Introduction: death and the city in premodern Europe

Abstract

Death is omnipresent in the city. Most urban settlements are characterised by high mortality rates, which increase further during times of crisis, such as natural disasters and sieges. In premodern times, the urban density resulted in the rapid spread of epidemics, during which the mortality rate soared even further. Through graveyards, funeral processions, memento mori , ghost stories, epitaphs and sermons on the afterlife, men and women were constantly reminded of their own mortality. Burial sites dominated many areas within important urban centres and inhabitants of cities were confronted with mortal remains and memorial places on a daily basis. Even when cemeteries were relocated during the course of the early modern period, the dead and their commemoration retained an important position among the living. The higher urban density tended to make more visible all these aspects in cities than in rural areas, increased further by frequent discussions on urban hygiene. The appropriate treatment of the dead and the greater differentiation of urban and religious actors led to conflict and compromise among the urban dwellers who dealt with the dead.