You cant even accept that cats may have offered some protection from the plague. Pope Gregory IX was a pretty good pope by medieval standards. Other sects, such as the Cathars or Albigensians had more esoteric beliefs. Your email address will not be published. After Pope Gregory IX associated cats with devil worship, cats throughout Europe were exterminated in droves. Pope Innocent VIII came to power in the late 1400s, during the throes of witch crusades in Western Europe. For years there was a debate if the Black Death and the Bubonic Plague were the same, adding speculation to the rat spreading theory. The Waldenses, who were founded in 1170 by Peter Waldo claimed that individuals could commune with God directly, negating the need for priests. Want more crazy cat facts? The cats play into the picture as they would have normally been instrumental in cutting down the rat populations. Cats were later blamed for the Black Death (13461352), though rats were actually the culprit. 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. But, was it because of cats andrats? People in medieval Ypres, Belgium, had a festival called Kattenstoet where theyd throw cats from the belfry tower to symbolize the killing of evil spirits. Although he did not approve the use of torture in the interrogation of suspects, Gregory did pass the law that sent unrepentant heretics to the fire and in some cases repentant heretics to prison for life. (Accessed May 31, 2018). The disease was ravaging Asia before it ever made its way to Europe. Oh and I like dogs but dog people kind of irritate as they always say or think negative stuff about cats, like cats are arseholes. He tended to treat all those accused as guilty until proven innocent and threatened all those who would not confess with the flames. (Accessed June 1, 2018). The Nazcacat geoglyphwas only discovered last October. As was to be expected of a former angel The upper part of his body from the hips upward shines as brightly as the sun. However, his fall from grace was encapsulated by his lower body where his skin is coarse and covered with fur like a cat.. Reigning during the Western Schism, he was opposed by the Avignon claimant Benedict XIII and the Pisan claimants Alexander V and John XXIII.Gregory XII wanted to unify the Church and . Zealousness is a common occurrence in medieval times, the same thing goes for Gregory IX. Elsewhere in Europe, the legacy of cat killings passed into folk practices. 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. Pope Gregory IX initiated the feline holocaust in Europe which was to continue . 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. Then, when the rats came bearing the Plague, there were no mousers left to keep the disease in check.3. Pope Gregory IX, who held the papacy from 1227 to 1241, most definitely fell in the second camp largely because he believed that the fluffy hairball-hackers embodied Lucifer himself. Apparently torture produced some pretty convincing confessions from people who worshipped the devil and his black cat. you suck; F-; see edict ex cathadre by a subsequent POPE reversing greggy 9s cat condemnation- also, Y-Perstis fleas only and I mean ONLY like rats; why? We know they had terrier like dogs in Medieval Europe and that they were used as ratters. Without them, pests would run wild, and not just rats. Cats are awesome rodent hunters. Retrieved from https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/06/ravens-memory-unfair-trade/. Conrads methods, however, yielded results and in 1231, the Archbishops of Trier and Mainz wrote to the Pope, full of praise for their heretic catcher. Locusts and every other kind because the sparrow not only ate grain but also insects the great 3 year famin followed and the official Chinese records showed 15 million people died of starvation but later studies done by experts from outside of China say the official numbers are fudged badly in an optimistic attempt to cover the true death toll of around 45 million plus some even say as high as 70 million!! You can say that Im addicted to it. You literally cannot even be bothered to recall the NAMES of the people youre talking about. First the novice, then the master, then each one of the order who are worthy and perfect, kiss the cat on its buttocks. Pope Gregory IX did issue a papal bull, . Gregory IX (Wikimedia Commons) Pope Gregory IX was a pretty good pope by medieval standards. This persecution was so savage that some scholars believe that by the 1300s, Europes cat numbers were sufficiently depleted to prevent them efficiently killing rats and mice- thus allowing the bubonic plague to spread. Classical Cats: The Rise and fall of the Sacred Cat, Donald W Engels, Psychology Press. Lets see if the math adds up. The people of the time may have felt that this was the end of days, but the wake of the plague was nothing but an opportunity for survivors. The cat throwing. As I learned at the Profs and Pints event, cats persist as a marker of femininity in the media and our language of pop culture. Thank you for your cooperation.You can sign-up to the Membership any time to remove the adds and enjoy the content with no interruptions, 2 popes and a plague are to blame for burning felines at the stake. