What would it have been like to live through a Black Death outbreak? In this episode, Ellie Cawthorne speaks to Professor Samuel Cohn about the experiences of medieval people in communities ravaged by the deadly disease. He reveals what the chroniclers tell us about the range of responses to the crisis in the late 1340s, and the lengths people went to to survive.

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Note: the primary sources quoted in this series are taken from:

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  • The Black Death, translated and edited by Rosemary Horrox (1994)
  • The Black Death, The Great Mortality of 1348-1350: A Brief History with Documents, John Arberth (2005)
Want to hear more? Browse the rest of the episodes in our podcast series on the Black Death

Authors

Ellie CawthornePodcast editor, HistoryExtra

Ellie Cawthorne is HistoryExtra’s podcast editor. She also contributes to BBC History Magazine, runs the podcast newsletter and hosts several live and virtual BBC History Magazine events.

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