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The Great Plague Scare of 1720

Disaster and Diplomacy in the Eighteenth-Century Atlantic World

Cindy Ermus (University of Texas, San Antonio)

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English
Cambridge University Press
20 March 2025
From 1720 to 1722, the French region of Provence and surrounding areas experienced one of the last major epidemics of plague to strike Western Europe. The Plague of Provence was a major disaster that left in its wake as many as 126,000 deaths, as well as new understandings about the nature of contagion and the best ways to manage its threat. In this transnational study, Cindy Ermus focuses on the social, commercial, and diplomatic impact of the epidemic beyond French borders, examining reactions to this public health crisis from Italy to Great Britain to Spain and the overseas colonies. She reveals how a crisis in one part of the globe can transcend geographic boundaries and influence society, politics, and public health policy in regions far from the epicentre of disaster.
By:  
Imprint:   Cambridge University Press
Country of Publication:   United Kingdom
Weight:   392g
ISBN:   9781108747349
ISBN 10:   1108747345
Series:   Global Health Histories
Pages:   267
Publication Date:  
Audience:   General/trade ,  ELT Advanced
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Acknowledgements; List of Abbreviations; Introduction; 1. Plague in Provence; 2. 'L'état le plus exposé': The Plague of Provence in Genoa and Italy; 3. 'A Scheme so Barbarous and so Destructive': Responses to the Plague of Provence in London; 4. The Spanish Plague That Never Was: The Plague of Provence in Cádiz and Spain; 5. Entangled Empires: The Great Plague Scare in the Colonies; Epilogue; Bibliography; Index.

Cindy Ermus is Assistant Professor of History at the University of Texas at San Antonio.

Reviews for The Great Plague Scare of 1720: Disaster and Diplomacy in the Eighteenth-Century Atlantic World

'Ermus's important new study shows how a regional disaster that caused catastrophic loss of life only within Provence and Languedoc created novel opportunities for nation-state authorities to centralize power and implement policies that led to trade advantages over their economic rivals. Plague in Provence provided rulers a powerful tool: fear' Ann G. Carmichael, Indiana University, Bloomington 'This authoritative account of the impact of the great plague of Provence in the 1720s across Europe, and even across the Atlantic, makes a highly original and immensely rewarding exercise in comparative history on a grand scale.' Paul Slack, Oxford University 'Based on a wealth of archival sources, Ermus' study provides valuable insight into the global significance of the plague of Marseille and Provence and highlights the long history of the relationship between statecraft and public health management. The Great Plague Scare of 1720 is a timely contribution that deeply resonates in our own age of pandemics and climate change.' Junko Takeda, Syracuse University 'Ermus's book provides an innovative, ambitious and timely account of the global repercussions of the 1720 plague, unveiling the political, economic and diplomatic issues associated with the health crisis in Provence. The COVID-19 pandemic has indeed highlighted the need for such studies to understand the global repercussions of disasters from a historical perspective.' Marina Inì, International Journal of Maritime History 'enjoyable, intriguing, and timely.' Michael P. Hensley, Economic History Association '… in this well-researched book Ermus has breathed new life into a familiar topic and has shown that much can still be said about the plague of Provence.' Neil Murphy, The Journal of Modern History 'The originality of Cindy Ermus's book lies in the fact that she proposes to study the Plague of Provence from a resolutely transnational and transoceanic perspective … By decompartmentalizing historiographies and borders, Cindy Ermus has renewed the study of epidemics in the eighteenth century.' Jan Synowiecki, Eighteenth-Century Studies


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