Summary
Barbara Tuchman's "A Distant Mirror: The Calamitous 14th Century" delves into the tumultuous events of the 14th century, using the life of Enguerrand de Coucy VII, a French nobleman, as a lens through which to view the era. The century began with ominous signs: unseasonable cold, failed harvests, and widespread famine. These natural disasters were compounded by human actions, starting with the conflict between Pope Boniface VIII and King Philip IV of France, which led to the Avignon papacy and a decline in the Church's moral authority. The era was marked by rampant materialism, corruption, and abuse of power within the Church, leaving the populace feeling betrayed and vulnerable.
The Black Death of 1348-50 arrived in Europe from the East, devastating cities and countryside alike. Its indiscriminate killing, coupled with ignorance of its cause, led to widespread fear, social breakdown, and persecution of Jews. The plague also accelerated social unrest due to labor shortages and rising wages. The Hundred Years' War between England and France, fought before and after the Black Death, exposed the weaknesses of medieval military tactics and the growing tension between nobles and commoners. The French suffered repeated defeats, including the battles of Crecy and Poitiers, at the hands of a smaller but more innovative English army, undermining their faith in the ruling class. These losses also led to a decline in the prestige of chivalry, its principles increasingly diverging from its brutal practices.
Amidst the chaos, the Free Companies, mercenary bands of discharged soldiers, ravaged France and other parts of Europe. The breakdown of order and the desperation of the times allowed these companies to flourish, adding to the misery of the common people. The papal schism, with rival popes in Rome and Avignon, further undermined religious authority, causing confusion and dismay among the populace. Coucy, caught between his French origins and his English marriage, initially maintained neutrality, but later played a significant role in French affairs, including suppressing the Jacquerie, a peasant uprising, and leading military expeditions in Normandy, Switzerland, Italy, and Tunisia.
His life offers a glimpse into the cultural and social dynamics of the 14th century, from courtly life and the rituals of chivalry to the rise of the Third Estate and the challenges to established power. Coucy’s career, however, was cut short by his participation in the disastrous crusade against the Ottoman Turks at Nicopolis in 1397. The defeat marked the last major Western crusade of the Middle Ages and underscored the growing threat from the East.
The century ended in a climate of pessimism and disillusionment, with recurring plagues, wars, and schisms leaving deep psychological scars. The authority of traditional institutions was challenged, setting the stage for the transformations that would shape the Renaissance and Reformation. Coucy's life, ending abruptly on the downward swing of Fortune's Wheel, serves as a distant mirror reflecting the trials and contradictions of a calamitous age.