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A Distant Mirror: The Calamitous 14th Century by Barbara W. Tuchman is a work of nonfiction that was originally published in 1978. Tuchman is an American historian who attempts to make connections between the 14th and 20th centuries, with her main focus being World War I in the 20th century. In 1980, A Distant Mirror: The Calamitous 14th Century received the U.S. National Book Award in History for its efforts at drawing connections between past and present times through historical analysis of events from centuries earlier.

The book starts at the castle of Coucy. Located in Picardy, it was built with five towers and a donjon. The donjon is located in the center of the structure and can house one thousand people during everyday life or times of struggle such as sieges. It took seven years to build despite other buildings taking much longer due to its large size.

Enguerrand VII is born to rule Coucy. He has an honorable personality and serves his country well. However, he gets caught up in the Hundred Years’ War between France and England when King Jean of France is captured by the English. Enguerrand and several other nobles are taken hostage until France pays a ransom for Jean’s release.

Years pass before France is able to collect enough tax money to pay the ransom. During that time, Enguerrand meets Isabella. She’s an English princess who has avoided marriage multiple times because she doesn’t want to be married off for political reasons. The king of England favors the match, and he lets them marry even though the ransom hasn’t been paid in full yet. He also gives Enguerrand lands in England as a wedding gift because they belong to his mother but were taken from her family by the English long ago.

Enguerrand was freed from prison and returned to France with Isabella. They had two children, Philippa and Marie. After his wife’s death, he traveled back and forth between England and France while trying to figure out where his loyalties lie. He could not see his daughter often because she was in England.

Enguerrand arranges a marriage for his daughter. She marries Robert de Bar and bears his child before he dies from the bubonic plague, or Black Death. Now a widow, Enguerrand marries again and has another daughter. Then, he fathers a bastard son named Perceval who becomes known as Bastard of Coucy. Enguerrand recognizes Perceval (who is also known as Bastard of Coucy) and makes him part of the family because he’s an illegitimate child but still related to them by bloodline. After this, Enguerrand lives in France most of his life until he travels to Hungary to get rid of the Turks there; however when this effort fails, he is captured by them instead.

Enguerrand was captured by the English and held for ransom. However, he died before his release could be secured. His wife and daughter fought over the Coucy estate after Enguerrand’s death, but it ended up belonging to the crown. Marie is an ancestor of King Henry IV.

One of the themes in A Distant Mirror: The Calamitous 14th Century is loyalty. Loyalty earns one admiration, whereas a lack of loyalty can condemn one to death. After marrying Isabella, Enguerrand vacillates between serving England and France. He’s loyal to King Jean at first but then he becomes neutral before returning to serve France openly once Isabella returns permanently.

Religion is a big theme in this book. People are desperate to make amends for their sins on the deathbed, so they can go to heaven. This sometimes causes great financial strain for their family members who are still alive. Mortality is another major theme of the text because of how many people die from disease and war. No one is safe from death caused by both plagues and wars, regardless of status or wealth. After all these deaths, there’s a shift in social class that allows more resources and opportunities to be available for more people across society as a whole