ps. Elsewhere in Europe, the legacy of cat killings passed into folk practices. Anyone with a thing against cats may get some satisfaction from a weird history "fact" circulating on the internet. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'historyofyesterday_com-box-3','ezslot_6',113,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-historyofyesterday_com-box-3-0');uper-spies James Bond and Austin Powers dont have cats. The Remains of Dead US Presidents Will Be Sent Into Space, The Man Who Surgically Brought Back Unicorns. For years there was a debate if the Black Death and the Bubonic Plague were the same, adding speculation to the rat spreading theory. Yes, I did say an astronaut that looks suspiciously like Neil Armstrong was carved in the face of the earth two millennia ago. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/event/Black-Death, Georgievska, Marija. 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. Public Domain. As we are. Gregory's missionary zeal among the Franks and the Anglo-Saxons in England was the first step in a process that would culminate with Charlemagne's coronation in Rome on Christmas Day in AD 800.. At the same time Benedictine monks led by Augustine were sent to Kent to convert the pagan King Ethelbert and his people, other missionaries from . Share this article your friends will love it too! Cats are natural hunters. Cats Blamed for Spreading the Plague During the Middle Ages, it wasn't uncommon for cats to be killed, given their association with evil, Compora says. Exterminating cats during the black plague epidemic in the 14th century: Cat owners were often accused of witchcraft, and often murdered along with their pets. This description created an image that was to be used for all future depictions of witches sabbats- and one that established the cat as a creature of the devil. (2010, February 4). It was one of the most deadly pandemics in history. BUT HUMANS , NOT SO. I was among the attendees of this event, and can attest that it was a doozy. There were probably several strains of plague spreading through Europe. https://emergency.cdc.gov/agent/plague/factsheet.asp. Where do we get our stuff? But this time, Pope Francis is focusing on all pets saying that people spend way too much money on furry friends. 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. Cats dont generally take on rats. Theres one thing you havent considered. On a personal level, my parents taught me the value of travel when I was young, and since then,Ive been an avid traveler I have visited 20 countries. Not only did the Egyptians hold the cat sacred in the form of Bast, a warrior goddess associated with fertility and the moon, but so too did the Romans, for whom the cat was one of the symbols of the goddess of freedom, Liberta. I get why we have dogs. 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. He has a brother named Adenulphus who later on in life served as the rector of Anagni, while Ugolino himself was educated in Paris and per known tradition, Bologna. They were hunted into extinction ! This info on Pope Gregory the ASSWHOLE is just another scandal caused by a Pope. In the 13th century, an inquisitor described, in a report to the pope, a Satanic cult in Germany that used cats as part of a ritual, and the pope's response quoted some of his information (which has been described as medieval propaganda by some). Just want to add that I like pretty much all animals, even dogs, but I am a cat person. That misguided stereotype is why witches are still depicted with black cats to this day. The cat throwing. From there, its just a couple of logical leaps to the connection to the Black Death: inspired by Pope Greg IXs bull, everyone across Europe killed off all the cats. How then could he have impacted the good people of the 1300s? 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, Decretales Gregorii IX, Good luck keeping them down for half a millennium.6, Maybe the biggest hole in the cat theory comes from the history of the plague. Like most diseases, were hard pressed to find thebad guy. As one might have predicted, thereafter, mass slaughters of cats blanked Europe. Further, the plague wasnt a one-off event in Europe. Cat burning became a favorite medieval pastime in France, where cats were suspended over fires in cages or doused and set alight- even chased on fire through the streets by cat chasers. So why not witches? Homeless Cats Recruited to Fight Rising Tide of Rats, Erika Engelhaupt National Geographical, September 29, 2017. Its a little school in England that was established in the year 1096. You know, small-town sh*t.9. The cats play into the picture as they would have normally been instrumental in cutting down the rat populations. 