Did you know that insects could be tried for criminal acts in pre-industrial Europe, that the dead could be executed, or that it was widely accepted that corpses could return to life and that demons could carry people through the air? What made reasonable, educated men and women behave in ways that seem utterly nonsensical to us today? "Strange Histories" presents a serious account of some of the most extraordinary occurrences of European and North American history and explains how they made sense to people living at the time. Many beliefs and practices from the past have baffled later societies. Religious disbelievers were once thought deserving of death, insects were occasionally excommunicated, studying the biology of angels was a legitimate activity and the pursuit of personal happiness on earth was considered rather misguided as a life strategy. Using case studies from the Middle Ages and the early modern period, this book provides fascinating insights into the world-view of a vanished age and shows how such goings-on fitted in quite naturally with the "common sense" of the time. Explanations of these phenomena, riveting and ultimately rational, encourage further reflection on what shapes our beliefs today. In the light of history, can we be sure of the validity of our own ideas? How many of our own beliefs might no longer "make sense" a few centuries from now?
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