France in the mid-14th century

At this point in time, France and England had entered the Hundred Years' War. In 1346, France had lost the Battle of Crécy. Pope Clement VI lived in Avignon in present-day France during the Western Schism.^[3] The war had placed considerable financial strain on France, and in November 1347 Philip VI called a general assembly of the Estates General to agree emergency measures to fund the conflict – a war subsidy; different regions of the kingdom decided how to pay the subsidy, such as opting for sales taxes or hearth taxes.^[4]

The Kingdom of France had a population of between 16-20 million people, the largest population of Europe. Similarly to Italy, it was relatively urbanized.^[1]

The Black Death

Since the outbreak of the Black Death at the Crimea, it had reached Sicily by an Italian ship from the Crimea. After having spread across the Italian states, the plague reached France by a plague ship in November 1347.^[1]

Southern France

The plague in Southern France was described by Louis Heyligen in Avignon. According to Heyligen, the Black Death reached France in December 1347, when a Genovese plague ship from the East was forced to leave its home port of Genova shortly after its return, and arrived in Marseilles instead.^[1] The ship spread the plague in Marseilles, was subsequently forced to leave the city, and continued on its way along the coast of Southern France. The plague ship spread the pestilence all along its course, which included areas from West Marseille towards Toulouse, and north toward Avignon.^[1] In May 1348, a 2nd wave came by land from Genova.^[1]

In Avignon, the Pope arranged religious processions to dampen the wrath of God, as the plague was interpreted by the church as a punishment by God for the sins of humanity.^[1] The Pope was advised by his physician, Gui de Chauliac, to hide from the plague in Étoile-sur-Rhône, where he survived the outbreak.^[1]

The Black Death in Southwest France was not as well-documented as it was in Avignon. It was noted to have been in Carcassonne in January 1348, and in Toulouse by April that same year. It was confirmed in Bordeaux in June 1348, but it was likely to have been present there already by as early as March. Documentation stated that it was a ship of pilgrims from Bordeaux who brought the plague to Santiago de Compostela in Spain. ^[1]

In April 1348, the Black Death was recorded to have reached Lyon.^[1]

Northern France

From Lyon, the plague spread rapidly across Burgundy. In the village of Givry in Burgundy, 50% of the population was confirmed to have died within the short period of August-November 1348.^[1]

The Black Death in Paris has been described in the famous chronicle of the Carmelite Jean de Venette, who resided at the Saint-Denis Abbey in Île-de-France, located outside of Paris. At the time, Paris was the biggest city in Europe, with a population between 80,000-200,000 people.^[5] According to Jean de Venette, the plague first arrived to Roissy near Gonesse in June 1348. In his writings, de Venette claimed that 16,000 people died in Saint-Denis, and an additional 800 people perished each day in Paris between November-December 1348. Overwhelming amounts of death resulted in daily transports of up to 500 dead bodies to mass burial sites. The deceased were transported from the Hôtel-Dieu, Paris hospital, which was staffed by nuns, whose numbers dwindled as they perished alongside the sick to which they attended.^[1] The Black Death didn't leave Paris until January 1349. ^{[citation needed]}

The presence of the plague was documented in the Normanniae nova Cronica to have reached Rouen in Normandie during the feast of John the Baptist on 24 June 1348. In Normandie, the plague made it impossible to bury the corpses even in country villages, and each village which was reached by the plague flagged a black flag to warn anyone approaching.^[1]

In the very Northern parts of France, the Black Death is described in the chronicle of the abbot Gilles li Muisis of Tournai. According to Li Muisis, the plague reached Tournai in August 1349 and lasted until November. In Tournai, the Black Death caused a religious reformation. Because the plague was seen as punishment of God for the sins of humanity, the authorities issued regulations to ban everything regarded as sinful, such as gambling, as well as forcing couples who lived together without being married to separate or marry immediately.^[1]

Due to the size of France, certain parts weren't immediately reached by the plague, which travelled more slowly by land than by sea. Brittany and Auvergne weren't reached until 1349, and some remote parts weren't reached until 1351. The last part of France to be reached by the Black Death was Tonnerre, which wasn't reached until 1352.^[1]