Re: Black Death timeline

On Thu, 06 Nov 2008 10:16:20 +1300, Eric Stevens
<eric.stevens@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

On Thu, 6 Nov 2008 10:39:44 -0500, "Sheila EJ" <mydog@xxxxxxxxx>
wrote:

I have been trying to come up with a definitive timeline for the Black
Death - that is, the 'exact' dates that the plague arrived in each city and
the routes it travelled. I have literally read through 46 books to date and
no two seem to agree on the same time frame. For example:

Arrival in Genoa ranges from Nov 1347 to Jan 1348
Marseille ranges from Dec 1347 to Jan 1348 to Feb 1348
Lyon - Feb 1348 to 22 April 1348
Bordeaux is either March, April or June 1348
Weymouth is the widest spread from 8 May 1348 to 01 Aug 1348

I believe I have read through just about every major academic work done on
the topic - but for the life of me I can't come up with two books espousing
the same dates. Does anyone have any suggestions? Or, perhaps care to wade
in with some discussion on same?

If you have not already done so, I suggest you read 'New Light on the
Black Death' by Mike Baillie of Queens University, Belfast. The Amazon
site describing it is:

http://www.amazon.com/Light-Black-Death-Mike-Baillie/dp/0752435981/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1225919051&sr=1-1
or http://tinyurl.com/6fdyhf

To quote one of the reviewers:

"It is interesting to note that historians would rather rearrange
facts to make them fit their theories, and nothing points it out
like what happened in explaining the Black Death. Rather than
take what was being said by those who experienced at face value,
those who were studying this seemed to think that these people
just simply couldn't have known what they were talking about.

Now, Baillie has shown with tree ring and ice core samples just
how wrong the historians got it. And this is not a dry read. It is
put in fairly plain language for all to understand.

One might ask just why the historians would not even look at the
fact that comets may have been to blame for the plague, when
everyone who wrote about it mentioned the fire from the skies,
rain of fire, fiery snow, bad air.....the list is endless. "

You might think from that, that Mike Baillie is from the lunatic
fringe, but he is an internationally respected Professor Emeritus of
Palaeoecology in the School of Archaeology at Queens University,
Belfast. He has gathered together a great deal of data, including
conflicts and inconsistencies within the accepted datings. There is
not a simple table of dates that I can quote but, even if you do not
accept his theory, I am sure you will find a great deal of information
about the events and dates of the the Black Death.


History isn't a science. It is a lot less glamorous and interesting if
you think of man's existence on the planet in any way similar to that
of a smear of bacteria on a petrie dish. If comets, meteors, volcanos,
methane explosions, tsunamis, etc. are the causes, it would mean that
people aren't in charge. All of their cherished dates, names and
places become less important. Add to that that most historians aren't
scientists. Fields like climatology and paleoecology are outside their
frame of reference. That makes them deeply threatening.

It looks like an interesting book. Thanks for the recommendation.
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Black Death timeline
    ... Black Death' by Mike Baillie of Queens University, ... "It is interesting to note that historians would rather rearrange ...
    (soc.history.medieval)
  • Re: Black Death timeline
    ... the topic - but for the life of me I can't come up with two books espousing ... Black Death' by Mike Baillie of Queens University, ... "It is interesting to note that historians would rather rearrange ...
    (soc.history.medieval)
  • Re: Black Death timeline
    ... Black Death' by Mike Baillie of Queens University, ... "It is interesting to note that historians would rather rearrange ...
    (soc.history.medieval)
  • Re: Black Death timeline
    ... the 'exact' dates that the plague arrived in each city and ... Black Death' by Mike Baillie of Queens University, ... "It is interesting to note that historians would rather rearrange ...
    (soc.history.medieval)
  • Re: Black Death timeline
    ... Black Death' by Mike Baillie of Queens University, ... "It is interesting to note that historians would rather rearrange ...
    (soc.history.medieval)