Weve discovered that the two diseases were one and the same, spread by contact, not the air. The PBS documentary pointed out that cats dont have the musculature in their faces to reproduce human-like facial expressions the way dogs do, which is probably the main reason people think they are aloof and why they think dogs are so much more companionable (cause we love things that are more like us). The final point though is that contemporary accounts and the examination of modern doctors and historians of the evidence from them has shown bacteria that caused the Black Death can take the form of a lung infection called pneumonic plague, which was spread easily between humans. Retrieved from https://www.thevintagenews.com/2017/02/06/in-the-middle-ages-devil-fearing-christians-killed-cats-which-carried-the-unintended-consequence-of-increasing-the-rat-population-and-the-spread-of-the-black-death/, Horrox, Rosemary. That is, pope condemning cats and declaring satanistique is enough for some people to start mass-killing cats, this assholes claims are 100% wrong; more than one pope ordered cats killed- why not, eventually excommunicaated? For Conrad in his quest for heretics around Mainz and Hildesheim claimed to have uncovered a Luciferian cult. Wikimedia Commons. 23 April 2018, Vox in Rama, Pope Gregory IX, uoregon.edu, Conrad of Marburg, Kevin Knight, Catholic Encyclopaedia, 2017, Was there a great Cat Massacre in the Middle Ages? I thank you for your service to this great multiverse. Thats serious.. By Gregorys decree, there was a target on the head of every black cat. One should not direct them the affection due only to persons.. He said they ate too much grain and it was the responsibility of every person to kill a sparrow if they saw one and they were not to give up until they achieved it !!.. I didnt expect to read the whole article, but I found myself tickled in all the right places, so dear sir, I did indeed finish the article in its entirety. The Waldenses, who were founded in 1170 by Peter Waldo claimed that individuals could commune with God directly, negating the need for priests. Even those among us who love cats (not me, I like dogs) freely admit that they are mercurial and probably evil animals that deal death for fun and would eat our eyes if they got the chance. Costs of living dropped. Where do we get our stuff? Finally, even if cat numbers were vastly reduced, they were not wiped out. Though, really, they were dealing with a cat infestation and decided to make it an excuse to drink. Before you accuse me of clickbait, hear me out. Meanwhile, they need that meat on the regular and know how to get it, so theyre great at killing and eating vermin. Its believed by some that the plague spread, at least in part,via rats. Now this seems like a story of immense fiction but as it happened so recently in this modern time we have documented proof this is true so why is it so hard to believe the Pope and cat story? They definitely dont stop fleas. Sweet Home Alabama Lyrics: What Does Muscle Shoals Has Got the Swampers Mean? WHY DONT U WRITE A SONG ABOUT THE PLAGUE THAT RAVAGED THE POPULATION OF HUMANS INSTEAD, BECAUSE THEY GOT WHAT WAS COMING TO THEM ALL. The most likely targets were often older cat-owning peasant women (The Crazy Cat Ladies of their time) who were labeled witches and often burned alive at the stake. And though its unlikely that historys most pro-natural environment pope will encourage cat bonfires, he does suggest we take a step away from the dog ice cream and cat outfits in the pet aisle. The Decretals reorganized the whole library of Catholic laws. Not only that he founded the papal inquisition to prosecute heresy, but he also issues a papal bull a legal decree issued by a pope, designated as Vox in Rama that calls for crusades condemning the spread of heretics that follows Luciferianism in Mainz, Germany. His condemnation of cats may not be responsible for the spread of black death, but it's definitely connected to the decline in cat populations at the time, and the proliferation of rat populations. In Belgium, an entire festival, Kattenstoet, is dedicated to throwing cats from buildings and burning them in the streets. While there were no immediate effects of the unjust cathunt, Europe will be affected in the years to come, with the rise of the Bubonic Plague. While I cannot say for certain that things didnt happen this way, there appear to be holes. They were hunted into extinction ! Not only were they a source of companionship they were also a status symbol and source of worship. Purina. If these furry creatures association with fictitious international criminals isnt enough, cats also have been linked to witchcraft: In the Middle Ages, women who owned black cats came under suspicion as did the cats, who were assumed to bewitches in disguise and were burned at the stake. The popes were all hypocrytical, bastards. Gregory IX was the head of the Catholic Church from 1227 to 1241. (Accessed 2018, June 1). February 8, 2013. This is mainly because the black plague ravaged Asia before it goes on its way to Europe. For a lot of folks, everything you need to know about the Middle Ages you can find in Braveheart or Monty Pythonit was a simple, stupid period when superstition ruled the land, heads rolled daily, and people were covered in sh*t all the time. When I graduated college,I began living my own dream as a reporter for a news media outlet. The purpose of the papal bull Vox in Rama, was to condemn a cult that had allegedly popped up in the Rhinelandand the bull was specifically sent to the city of Mainz. (Accessed June 1, 2018). https://historycollection.co/thou-shalt-not-suffer-a-cat-to-live-why-pope-gregory-ixs-vox-in-rama-implicated-cats-in-devil-worship/3/, Of course, theres also the wee tiny fact that the paranoia about witchcraft didnt really start to get into full swing until the 16th and 17th century, and that included black cats. A witch and her cat. The fleas will jump on to the cat and then you can dose the cat to kill them. Heretical beliefs were on the rise at the time, . After years of consultation and research, Pope Gregory XIII signed a papal bull in February 1582 promulgating the reformed calendar that came to be known as the Gregorian calendar. The cats play into the picture as they would have normally been instrumental in cutting down the rat populations. 