Peasants destroyed libraries to erase legal proof of feudal obligations

Evidence

The deliberate destruction of archival documents helps explain why the peasant bands also targeted the much smaller personal libraries of noblemen, or abbots and bishops, which contained many legal papers. — Andrew Pettegree, Arthur der Weduwen, The Library- A Fragile History, 238

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to modern record destruction and the power of documentary evidence as a tool of oppression and liberation. — connects to: Faster European publishing made library destruction less effective as a weapon — Andrew Pettegree, Arthur der Weduwen, The Library- A Fragile History, 399; Print’s abundance made destroyed libraries swiftly replaceable — Andrew Pettegree, Arthur der Weduwen, The Library- A Fragile History, 229
• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — Andrew Pettegree, Arthur der Weduwen, The Library- A Fragile History, 238

Broader Connections

• Print’s abundance made destroyed libraries swiftly replaceable #complicates (0.85) — Andrew Pettegree, Arthur der Weduwen, The Library- A Fragile History, 229
• Faster European publishing made library destruction less effective as a weapon #complicates (0.80) — Andrew Pettegree, Arthur der Weduwen, The Library- A Fragile History, 399