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. Enter the ancestors of Garfield the Cat. Home; About; Contacts; Location; FAQ This sudden lack of cats led to an increase in rat infestation which in turn increased the spread of disease, the most devastating being the Bubonic Plague. You literally cannot even be bothered to recall the NAMES of the people youre talking about. Retrieved from https://www.petmd.com/cat/conditions/infectious-parasitic/c_ct_plague%20, Quora. As hysteria increased, the rat population boomed and the Black Plague began to spread out of control. It also saw the breakup of the Carolingian Empire in 843. The reforms were based on the suggestions of the Italian scientist Luigi Lilio, with some modifications by the Jesuit mathematician and astronomer Christopher Clavius. Gregory based his theory on evidence from Conrad of Marburg, a papal inquisitor. This cruel practice continued until 1817 although the Kattenstoet continues to this day- involving stuffed cats instead. 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. The truth of the plague variations that wiped out Europe is, they were the results of a perfect storm. 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 . This demonization led to the widespread, violent persecution of black cats in particular. Some historians have forgiven the rats. Retrieved from https://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=141316, ONeill, Tim. The mass murder of cats was not the only cause of the Black Plague, but it removed a crucial natural predator of the flea-carrying rats that spread the disease. Many superstitions, including fear of black cats, continue to this day. Since the ninth century AD, the Canon Episcopi of the Catholic Church had deemed belief in witchcraft to be a heresy in itself. Both believed that cats were satanic and Marburg came up with evidence as to why cats are satanic. Writing is my first love. This is mainly because the black plague ravaged Asia before it goes on its way to Europe. Home chairman meow wisdom Why Cats Were (Wrongly) Blamed for the Black Plague in Europe. Cats were beloved by Egyptians. As people began to get sick and the Black Plague began spreading, more and more cats were killed. If the Nazca thought enough of cats to etch a 37-meter geoglyph of one into the mountain that persists 2,000 years later, they must have thought highly of them. The following rites of this [sect] are carried out: When any novice is to be received among them and enters the sect of the damned for the first time, the shape of a certain frog [or toad] appears to him. The proverbial compendium of collective human knowledge at that point was certainly shorter and harder to access than it is now, but people back then still used their brains. Much like modern-day Chicago, Egypt had a rat problem. One such individual was a German priest and nobleman, Conrad of Marburg. Classical Cats: The Rise and fall of the Sacred Cat, Donald W Engels, Psychology Press. Pope Gregory IX did not say cats are evil, and did not order people to kill cats. There are holes in your arguments as well. 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. When an animal is removed from the ecosystem (especially out of fear) it usually causes a chain reaction. Following years brought the great plaque of insects! 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). Reply . 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. The Waldenses, who were founded in 1170 by Peter Waldo claimed that individuals could commune with God directly, negating the need for priests. While in power, Pope Gregory IX declared that cats were to be associated with devil worship and had them exterminated. It wouldnt be the first time Catholicism has decided an animal once worshipped by pagans needed to be rebranded as Satanic (see: goats). February 8, 2013. But in the final analysis cats just arent dogs. 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. The truth is a little messy. I AGREE. 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? A quick Google search shows that a felinefemme fatalecat mask is conveniently available on Amazon for only $25.22. ALL ANIMALS ARE BEAUTIFUL, EVERY SPECIES KNOWN IS A JOY TO BEHOLD, EVERY ONE, RIGHT DOWN TO THE HIPPO, THE PIGS, EQUINES, PACHYDERMS , FELINES, CANINES, BOVINES. 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. 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. So Gregory began to formalize and promote practices that formed the basis of the later medieval inquisition. 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. Conrads methods for identifying heretics were questionable to some. On June 13, 1233, the Pope issued the Vox in Rama to King Henry of Germany. Omniverous diet, free bleeders- cats and other mammals? 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? Indeed the belief that the torture or killing of cats could break spells continued across northern Europe. Remember: Egyptians were known for being cat lovers, and Asia is where cats originally came from. Then, there is the fact that cats just arent good ratters-, which is why dogs; especially terriers are employed to catch rodents. 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. This bull, the story goes, declared cats as the instruments of Satan, and set Medieval Europe on a great cat purge, with special attention paid to black cats, who were particularly Luciferian. Furthermore, several more black plagues would hit the world in the 18th century or so, and it's unlikely that the cat population still suffers the cathunt after hundred of years. 