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HIST297: The World of the Black Death: Economy, Society and Religion, 1300-1500

The main theme of late medieval Britains socio-economic history is the change from expansion to contraction and stagnation - much as with its political history (see HIST296), but far more intensely because of the devastations of plague, which first hit Britain in 1348-49. The first half of the course deals with socio-economic aspects: the pre-plague situation (had expansion already ceased?); the dynamics of population change; the economic trends; the improvement in social conditions for the surviving people; towns and trade; the experience of women; and the particular distinctiveness of England (in contrast to Scotland and elsewhere), which may help explain the later agrarian and industrial Revolutions. The second half then turns to religion: the shift from papal monarchy to national churches, the movement away from traditional collective Christianity to individualistic beliefs and practices (due partly to the Black Death?) and the appearance of the Lollard heresy; the Churchs education system (for men); the religious role of women; Church and religion in Scotland and Ireland; and finally the onset of the Reformation. These topics are expounded in lectures, while linked seminars focus on selected issues for student-led discussion.

For further information on HIST297 visit the Lancaster University Online Courses Handbook.

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