Ineffective Quarantines and Misguided Health Beliefs

Earlier this week, new comedy drama The Decameron dropped on Netflix. Based on a set of 14th-century tales by Giovanni Boccaccio, it follows the raucous exploits of a group of medieval Italian nobles, after they flee to the hills to escape the Black Death. Boccaccio's text is one of the key sources we have on the plague pandemic that ravaged Europe in the 1340s, so with the release of the new series, we're bringing you an archive episode all about the Black Death. Speaking to David Musgrove back in 2021, historian John Hatcher answers your questions on the pandemic.

The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices