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Some insight into The Black Death in Europe
Free from demographic disasters since the middle of the eighth century, Europe was ravaged from one end to the other by bubonic and related forms of plague, primarily from the years 1347-50. The plague subsequently settled in Europe (among the fleas of its rats, to be exact), recurring sporadically and locally in epidemic form until 1720. In the middle of the fourteenth century natural forces dealt the social order of medieval Latin Christendom a blow from which it never recovered. A period of climatic irregularity seems to have occurred simultaneously, bringing with it agricultural disaster and resultant widespread and recurrent famine. The combination was too much for a civilisation whose…
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Marozia- The Woman who Ruled the Papacy
In a previous post, we discussed how the period of history ushered in by the Cadaver Synod was called the pornocracy by historians. Europe was effectively in pieces. Attacks were coming from the Vikings in the North, Muslim pirates in the South and the Magyars in the East. Rome was ruled by the Popes, and the Popes were ruled by one woman, Marozia. Marozia was born between 890 and 892, and she was the daughter of the Roman consul Theophylact, Count of Tusculum, and of Theodora, a senatrix and serenissima vestaratrix of Rome. The two were the power couple of Rome and had made their share of enemies. One of…
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Lady Agnes Randolph, Countess of Moray- Black Agnes
As a person of Scottish descent, I can attest that you do not mess with a Scottish woman. My grandmother was five foot four and ninety pounds soaking wet, and could put the fear of God in her six foot plus and two hundred pound sons with only a look. I was put in mind of that memory when I researched the story of Lady Agnes Randolph. She faced down an English army without ever raising a sword and won. Born in 1312 to Thomas Randolph 1st Earl of Moray and his wife, Isabel Stewart. The Earl was the nephew of Robert the Bruce, who had become king of Scotland…
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The Cadaver Synod
The history of the papacy has many twists and turns, but probably the strangest is the Cadaver Synod or Synodus Horrenda as it was called in Latin. It was ushered in one of the Era of the Bad Popes, one of the most corrupt periods in the history of the papacy. It is seriously called by historians the pornocracy. Seriously. How did this start? The empire Charlemagne had cobbled together was falling apart. Minor kingdoms were breaking off and the Italian peninsula descended into anarchy. Different groups were demanding protection money from Rome, which was still recovering from the sack by the Saracens in 846. Each kingdom wanting a piece…
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Tour de Nesle Affair- Medieval Soap Opera
No royal family is immune to scandal, but this one was a juicy one. King Philip IV had three sons, who all eventually succeeded him to the throne in term. They all made good marriages as befitted heirs to the throne and princes of France. The eldest and heir, Louis, married Marguerite of Burgundy. His brother, Philip, married Jeanne of Burgundy and the youngest brother, Charles, married Jeanne’s sister, Blanche of Burgundy. The two sisters were Marguerite’s cousin, so they were all related by marriage and blood. All of the couples seemed to have successful marriages, if not happy then amiable enough for children to be born to all of…
