chivalric-ideal-vs-reality

The chapter 'Preamble' introduces Barbara Tuchman's 'A Distant Mirror,' focusing on the multifaceted crises of the 14th century, including the Black Death, war, taxation, and church schism, which collectively shaped the era's turmoil. It highlights the challenges of medieval historiography, such as exaggerated figures, contradictory sources, and the difficulty of empathizing with medieval Christian values and chivalric ideals, while also noting historiographical shifts and the complexity of medieval currency.