of death resulted in daily transports of up to 500 dead bodies to mass burial sites. The deceased were transported from the
Hôtel-Dieu, Paris The Hôtel-Dieu () is a hospital located on the Île de la Cité in the 4th arrondissement of Paris, on the parvis of Notre-Dame. Tradition has it that the hospital was founded by Saint Landry in 651 AD, but the first official records date it t ...
hospital, which was staffed by nuns, whose numbers dwindled as they perished alongside the sick that they attended to. The Black Death did not leave Paris until January 1349. The presence of the plague was documented in the '' Normanniae nova Cronica'' to have reached Rouen in Normandie during the feast of
John the Baptist John the Baptist or , , or , ;Wetterau, Bruce. ''World history''. New York: Henry Holt and Company. 1994. syc, ܝܘܿܚܲܢܵܢ ܡܲܥܡܕ݂ܵܢܵܐ, Yoḥanān Maʿmḏānā; he, יוחנן המטביל, Yohanān HaMatbil; la, Ioannes Bapti ...
on 24 June 1348. In Normandie, the plague made it impossible to bury the corpses even in country villages, and each village which was reached by the plague flagged a black flag to warn anyone approaching. In the very Northern parts of France, the Black Death is described in the chronicle of the abbot
Gilles li Muisis Gilles Li Muisis (or Le Muiset) (c. 1272 – 15 October 1352) was a French chronicler and poet. Li Muisis was probably born at Tournai, and in 1289 entered the Benedictine abbey of St Martin in his native city, becoming prior of this house in 13 ...
of Tournai. According to Li Muisis, the plague reached Tournai in August 1349 and lasted to November. In Tournai, the Black Death caused a religious reformation. Because the plague was seen as punishment of God for the sins of humanity, the authorities issued regulations to ban everything regarded as sinful, such as gambling, and forced couples who lived together without being married to separate or marry immediately. Due to the size of France, certain parts were not immediately reached by the plague, which travelled more slowly by land than by sea. Brittany and Auvergne were not reached until 1349, and some remote parts were not reached until 1351. The last part of France to be reached by the Black Death was Tonnerre, which was not reached by the Black Death until 1352.


Consequences

When the plague spread across Southern France, king Philip VI of France ordered the
University of Paris , image_name = Coat of arms of the University of Paris.svg , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of Arms , latin_name = Universitas magistrorum et scholarium Parisiensis , motto = ''Hic et ubique terrarum'' (Latin) , mottoeng = Here and a ...
to compose the pioneering work ''Compendium de epidemia'' due to the pandemic. The migration of the plague caused panic across France, and people started looking for scapegoats. Rumours started to spread that the plague was caused by people who poisoned the wells to cause the plague and exterminate Christendom. Initially, these accusations were not directed at people of any particular category, but directed at anyone who appeared suspicious simply because they were different or unidentified, particularly travellers (such as pilgrims and beggars) invalids, or people in possession of any kind of powder. In April 1348, Louis Heyligen reported that people were executed for well poisoning in Avignon; the same month, Andre Benezeit, secretary of mayor Aymar of Narbonne, reported to the mayor of Gerona in Catalonia that many beggars had been arrested, tortured and executed in Narbonne, Carcassonne and Grasse for well poisoning. These accusations were eventually also directed against the Jewish population, and on 5 July (and again on 26 September) Pope Clement VI issued his condemnations of the
Jewish persecutions during the Black Death There were a series of violent attacks, massacres and mass persecutions of Jews during the Black Death. Jewish communities were falsely blamed for outbreaks of the Black Death in Europe. Violence were committed from 1348 to 1351 in Toulon, Barcelo ...
and explained that since the plague was a punishment issued by God himself, it was sinful to accuse the Jews of having caused it, and declared the Jews to be under his protection. While there is not much information about the Jewish persecutions during the Black Death in France, were the Jewish population was small due to the fact that Louis IX of France had banned them from France, the well-poisoning rumours from France erupted into documented persecutions and mass executions in the Duchy of Savoy, and resulted in massacres in the
Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a political entity in Western, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its dissolution in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars. From the accession of Otto I in 962 ...
, where the Jewish population was larger.


Recurrences

Bubonic plague would return regularly, but with fewer death victims, until the 18th century. The last epidemic in France was the Great Plague of Marseille in 1720.Hildesheimer, Françoise (1980), Le Bureau de la santé de Marseille sous l'Ancien Régime. Le renfermement de la contagion, Fédération historique de Provence


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Black Death in France 14th-century health disasters 14th century in France
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
Death in France Health disasters in France 1347 in Europe 1348 in Europe 1349 in Europe 1350 in Europe 1351 in Europe 1352 in Europe