Episode 1: The Black Death: How a Bacteria Buried Feudalism
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Episode 1: The Black Death: How a Bacteria Buried Feudalism
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About this listen
Alex Calder explores how the bubonic plague pandemic of the 14th century transformed European society by killing 30-60% of the population in just four years. The episode reveals how this demographic catastrophe created a labor shortage that gave surviving peasants unprecedented economic leverage, undermining feudalism's rigid social hierarchy. Alex examines how the Catholic Church's failure to explain or prevent the pandemic weakened religious authority, while the trauma of mass death reshaped artistic expression, urban planning, and attitudes toward mortality. Drawing connections to our experiences with COVID-19, the episode demonstrates how this medieval catastrophe accelerated technological innovation, educational reform, and social mobility while revealing both medieval society's fragility and its surprising adaptability in the face of biological disaster.
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In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.