The catastrophic 14th century

Course delivery and schedule

This Weekend Course includes 7 x 90-minute sessions delivered between Friday evening and Sunday lunchtime with plenty of opportunity for further conversations and networking during breaks and mealtimes.

Course sessions

The first course session takes place after dinner on Friday evening. There are four sessions on Saturday: two before lunch, one before dinner and one after dinner. There is a break on Saturday afternoon just after lunch, offering time to rest, read, or explore Madingley Hall’s beautiful grounds. The final two sessions take place on Sunday morning, and the course finishes with lunch. 

Summary of content

The course focuses primarily on England, but comparisons will be made with other regions, such as Ireland, France and Mamluk Egypt. It considers the following subjects:

1. Global efflorescence and the flowering of civilisations 1000CE to 1250CE. 
    
2. Mounting impoverishment and climate instability after 1250, including an increase in the frequency and severity of extreme weather events.   
    
3. Escalation of warfare in Britain after 1280 and with France from the 1290s, and its consequences for ordinary people. 
    
4. Outbreaks of animal diseases and the Great Famine of 1315-22. 
   The Black Death of the 1340s, plus subsequent epidemics. 
    
5. The medical, governmental and religious responses to, and explanations of, plague. 
    
6. The reordering of society in the wake of successive plague outbreaks, including opportunities for women and a fall in wealth inequality. 
    
7. The reasons for the outbreak of the Peasants’ Revolt within the context of post-plague changes. 

A wide-ranging conclusion, considering how the experience of catastrophe set the North Sea region, including England, on the road to liberal modernity.

Aims:

This course aims to: 

• obtain an understanding of the main themes in the economic, social, environmental and epidemiological history of 14th-century England 
   
• understand the succession of catastrophic and disastrous events afflicting 14th-century England 
   
• analyse the impact of global climate change and severe pathogenic activity on medieval society 
   

Friday

Please plan to arrive at Madingley Hall between 16:30 and 18:30. You can meet other course participants in the Terrace Bar which opens at 18:15. Tea and coffee making facilities are available in the study bedrooms.

Saturday

Sunday

Presentation of the course

The course will be delivered through seven 90-minute lectures, based on illustrated PowerPoint presentations. Opportunities to discuss key issues will be provided throughout each session. You will be provided with copies of contemporary documents, which will be used as the basis for group discussion in each of the sessions. 

Learning outcomes

As a result of the course, you will gain a greater understanding of the subject and you should be able to: 

• understand the inter- and multi-disciplinary nature of recent historical approaches to medieval history 
   
• explore how historical climates are reconstructed, and how past climate change impacted upon communities 
   
• explore how pandemics reveal the habits, attitudes and resilience of human societies, and change the paradigms within which they operate 
   
• formulate a basic understanding of how the institutions underpinning the modern world socio-economic system were first formulated in north-western Europe 
   
• understand how historians deploy evidence, theoretical models and a priori reasoning to address complex issues of causation in society 

Course materials

Course materials include the course syllabus, detailed timetable, reading list and tutor biography. Once these materials are available, you can download them from the Documents section below. 

We will also email these to you before your course starts. Please check your spam folder if you have not received them.

Please note that our weekend courses are non-credit bearing and there is no formal assessment.

About Madingley Hall 

This weekend course takes place at Madingley Hall, home to the University of Cambridge Institute of Continuing Education. Built in the 16th century, Madingley Hall is a Grade 1 listed building, and is set in eight acres of landscaped gardens designed in the 18th century by ‘Capability’ Brown. Madingley is just four miles from the centre of Cambridge, and only 60 minutes from London, with excellent links to London airports. 

As a student you will enjoy award-winning cuisine in our elegant Dining Hall and first-rate facilities in an atmospheric and inspiring setting. You can choose to stay at the Hall in comfortable en suite accommodation,or attend as a non-resident. 

Accommodation

Accommodation for those wishing to be resident is provided in single, double or twin study bedrooms, with views over the woods, garden and courtyard. 

Each room has internet access, a television and a direct-dial telephone, as well as tea- and coffee-making facilities and a safe for valuables. Rooms are all en suite and centrally heated. 

A lift gives access to two bedrooms adapted for wheelchair users, and all areas on the ground floor can be reached once inside the building. A lift also gives access to First Floor teaching rooms for those who cannot use stairs. If you would like us to make any special provision for your stay, please let us know when booking, and we will be happy to discuss your requirements. 