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,600],'historyofyesterday_com-large-mobile-banner-2','ezslot_5',111,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-historyofyesterday_com-large-mobile-banner-2-0');Ancient Peruvians may have been attracted to cats in a way similar to Egyptians. Cats are not assholes, as this writer and many dog lovers like to repeat endlessly (and its SO tiresome to listen). For example, ever heard of Oxford University? Those arrested by Conrad, therefore, had only two options: admit to heresy and spend the rest of their lives as a known former heretic or burn. Did Pope Gregory's comfort with the law cause him to overstep his station as the pope? Pope Gregory IX became pope of the Catholic Church in 1227 and he wanted to kill cats. I came just to quickly peruse the article in attempts to finally finding out whether or not there was validity to the Pope being the plausible cause of the Black Plague in hopes that he did indeed cause it, since today is Sunday and when I refuse to go to Church with my grandmother I could hit her with this, and it could be a legitimate reason for me not attending Church because the Pope caused millions of people to die from the Black Death/Plague, and I am in no support of mass killing. Just want to add that I like pretty much all animals, even dogs, but I am a cat person. After all, the devil was already at work through heretics. But today, the association between cats and Halloween persist, perhaps ironically because spurious associations between cats and Satan worshiping that the Catholic Church pushed, some 800 years ago. That evil came to be neatly personified in the form of black cats that were beaten to death to purge the new season of evil spirits. Retrieved from http://historycollection.co/thou-shalt-not-suffer-a-cat-to-live-why-pope-gregory-ixs-vox-in-rama-implicated-cats-in-devil-worship/, Gibbens, Sarah. The fleas will jump on to the cat and then you can dose the cat to kill them. As people began to get sick and the Black Plague began spreading, more and more cats were killed. The Black Death in Egypt and England: A Comparative Study. Based on these confessions, in 1233 Pope Gregory IX issued an official papal decree declaring that Satan was half-cat and sometimes took the form of cat. Thats serious.. Gregory based his theory on evidence from Conrad of Marburg, a papal inquisitor. For Conrad in his quest for heretics around Mainz and Hildesheim claimed to have uncovered a Luciferian cult. So why not witches? However, historian Donald Engel believes that the Vox acted as a death warrant for the cat. (2010, February 4). 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. In 1233, Pope Gregory IX's "Vox in Rama," a warning against the perils of witchcraft, accused its targets of canoodling with a black cat that was actually Lucifer in disguise. For some reason, we find the idea that our ancestors were dumb rather appealing. Though Ive learned important lessons from each of my trips, my trip to Chile the string bean-shaped country was my favorite. DeAgostini/Getty Images. The nauseating details of the cult initiation process plunge Europe into a manhunt of felines a cathunt. But still, cultural images of cats being a marker of femininity didnt sprout fromVogue,any more than the idea that cats are plain evil stem fromSports Illustrated. Where do we get our stuff? After food, clothing and medicine, the fourth item is cosmetics and the fifth is pets, he said, referring to a study on where most peoples income goes. One such individual was a German priest and nobleman, Conrad of Marburg. Once the lights came back on, from a dark corner, the figure of a man emerges. This man was Lucifer, who the whole company firmly believed to have been wronged by God. Fleas tend to prefer cat blood. 