A Distant Mirror

Because nobody has decided to share stories with me, and I'm looking to post something other than fighter stuff every so often, this week you get a book report instead of a story.

Barbra Tuchman's "A Distant Mirror" is unique as far as I have found, in three very important ways.  First, it's a non-fiction book about history with a protagonist.  Secondly, it's written in a style that makes it enjoyable to read.  Lastly, it's written about the minor nobility of the 14th Century, rather than about kings or peasants. 

Our unlikely hero is Enguerrand VII, Sire de Coucy.  Coucy is a small fief North of Paris.  Paris has never been a very defensable city, so its safety in the 14th Century was dependant on various castles spread around Paris.  Coucy had stood as the gateway to Paris for quite some time, due to the castle Enguerrand inherited.  The motto of his house translates to, "Neither King, nor Duke, nor Count are we.  We are the Lords of Coucy."  With such a strategic position, the Sire de Coucy was courted heavily by both the King of France and the King of England, each outdoing the other's gifts. 

Tuchman does a great job of using Enguerrand's life as a springboard to showcase the other events of the day.  Battles of the 100 Years War, mercenary issues, the Black Death, and the Papal Schism, are all told through the lens of one Lord in France.  The author relies heavily on the Chronicles of Froissart, which have their own issues when it comes to being accurate (he was a story teller, not an accountant).  She makes only a couple mistakes on the details though (i.e. shoes with toes so long they are tied back to the calf with gold chains). 

Tuchman shows the people involved as real people, not the Victorian ideal of them that we more often see.  She spends much more time describing wild parties and nights of debauchery than she does describing church services.  She's also able to get you into the mindset of the medieval person.  For example, she's able to explain why the Papal Schism was such a huge deal (you'll have to read it to find that one out).

It's available in paper back (for under $15) and as an audio book, and it's the third reason I'm a member of the 14th Century Mafia.