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. The Popes were all lecherous greedy thieves seeking nothing but power for themselves & their families. We accept this storythat we humans once crossed cats and it resulted in one in three of us dyingbecause it just feels rignt. He is mostly known for issuing the Decretales and starting the Papal Inquisition. To understand why suspicions of cats persist, you need to go back to the 13th Century, whenPope Gregory IXhad a definite opinion of cats and it wasnt a positive one. They both carry fleas, only the mice never jump in my lap and bunt their head-glands all over my jeans. Henry was acquitted when he appealed to the bishop of Mainz and later that year Marburg himself was mysteriously murdered- probably at Henrys behest. Before the 13th century, many societies, . Pope Gregory IX How did this come about? But this means that a papal bull that didnt tell people to wipe out cats and was only sent to Mainz somehow influenced the majority of people throughout Europe to kill off all their cats, and to stick to it over the course of the next 115 years. Yeah you have a good point there! 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. Finally, even if cat numbers were vastly reduced, they were not wiped out. The Bubonic plague was carried not by rats themselves but their fleas; fleas which could just as easily transfer to dogs- and cats. In other words, the Europeans were murdering their best ally in the war against the pandemic. Elsewhere in Europe, the legacy of cat killings passed into folk practices. 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. He also became the first Pope to appoint inquisitors to actively root out such heretics. Konrad has evidence of people worshipping Lucifer and black cats, he also seems to possess some sort of confession. I suppose its possible that Vox in Rama simply set the stage for a cat-killing trend that would, generations later, result in the Black Death. 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. Gregory was a reluctant pontiff- and not just because of his age. 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. The bull called upon the bishops of Mainz and Hildesheim to lend Conrad their full support in rooting out these witches. Besides, it mutated into septicemic and pneumonic forms, thus spreading even faster. Tomb of Ancient Viking High King Discovered, The Most Bizarre Relics From The Ancient Funeral Rite. 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. Id already discounted that idea. It was Gregorys past as an astute lawyer that connected him to his acts of justice within the church. (Accessed June 1, 2018). Ugolino di Conti was born around 11451170 in Anagni, Rome. Pope Gregory IX (1147-1241). 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. A bit hard to read when YOU ARE SCREAMING AT ME though! THE RELIGIOUS SECTOR ARE OUT OF THEIR MINDS W/ THEIR POOR REASONING OF ENCOURAGING BIG FAMILIES. cats were only interested in our rat infested granaries. 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. Pope Benedict XVI acknowledges pilgrims during his general audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican Nov. 4, 2009. Because the powers that be dictated that the cat composed one of the main identifiers of a witch, the Church officially excommunicated the entire species. He believed that cats were evil creatures because they were related to Satan. 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? But, was it because of cats andrats? A pandemic so severe that it kills more than 50 million people in Europe in a couple of years, and killed more than 200 million people worldwide. The Church had already accused the Waldenses of worshipping the devil in the form of a cat. These new, heretical beliefs varied. (Accessed 2018, June 1). Plague. Though, really, they were dealing with a cat infestation and decided to make it an excuse to drink. Welcome to BELIEVE.art, home of Revolutionary Artist & Warrior-Poet, Chairman Meow. Cats came to be seen as a symbol of witchcraft, and even as the embodiment of Satan himself. Its funny thinking about cats as the symbol of evil. This dudes job was to rid Germany of heretics, so he had plenty of reason to stoke the Popes fears of heretical activity (gotta keep that job). (Accessed May 31, 2018). You can say that Im addicted to it. 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. And each time it hit Europe again, it appears to have come from Asia. It mentioned Pope Gregorys hate on for cats. 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. While the papal bull was sent to several rulers such as Emperor Frederick II and King Henry of Germany, the central prominent figure that assumes that task very seriously is one Konrad von Marburg. Another belief is that the plague wasairborne. 