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. In the meantime, accusations of witchcraft began to spread amongst the ordinary people, as a way of settling grudges or seizing property and cats began to be used as proof of satanic association. His papacy started when hereticism run rampant in Europe, and yet, by the end of his term, he saw the completion of one of the most important canon law in the Catholic Church known as the Decretales Gregorii IX, excommunicated Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II, and (allegedly) founded the earliest incarnation of the papal inquisition. Pope Gregory IX How did this come about? Henry was acquitted when he appealed to the bishop of Mainz and later that year Marburg himself was mysteriously murdered- probably at Henrys behest. He believed that cats were evil creatures because they were related to Satan. Before you accuse me of clickbait, hear me out. I dont really agree that cats offered no protection from the plague. However, amongst the warped fantasies were some bare facts from past beliefs which lent themselves to the dark image of witchcraft the church was attempting to conjure. Dog lovers, please get over it. Neither does rogue operative, Jason Bourne. Potential infected flea hosts include: rodents, humans, dogs, and cats. Dogs are sweet but they dont really have that self respect that cats do. One can love animals, the Catechism says. It wasn't until Pope Gregory IX came to power in the 1200s that black cats became a symbol of bad luck. Thus, whether the population of cats went down or not, the plague would still exist. During these witch trials, a woman even testified in court that cats spoke to her, and threatened to hurt her if she didnt abuse children in the town. The cat thing is a footnote in his story. Yet, in 2014 Pope Francis sparked an uproar by telling a girl whos cat who had died that she would be reunited Gods creatures in Paradise except for cats, who end up in hell. And whatever else fleas like to nosh on.8. I SAY GOOD FOR ALL THOSE SENSELESS HUMANOIDS. They were hunted into extinction ! Over many centuries, Egyptians found that a cat was the one creature that could make the world safe, according to Purina. Wolves/dogs integrated themselves into society. Lead bulla of Gregory IX. Some kiss this creature on the hind quarters and some on the mouth, they receive the tongue and saliva of the beast inside their mouths. (along with other predators including snakes, which had long since carried the label of being evil). While there appears to be no evidence that Pope Gregory IX ever told people to kill cats, there have been smaller historical examples of Medieval folks killing cats for weird reasons. Required fields are marked *. Some historians have forgiven the rats. Its funny thinking about cats as the symbol of evil. Reply . The Decretals reorganized the whole library of Catholic laws. Pope Gregory IV (Latin: Gregorius IV; died 25 January 844) was the bishop of Rome and ruler of the Papal States from October 827 to his death. Gregory IX approved the Northern Crusades of the Teutonic Order, the purpose of which was the baptism of the Baltic pagan peoples, and which led to the attempts of the Catholic colonialists to seize the lands of Pskov and Novgorod principalities. These new, heretical beliefs varied. As it went into the fourth and fifth years ! Thanks for writing this! What Im seeing here is a well-researched fact piece angering someone who kinda half-remembers something she thinks she read somewhere this one time. The novice kisses him and feels cold, [like] ice, and after the kiss the memory of the [C]atholic faith totally disappears from his heart. Based on the Vox in Rama translation there is no exact phrase that urges Konrad or other inquisitors to go on a cathunt all across Europe. Indeed the belief that the torture or killing of cats could break spells continued across northern Europe. They catch cockroaches, snakes, and scorpions too. Not only were they a source of companionship they were also a status symbol and source of worship. Purina. Pope Gregory XII (Latin: Gregorius XII; Italian: Gregorio XII; c. 1327 - 18 October 1417), born Angelo Corraro, Corario, or Correr, was head of the Catholic Church from 30 November 1406 to 4 July 1415. The popes were all hypocrytical, bastards. But myths often transcend evidence, dont they? Its long-term effect, however, was to reshape the view of the cat in European society in general, morphing it from a pagan sacred animal into an agent of hell. According to Pope Gregory IX, cats were the embodiment of the devil himself. And anyone who tries to understand them as the devil incarnate or as a female marker hasnt spent enough time enjoying a cat walking all over them, kneading them or running from cucumbers. Following years brought the great plaque of insects! They came to us willingly because we offered so much prey and have been a benefit to mankind whether you like em or not. These were, however, local affairs and dont serve as proof of the kind of massive cat recall modern folks have inferred from Pope Gregory IXs bull. Wildcat7 Youd rather see an animal domesticated for thousands of years in the wild doing what they are meant to do than indoors as pets? Retrieved from https://www.quora.com/Is-the-Vox-in-Rama-authentic-What-effects-did-it-have, Sheldon, Natasha. Like