ABSTRACT
This chapter describes and contextualises the reactions of people, populations and public institutions as they coped with destructive earthquakes in medieval Italy. Modern socio-psychological research identifies three main phases in the behaviour of individuals when they cope with a catastrophe: ‘pre-critical’, ‘critical’ and ‘post-critical’. Analysis of these distinct psychological phases allows an elusive phenomenon, such as fear, to be historically contextualised, making it possible to evaluate whether significant change occurred during the medieval period. An analysis of the reactions to medieval seismic disasters seems to confirm that the tenor of the responses undertaken by private individuals and public institutions between the 12th and 16th centuries is consistent with the broader phases of crisis or growth experienced by medieval society during the same chronological period.
