How did the state react to epidemic outbreaks during the Medieval and Early Modern period?
In this talk you’ll learn about Henry VIII’s attitudes to infectious disease, Tudor social distancing, and the introduction of the first government quarantine measures in 1517 in response to repeated outbreaks of both plague and ‘sweating sickness’, as well as the widespread reaction to these measures.
This talk was delivered on 12 June 2020 by Dr Euan Roger, Principal Medieval Records Specialist at The National Archives.