Causes of Black Death

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Believed Causes[edit | edit source]

Louis Heyligen told tales from eastern India of rain of scorpions, frogs, lizards, snakes, and other poisonous animals. This originated in China when Gabriele de Mussis reported serpents and toads fell from the sky, entered homes, and poison inhabitants before eating them. Both were considered causes of Black Death.

Heyligen reported the belief that the corrupted air also affect sea life, and people avoided eating saltwater fish in fear of poison.

Some felt the plauge was signs of the Apocalypse.

The chief explanation for plague was poisoned air, also known as Miasma Theory.

The plague was considered a product of both celestial and natural forces; working through hidden (occult) mechanisms.

Blame[edit | edit source]

Many were blamed for purposely spreading the plague including Jews, Gypsies, Lepers, Satanists, Thieves, Vagabonds, Protestants, Corpse Carriers, foreigners, pilgrims, caregivers, Muslims, and simply the malevolent. Those suspected were tried and found guilty, hundreds were executed.

Some were thought to spread deadly ointments on door handles, poisoned civic wells, or poisoned food and/or medicine. They believed they put corpses and dead animals in wells.

In Visby, several "foreigners" were burned for well poisoning in 1350

In Sept 1348, a Geneva court extracted a confession from a Savoyard Jew that a rabbi gave him poison to contaminate wells, cisterns, and springs to kill as many Christians as possible. Likely obtained through tortured, this sparked anti-semitism in Germany, destroying many Jewish communities.

Poor, Prostitutes, and other undesirables would be expelled by the government for no real reason. Cities often associated them with the disease, with poorer sections of the villages and cities cordoned off. Those expelled would often seek shelter in nearby woods or workers' huts.

Actual Causes[edit | edit source]