In the late fourteenth century, the medieval Crown of Aragon experienced a series of food crises that created conflict and led to widespread starvation. Adam Franklin-Lyons applies contemporary understandings of complex human disasters, vulnerability, and resilience to explain how these famines occurred and to describe more accurately who suffered and why. Shortage and Famine in the Late Medieval Crown of Aragon details the social causes and responses to three events of varying magnitude that struck the western Mediterranean: the minor food shortage of 1372, the serious but short-lived crisis of 1384–85, and the major famine of 1374–76, the worst famine of the century in the region. Shifts in military action, international competition, and violent attempts to control trade routes created systemic panic and widespread starvation—which in turn influenced decades of economic policy, social practices, and even the course of geopolitical conflicts, such as the War of the Two Pedros and the papal schism in Italy. Providing new insights into the intersecting factors that led to famine in the fourteenth-century Mediterranean, this deeply researched, convincingly argued book presents tools and models that are broadly applicable to any historical study of vulnerabilities in the human food supply. It will be of interest to scholars of medieval Iberia and the medieval Mediterranean as well as to historians of food and of economics.

Reproduction of the original: A History of the Peninsula War by Charles William Chadwick Oman

The Crown of Aragon. A Singular Mediterranean Empire recovers the history of an empire which was of great importance in the late medieval Mediterranean, but which has since been relegated almost to oblivion by the course of history. The Crown of Aragon was a Mediterranean crossroads: between west and east for the economy, and between north and south for culture and religion, drawing in many different peoples, covering Iberia to Greece. A new vision of the Crown of Aragon as a framework of overlapping identities facilitates its historiographical recovery, showcased in the chapters of this volume which analyse the economy, institutions, social evolution, political strategy and cultural expression in literature and art of the Crown of Aragon. Contributors are David Abulafia, Lola Badia, Xavier Barral-i-Altet, Pere Benito, Maria Bonet, Jesús Brufal, Alessandra Cioppi, Damien Coulon, Luciano Gallinari, Isabel Grifoll, Adam J. Kosto, Esther Martí-Setañés, Sebastiana Nocco, Antoni Riera, Flocel Sabaté and Antoni Simon.

Full-color guide • Make your trip to Spain unforgettable with illustrated features, maps, and color photos. Customize your trip with simple planning tools • Top experiences & attractions • Convenient overview of each region and its highlights • Easy-to-read color regional maps Explore Spain and beyond • Discerning Fodor’s Choice picks for hotels, restaurants, sights, and more • “Word of Mouth” tips from fellow Fodor’s travelers • Illustrated features on the Prado Museum, the wines of Spain, Gaudi, flamenco, the Alhambra, tapas, and Basque Country • Best beaches, best restaurants, best tapas spots, and best lodgings Opinions from destination experts • Fodor’s Spain-based writers reveal their favorite local haunts • Revised annually to provide the latest information

The once-mighty region of Aragón is now one of the peninsula’s less known areas. From lively Zaragoza to the rugged extremes of the Pyrenees, Aragón remains sparsely populated yet there is much for visitors to enjoy. Footprint Focus provides invaluable information on transport, accommodation, eating and entertainment to ensure that your trip includes the best of this remote region of Spain. • Essentials section with useful advice on getting to and around Aragón. • Comprehensive, up-to-date listings of where to eat, sleep and play. • Includes information on tour operators and activities, from visiting Roman ruins in Zaragoza to hiking in the Pyrenees. • Detailed maps for Aragón’s key destinations. • Slim enough to fit in your pocket. With detailed information on all the main sights, plus many lesser-known attractions, Footprint Focus Zaragoza & Aragón provides concise and comprehensive coverage of one of Spain’s most far-flung regions. The content of the Footprint Focus Zaragoza & Aragón guide has been extracted from Footprint’s Spain Guide.