The Collapse of Beliefs in “Rois Thaumaturges” — The Black Death and the Transformation of French People’s Concepts

Abstract

In the middle of the 14th century, a plague, the Black Death, broke out across Europe and spread to France in 1348, killing large numbers of people. The old social order gradually collapsed under the impact of the plague and, in the face of radical changes in society, the attitude of the French towards religious power, royalty and the relations of production experienced a major transformation. They no longer set their sights on the distant afterlife, but were more interested in the reality of their own happiness; they rose up against the decadent system under the rule of the old aristocracy; at the same time, they began to reflect anew on their own position in the relations of production. All this symbolized the gradual collapse of the “rois thaumaturges” (the royal touch) that represented the inherent collective belief.