Living and Dying in Early modern Europe Flashcards
1
Q
what was the climate like in Western Europe
A
- period of harsh weather
- 17th century contained fewer sunspots
2
Q
what was the March of the Swedish Army over the Great Belt 5-11 Feb 1658
A
- Swedes fighting Poland and Denmark
- Charles X Gustav pulled his troops out of Poland and made them cross the frozen Baltic sea with cavalry and cannons
3
Q
what was the diet oriented around
A
- very bread orientated
- 60% of grain products for many people, sometimes more than 90%
- meat was very expensive
4
Q
what were the three great scourges
A
- The Plague
- Smallpox
- Syphilis
5
Q
what were the effects of the Black Death on the population of Europe
A
- plummeted from 80 million in the year 1300, to a low of 52million in 1400
- black death arose in 1346-1353 and there are many more outbreaks of plague after this
- Population takes well over 100 years to recover from the losses caused by the black death
6
Q
what was humeral medicine based on Aristotelian physics
A
If there was a balance of humoral liquids that meant health, if there was an imbalance, this meant ill health
7
Q
what were the advances in surgery
A
- Work out venereal transmission of syphilis by 1496
- use of mercury for syphilis and quinine for malaria
- William Harvey and the circulation of blood
8
Q
what was the great natural disaster in 1666 and what were its effects
A
- Great fire of London in 1666
- destroyed 13,000 homes
- leaving 100,000 homeless
- no insurance for the victims
9
Q
what is the philosophy of fatalism
A
the idea that in the midst of life, we are in death
10
Q
why did Luther accuse the church of eating of the dead
A
- Luther criticised the Catholic Church’s corrupt practices, in relation to indulgences and ‘buying’ salvation
- Believed that the clergy and institution was exploiting the deceased
- helped spark the protestant reformation