Non-participant attendance 

Please note: accommodation spaces are limited and priority is given to course attendees. Non-residential places are available for those who live locally or who prefer to stay elsewhere. If space permits, non-participant guests over the age of 18 may accompany a course attendee for the weekend, paying the rate below for accommodation and meals.  

Fees 

Residential fees cover tuition, accommodation and meals from Friday dinner to Sunday lunch (a total of two breakfasts, two lunches, and two evening meals), as well as morning coffee and afternoon tea during teaching hours.  

Non-residential places are available for those who live locally or who prefer to stay elsewhere. Non-residential fees include tuition, lunches, evening meals, morning coffee and afternoon tea during teaching hours. (Non-residents wishing to purchase breakfast may do so on payment of the current rate to Reception before taking their meal.) 

If a residential student is sharing a room with someone who is not enrolled on the Weekend Course, guest accommodation and meal prices are subjected to 20% VAT. 

Course fees 

Accommodation fees (includes Friday and Saturday night with breakfast on Saturday and Sunday at Madingley Hall)

Supplementary items  

Accommodation for verified carers is provided free of charge, accommodation and meals for guests is subject to VAT.  

Any attendee sharing a room with a carer should contact intenq@ice.cam.ac.uk to discuss further details before the booking deadline. 

Extra nights 

If there is capacity, you can book to stay for the Sunday night after your course at the same weekend bed and breakfast rate.  Requests for an additional Sunday night’s bookings are considered, and you will be contacted if space is not available.    (Please note: dinners are not provided on a Sunday evening.) If you wish to arrive early (before Friday) you will need to make a separate booking with Madingley Hall. (Charges may differ.)  

Dietary requirements 

If you have any specific dietary requirements or allergies, please indicate these when booking.  

Late bookings

Whilst we may on occasion be able to accept late bookings, for sustainability reasons we cannot always accommodate complex dietary/allergen or other additional support requirements for any bookings received or any dietary/additional support requirements notified after the booking deadline. Please consider this if you are asking to book after the deadline and have special dietary or additional support requirements.  

Concessions

We offer a range of concessions for our Weekend Courses: 

• State School Teacher Concession: 25% reduction of tuition fee for any teacher with Qualified Teacher Status working in a UK state-funded school or Further Education institution 
• Benefits Concession: 25% reduction of tuition fee applicable to recipients of a UK state benefit. Such as Universal Credit, Job Seekers’ Allowance, Income Support, Housing Benefit, Employment and Support Allowance, Personal Independence Payment, Disability Living Allowance, Carer's Allowance or Attendance Allowance, or Pension Credit 
• University of Cambridge staff concession: 25% reduction of tuition fee applicable to employees who hold a contract of employment with the University 
• Cambridge Alumni (CAMCard) concession: 10% reduction of tuition fee applicable to Cambridge University Alumni only. 

You will be asked to upload current proof of status for all concessions when booking. If you are applying for the Benefits Concession, you must be in receipt of the benefit at the time of booking and documents must be dated within the last 12 months. 

Please see our Concessions page for further details: www.ice.cam.ac.uk/concessions 

Getting to Madingley Hall 

The Institute of Continuing Education is based at Madingley Hall (CB23 8AQ) in the village of Madingley, four miles west of Cambridge. It is easily accessible from the M11, A14 and A428. Other gateways include Cambridge Main Railway Station and London airports.   

If you are arriving in Cambridge by train you can take a taxi to Madingley Hall. Please contact Reception to book a taxi for your return journey.  

Parking 

Free on-site car parking is available and we have a small number of spaces close to the Hall entrance for Blue Badge holders. 

Booking a course 

To book a weekend course please click the Book Now button at the top of the course page. You will be taken to our secure bookings portal where you can set up an account using your email address and pay for your course by credit or debit card. 

Payments 

Payment can be made by credit/debit card using our secure online booking system, unless otherwise arranged. You can either pay in full at the time of booking, or pay a 15% registration fee as a deposit; the balance will automatically be taken two weeks before the start of the course.  

Booking deadlines 

Bookings close 5 days before the start of the course. If your preferred course is full at the time of booking you can add yourself to a waiting list. You will be notified, by email, if a place becomes available. We always recommend that you book early and well before the booking deadline to avoid disappointment.

Late bookings

Whilst we may on occasion be able to accept late bookings, for sustainability reasons we cannot always accommodate complex dietary/allergen or other additional support requirements for any bookings received or any dietary/additional support requirements notified after the booking deadline. Please consider this if you are asking to book after the deadline and have special dietary or additional support requirements. 

Booking terms and conditions 

Before booking your course, please ensure that you have read and understood our Booking terms and conditions.