23 April 2018, Vox in Rama, Pope Gregory IX, uoregon.edu, Conrad of Marburg, Kevin Knight, Catholic Encyclopaedia, 2017, Was there a great Cat Massacre in the Middle Ages? (2016, May 4). Is the Vox in Rama authentic? In the fourth century, a Christian monk named Evagrius Ponticus wrote down what's known as the "eight evil thoughts": gluttony, lust, avarice, anger, sloth, sadness . In the years ahead, feline-kind all across Europe saw their status slammed from a sacred and protected animal to a false idol. Wierd Tales, Vol 36. Pope Innocent VIII came to power in the late 1400s, during the throes of witch crusades in Western Europe. Missionary Activity under Pope Gregory the Great. Pope Innocent VIII came to power in the late 1400s, during the throes of witch crusades in Western Europe. Your email address will not be published. No one can say for sure how many cats were killed because of the association made between them and witchcraft by the Vox in Rama. The only problem is that this story probably isnt true. Before the prospect of burning at the stake for having contact with the purring pets, Catholics around the the continent began slaughtering any feline that entered their property. Classical Cats: The Rise and fall of the Sacred Cat, Donald W Engels, Psychology Press. Conrads methods for identifying heretics were questionable to some. (along with other predators including snakes, which had long since carried the label of being evil). It was Gregorys past as an astute lawyer that connected him to his acts of justice within the church. With this thought in mind, I spent two years at CIA, where I was a supervisor in the Public Communications Branch at the Office of Public Affairs. Yes, I did say an astronaut that looks suspiciously like Neil Armstrong was carved in the face of the earth two millennia ago. It was one of the most deadly pandemics in history. In Ypres in Belgium, it was the custom to hurl cats from the belfry of local churches and then set them on fire during the festival of cats or Kattenstoet. OVERPOPULATION OF HUMANS IS THE RUINATION OF THE PLANET. By 1198 under the reign of his cousin, Pope Innocent III, Ugolino was named the cardinal deacon of St. Eustachius and quickly rose as one of the most prominent cardinals. Cats were later blamed for the Black Death (1346-1352), though rats were actually the culprit. 10 Things To Know About Stephen Hawking, The World's Coolest Scientist, Mary Somerville: The Woman For Whom The Word "Scientist" Was Made, What Stephen Hawking Thinks Threatens Humankind The Most, 27 Raw Images Of When Punk Ruled New York, Join The All That's Interesting Weekly Dispatch, six really weird pets that you could actually own. However, historian Donald Engel believes that the Vox acted as a death warrant for the cat. "The whole story is one of those pseudo historical urban myths that keeps getting repeated despite the fact it's complete nonsense. Wolves/dogs integrated themselves into society. Home; About; Contacts; Location; FAQ Constantly told the Truth is stranger than fiction!!! And thats because its body is invested with the spirit of the Morning Star himself. Dog lovers, please get over it. Where once these creatures had been common household animals, they were now regarded as dangerous, unpredictable and demonic. Some historians have forgiven the rats. He therefore gave his official blessing to the widespread persecution of cats across Europe. For one, rate outnumber cats by a huge margin, like everywhere, and always have. Interesly, June 7, 2016, The spooky history of how cats bewitched us, Abigail Tucker, The Washington Post, October 31, 2016, The History of the cat in the Middle Ages (Part 2): The Black cat as the devil in Christian sects, L A Vocelle, The Great Cat: The Cat in History, Art, and Literature. This timeline stretched from 1346 to 1353, a little more than a century after Gregory. (2007, September 1). The reforms were based on the suggestions of the Italian scientist Luigi Lilio, with some modifications by the Jesuit mathematician and astronomer Christopher Clavius. Id rather see them in the wild doing what cats are meant to do than as someones indoor pet. Forgive us! says the master, and the one next to him repeats this, a third responding, We know, master! A fourth says And we must obey. 4, So whats up with this? Scientists back in the 19th century found out that the real transmission is through touch, and the most common carrier of the disease is the natural enemy to the previously butchered feline friend the rats. Once the initial hysteria died down, cats, like the would-be witches were left alone for a time, giving them time to repopulate- and remained prolific enough to continue to be culled. Interestingly enough, the author of the article writes that one reason cats are evil is that they are the favored pets of witches. Actually, witches both modern ones and the one who were burned at the stake during Middle Ages owned cats because being close to nature is central to theirreligious beliefs. The Church had already accused the Waldenses of worshipping the devil in the form of a cat. He tended to treat all those accused as guilty until proven innocent and threatened all those who would not confess with the flames. 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