HIST 21200 - Plague in the Towns of Tuscany

Course Credit: 1
(ARCH)
When the Black Death arrived in Europe in the middle of the fourteenth century, Tuscany’s advanced urban centers were hit first and hardest. Within the first two years of bubonic plague in Western Europe, such thriving commercial cities as Siena, Florence and Pisa, saw their populations cut in half. While these cities eventually recovered the experience of epidemic disease left its mark on the survivors. This course will explore the impact of the Black Death on the social, religious, and economic lives of these cities. By mapping the spread of the plague on location, we will consider how these cities responded with new public health measures and new interventions into the private and public lives of citizens. Offered as part of the “Wooster Summer in Tuscany” program. [Pre-1800] Alternate Years. [C, HSS]