In the mid 14th century, the Bubonic Plague, also known as the Black Death, spread from Central Asia to Southern Europe via Italian merchant ships. Every region of Europe was ravished by this horrible plague, which killed every kind of people, not discriminating against class or status. This marked the end of the Church’s complete dominance over Western culture, because some people believed that God had abandoned them in a time of crisis. 

Boccaccio wrote “Decameron” about the effect the Black Death had on the ordinary people of Europe. Composed in the form of a short story, the book is about a group of 10 people who escaped to a secluded villa to hide from the disease. In the book, the group of people eventually fell into debauchery, but because they’ve lost hope they think they are going to die.

Boccaccio wrote that the plague killed hundreds of thousands and nothing hampered its progress, turning society upside down and causing people to abandon their moral norms. He explained that castles were abandoned, fields were left uncultivated, and whole families died out. 

In Florence, Italy, a group of 10 people fled the city and traveled to the country to escape the plague. Once they arrived at a villa in the countryside, one of the members of the group, Pampinea, said they needed to defend themselves from outsiders and let no one else in. Making an abandoned castle their new home, the group set up their own rules and government. 

They told each other stories to pass the time. Another member of the group, Pamfilo, told a story about a man who lied to a friar on his deathbed. The man deceived the monk and told him that he was a saint, causing people to praise the fraudulent man after his death even though he was wicked. Pamfilo ended the story by advising listeners to be careful not to mistake enemies of God as your friend.