The Affliction in the Middle Ages
Disease and death are most often associated with the Middle Ages because of the widespread plagues and ignorance of medical knowledge during that time period. It is difficult, however, to ascertain the true nature of illness in the early Medieval Ages because in some written sources, the author’s standpoint distorts the presentation of the disease or cause of a person’s death so that the biological cause is skewed and unattainable.
Gregory of Tours, for example, writes about two priests of Sidonius Apollinaris who rebelled against him. Both of these priests died very close to the same time of Sidonius’ death. The first priest died while in the lavatory and the second priest died while listening to a servant’s vision. For the causes of both deaths Gregory gives the credit to God, saying “the Lord passed this earthly judgement on those two unruly priests” (135). Details about the deaths are not given, but according to Gregory, they are irrelevant because the deaths were acts from God. For the first priest, he writes, “he went off to the lavatory and while he was occupied in emptying his bowels he lost his soul instead” (134). Moreover, he compared the death to that of Arius’, who was considered a heretic and “in the same way emptied out his entrails through his back passage in the lavatory,” which signifies that Gregory thinks both men died due to heresy against God (134). Gregory even says that “God in his clemency did not permit this insult to go long unpunished” (134). It is evident that the affliction, according to Gregory, is due to God’s hand.
Gregory is writing from a Christian standpoint and is a bishop who greatly admired Sidonius, described here as “saintly” and an “angel”. Gregory’s agenda is such that he would want to publicize the sins of Sidonius’ enemies while also glorifying God. This may lead him to give transcendent causation for the deaths of these priests. Since the priests and Sidonius died at around the same time, one would think that there is a possibility that they could have died from the same kind of illness. Also, since Arius and the first priest both died while emptying their bowels, it is not entirely improbable that they had been suffering from some type of intestinal or digestive disease that may have been prevalent in the time period.
Kohn, George Childs. "Black Death." Encyclopedia of Plague and Pestilence: From Ancient Times to the Present, Third Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2008. Ancient and Medieval History Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?
Some things are not as they seem. “Ring Around the Rosie” seems like a pleasant children’s nursery rhyme, but many believe it is actually a grisly song about the Black Death in Europe. The Black Death was a serial outbreak of the plague during the 1300s. During the Black Death, more than 20 million Europeans died. One-third of the population of the British Isles died from the plague. Moreover, one-third of the population of France died in the first year alone, and 50% of the people in France’s major cities died. Catastrophic death rates like these were common across all of Europe. However, just like the poem “Ring Around the Rosie”, the true effects of the Black Death differed from what many people believed. Though tragic, the Black Death caused several positive societal changes. Specifically, the Black Death helped society by contributing to the economic empowerment of peasants and disempowerment of nobility that led to the decline of manorialism, as well as by encouraging the development of new medical and scientific techniques by proving old methods and beliefs false.
"From the Brink of the Apocalypse: Confronting Famine, War, Plague, and Death in the Later Middle Ages." Medievalists.net. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Dec. 2013.
Wood, James E, Jr. "Religious Human Rights and a Democratic State." Journal of Church and State 4(2004):739. eLibrary. Web. 31 Aug. 2011.
No other epidemic reaches the level of the Black Death which took place from 1348 to 1350. The epidemic, better regarded as a pandemic, shook Europe, Asia, and North Africa; therefore it deems as the one of the most devastating events in world history. In The Black Death: The Great Mortality of 1348-1350, John Aberth, compiles primary sources in order to examine the origins and outcomes of this deadly disease. The author, a history professor and associate academic dean at Vermont’s Castleton State College, specializes in medieval history and the Black Death. He wrote the book in order to provide multiple perspectives of the plague’s impact. Primarily, pathogens started the whole phenomenon; however, geological, economic, and social conditions
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“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceable to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.” (Amendment I, The Constitution of the United States of America)
During the Middle Ages, people didn’t have scientific equipment like microscopes to examine the organisms. So they concluded causes for the Black Death with unsupported evidence. Many physicians and doctors said it was in the air. It was inevitable to catch the Black Death as they claimed. Physicians describe the plague like a ‘tide of death’ (Addison et al, 2012.
Hawley, Helen, and Gary Taylor. "Freedom of religion in America." Contemporary Review 282.1649 (2003): 344+. Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 20 Apr. 2014.
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