a lot of other myths about history from the Middle Ages, the idea that Europeans wiped out cats and then paid for it with the Black Death makes more sense the less you think about it. Of course, the Bubonic Plague also motivated the kitty killings, as many believed that cat germs contributed to the plagues spread. Much like modern-day Chicago, Egypt had a rat problem. So, cats went from being the targets of pagan worship to Catholic contempt for these perceived similarities to the devil. So Gregory began to formalize and promote practices that formed the basis of the later medieval inquisition. Cat burning and other forms of cat hating have survived the centuries since. This is mainly because the black plague ravaged Asia before it goes on its way to Europe. Firstly, they are greeted by an abnormally large frog or toad, whose behind they must kiss and then a man of fearful pallor and thinness whose task was to suck out every last remnant of faith in the Catholic Church from their soul. A witch and her cat. Gregory was a reluctant pontiff- and not just because of his age. In 2021, I dont think that most Catholics or people of other religious believe that cats are evil. It wouldnt be the first time Catholicism has decided an animal once worshipped by pagans needed to be rebranded as Satanic (see: goats). Both, however, rendered the Catholic Church redundant. Either way, his account cant be true. On June 13, 1233, Gregory issued the Vox in Rama, an official papal decree declaring that Satan was half-cat and sometimes took the form of a cat during Satanic masses. Remember: Egyptians were known for being cat lovers, and Asia is where cats originally came from. And the Black Death didnt just travel to Europeit did its thing in Egypt, too, where it may have done more damage than it did in England.7. If they were dumb, then that means were comparatively smart. As we are. As I understand it, people used small dogs for rat hunting. 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. Plague in Cats. Its disgusting the way people treat and exploit these great animals. NASA is launching the DNA of some of the most prolific presidents in US history, The 1985 story of a bear that ate 77 pounds of Plabo Escobar's finest cocaine. Even today, the police department of Salem, Massachusetts, where witch trials executed 20 women for witchcraft, uses the image of a witch on a broomstick on theirpolice cruisers. The bull does not, however, dictate that Catholics across Europe kill all cats to stop Satan. The Sphinx being the most obvious representation of their reverence of cats, Egyptians also covered their walls with images ofregal-lookingcats and made fine statues of them too. 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? So, rather than being a document banning cats from Europe, it was a letter sent to a city warning them about a cult. In fact, the picture of a white Persian cat in Bond villain Ernst Blofelds lap is an indelible cultural image, as is that of the hairless cat that Dr. As hysteria increased, the rat population boomed and the Black Plague began to spread out of control. Thus, purported heretics, such as the Cathars and Waldensians, were accused of worshipping cats, according toMedievalists.net. Besides, it mutated into septicemic and pneumonic forms, thus spreading even faster. (Accessed June 1, 2018). 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. People can make all manner of animals do what we likewe can teach oxen to plow, dogs to fetch game, elephants to paint, and ravens to hold grudges.2 But you cant make a cat do anything. I dont know what to make of the authors contention that we like to hate on the middle ages. Where do we get our stuff? While I cannot say for certain that things didnt happen this way, there appear to be holes. Retrieved from https://www.quora.com/Is-the-Vox-in-Rama-authentic-What-effects-did-it-have, PetMD. This cruel practice continued until 1817 although the Kattenstoet continues to this day- involving stuffed cats instead. But some of their adversaries do. In the 13th century, Pope Gregory IX, pope from 1227-1241, believed that cats actually carried the spirit of Satan himself within them. no; mice? That, or he was a true believer, or both. Thou Shalt not suffer a Cat to Live: Why Pope Gregory IXs Vox in Rama Implicated Cats in Devil Worship. A quick Google search shows that a felinefemme fatalecat mask is conveniently available on Amazon for only $25.22. Others posit that the smaller geoglyphs were used as location markers for travelers. Cats, especially black cats, were now seen as evil and representatives of the . There are many variables to navigate to make this assertion, but it doesnt look good for Gregory. Thanks for publishing! 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