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A risk society? Environmental hazards, risk and resilience in the later Middle Ages in Europe

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  • Christopher Gerrard
  • David Petley

Abstract

Modern society is said to have restructured in reaction to contemporary hazards with the aim of improving its management of risk. This implies that pre-industrial societies were somehow fundamentally different. In this paper, we challenge that hypothesis by examining the ways in which risks associated with environmental hazards were managed and mitigated during the Middle Ages (defined here as the period from 1000 to 1550 AD). Beginning with a review of the many case studies of rapid onset disasters across Europe, we draw upon both historical and archaeological evidence and architectural assessments of structural damage for what is a pre-instrumental period. Building upon this, the second part of the paper explores individual outlooks on risk, emphasising the diversity of popular belief and the central importance of Christianity in framing attitudes. Despite their religious perspectives, we find that medieval communities were not helpless in the face of serious environmental hazards. We argue instead that the response of society to these threats was frequently complex, considered and, at times, surprisingly modern. Copyright The Author(s) 2013

Suggested Citation

  • Christopher Gerrard & David Petley, 2013. "A risk society? Environmental hazards, risk and resilience in the later Middle Ages in Europe," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 69(1), pages 1051-1079, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:nathaz:v:69:y:2013:i:1:p:1051-1079
    DOI: 10.1007/s11069-013-0750-7
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Paolo Forlin & Christopher Gerrard & David Petley, 2016. "Exploring representativeness and reliability for late medieval earthquakes in Europe," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 84(3), pages 1625-1636, December.
    2. Pavel Raška & Vilém Zábranský & Jakub Dubišar & Antonín Kadlec & Alena Hrbáčová & Tomáš Strnad, 2014. "Documentary proxies and interdisciplinary research on historic geomorphologic hazards: a discussion of the current state from a central European perspective," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 70(1), pages 705-732, January.
    3. Fredrik Charpentier Ljungqvist & Andrea Seim & Heli Huhtamaa, 2021. "Climate and society in European history," Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 12(2), March.
    4. Felix Riede, 2014. "Towards a science of past disasters," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 71(1), pages 335-362, March.

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