"What was life like in Medieval times?" This, in a sense, is the question A Distant Mirror seeks to answer. It does so by looking at one important Frenchmen- Enguerrand VII, Sire de Coucy and Count of Soissons- and discussing him and events in his lifetime (and slightly beyond). The focus is the 14th century- a time that featured:
- the Black Plague
- much of the Hundred Years' War
- the Papal Schism
- brigands and the decay of chivalry
- a Crusade (against the Turks, who ultimately beat the Westerners at Nicopolis)
As the above list suggests, there's a wealth of material here. The book focuses on France, though Italy, England, Hungary, and the Holy Roman Empire are touched upon insofar as events there intersected the life of Coucy. We learn about not just political history, but culture, religion, and lifestyle as well. Though each chapter has a theme, Tuchman fluidly moves through topics in each. Her style works, but pay attention, as topics can change quickly enough (with little warning).
This work is excellent. I don't always agree with her worldview or conclusions, but the prose is all at once elegant, succinct, and profound. As with her other work (The Guns of August- review), I really enjoyed her words- each sentence is crafted with care. The nature of this work can be problematic- it's both history and biography, oscillating in scope between nations and an individual. To that end, the digressions in each chapter can be frustrating, but are ultimately well done and arguably necessary to convey a more complete portrait of the time. All in all, a good read about a tumultuous and fascinating era.
Rating: A
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