Black Death in Provence

The plague entered Mediterranean France in 1348 and spread rapidly through Provence, the Rhône valley and the papal city of Avignon. High mortality disrupted households, agriculture, trade, administration and the clergy, while repeated outbreaks made recovery uncertain.

Communities interpreted the catastrophe through religion, medicine and rumour. Processions and penitential responses accompanied efforts at practical control, while Jews and other vulnerable groups faced accusations, violence and collective punishment despite the indiscriminate character of the disease.

In Provence and Avignon, the first pandemic wave brought together mass mortality, manuscript and papal culture, competing medical explanations and persecution during the Black Death.