The 'light touch' of the Black Death in the Southern Netherlands: an urban trick?

Joris Roosen,Daniel R Curtis

doi:10.1111/ehr.12667

Abstract

Although the fanciful notion that the Black Death bypassed the Low Countries has long been rejected, nevertheless a persistent view remains that the Low Countries experienced only a ‘light touch’ of the plague when placed in a broader European perspective, and recovered quickly and fully. However, in this article an array of dispersed sources for the Southern Netherlands together with a new mortmain accounts database for Hainaut show that the Black Death was severe, perhaps no less severe than other parts of western Europe; that serious plagues continued throughout the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries; and that the Black Death and recurring plagues spread over vast territories—including the countryside. The previous conception of a ‘light touch’ of plague in the Low Countries was created by the overprivileging of particular urban sources, and a failure to account for the rapid replenishment of cities via inward migration, which obscured demographic decimation. We suggest that the population of the Low Countries may not have recovered faster than other parts of western Europe but instead experienced a greater degree of post‐plague rural–urban migration.

Highlights

The fanciful notion that the Black Death bypassed the Low Countries has long been rejected, a persistent view remains that the Low Countries experienced only a ‘light touch’ of the plague when placed in a broader European perspective, and recovered quickly and fully
In this article an array of dispersed sources for the Southern Netherlands together with a new mortmain accounts database for Hainaut show that the Black Death was severe, perhaps no less severe than other parts of western Europe; that serious plagues continued throughout the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries; and that the Black Death and recurring plagues spread over vast territories—including the countryside
The previous conception of a ‘light touch’ of plague in the Low Countries was created by the overprivileging of particular urban sources, and a failure to account for the rapid replenishment of cities via inward migration, which obscured demographic decimation

Summary

Total without localities with special stipulations

For nearby Flanders, for example, Kittell argued that the count of Flanders was able to subject more people to mortmain payment over the second half of the fourteenth century, exploiting a population weakened by persistent plagues and upsurges in conflict.[77] Kittell based her evidence on the changing structure and terminology used in the Flanders mortmain accounts, which were only standardized from the 1370s onwards This was not the case for Hainaut, as the accounts there were standardized from the very first extant records of 1349, with terminology and structure remaining unchanged until after 1500. Since the number of localities included for the Black Death was relatively low compared to later years, the mortmain provides a minimum impression of plague mortality. Other lay and ecclesiastical lords sometimes acquired mortmain rights through alienation and purchase; ibid., p. 289

Only localities appearing during the Black Death

Adjusted for missing months

Urban n

Findings

Date submitted Revised version submitted Accepted