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. Also, in 1182, to aid the churchs vendetta against the Cathars, the French theologian Alain de Lille falsely claimed that the sect took its name from the cat instead of the real source, the Greek katharoi or pious ones. I dont really agree that cats offered no protection from the plague. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Museum Hack leads small group, VIP museum tours that are fun, fast-paced and surprisingly cool. One should not direct them the affection due only to persons.. Both, however, rendered the Catholic Church redundant. Retrieved from https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/06/ravens-memory-unfair-trade/. During this period, cat-burning was considered to bringgood luck. One example is the idea that Catholic fear drove people, including Pope Gregory, to wipe out cats, which resulted in a population explosion among plague-infected rodents, thus leading to the Black Death. Its believed by some that the plague spread, at least in part,via rats. There are many variables to navigate to make this assertion, but it doesnt look good for Gregory. Interestingly enough, Halloween originally a pagan celebration also has Catholic roots in the form of All Hallows Eve, that is the Vigil of All Saints Day, when Catholics remember those who have gone before them to enter their heavenly home. This cruel practice continued until 1817 although the Kattenstoet continues to this day- involving stuffed cats instead. Learn how cats first spread around the world. (2017, February 6). So, cats went from being the targets of pagan worship to Catholic contempt for these perceived similarities to the devil. Pope Gregory IX (1147-1241) was probably the world's worst cat hater or at least he did the most damage to cats. The author provides citations for his claims. There is little real evidence for this. They not only killed rodents, hence less infected animals but they themselves are more likely to get bit for you, with their sweet tasting blood. They were pure evil seeking nothing but power & control of the population. So a thing about the inquisition was that they would torture people to get confessions and such because that's a good way to make people say what you want to hear. Gregory was a reluctant pontiff- and not just because of his age. One of these was the sparrow! But, despite all the people who make their livings as cat psychologists, cats will just be cats. The Black Death came in 1347. After all, the devil was already at work through heretics. Thanks, Interesting article. Classical Cats: The Rise and fall of the Sacred Cat, Donald W Engels, Psychology Press. My guess is this had something to do with ancient cat worship in places like Egypt, which made its clams by farming the fertile land around the Nile.1. But how did cats become to be seen as evil? 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. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,600],'historyofyesterday_com-large-mobile-banner-1','ezslot_4',119,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-historyofyesterday_com-large-mobile-banner-1-0');Im definitely tracking the cat worship concept. 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. He was born Ugolino di Conti but took the name Gregory when he becamethe pope. 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. Granted, Im sure it was easier to get into back then, but thats right in the Medieval period. (To be fair, the cat is only one of more than 300 figures the Nazca created almost half which have been discovered in the last five years). The disease was ravaging Asia before it ever made its way to Europe. 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. Cat burning and other forms of cat hating have survived the centuries since. no- blood dives; you are 100% wrong, irrational clearly an agnostic who mocks then defends his false god, the pope- also, review another diatribe from papal high tower urging cats killed-clearly minions of satan, word cat not in catholic bible problem is, what did david kill as shepherd attacking his sheep? Pope Innocent VIII came to power in the late 1400s, during the throes of witch crusades in Western Europe. The Vox described the depraved rituals of the cult in detail, portraying the devil worshipped by the witches as a shadowy half cat and half man figure. Next the myth of toxoplasmosis! Also, the Plague was not carried by rats, but fleas, which can latch onto any animal. Wierd Tales, Vol 36. But cats? Ive written before about whycats are strange including the reasons cats like to walk all over you, knead you and are afraid of cucumbers. He informed the Pope of his findings. 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. BELIEVE! Meanwhile, they need that meat on the regular and know how to get it, so theyre great at killing and eating vermin. As one might have predicted, thereafter, mass slaughters of cats blanked Europe. In 2019, Profs and Pints, an organization that was founded to democratize higher learning, hosted an event that was designed to demystify the magical, spiritual and even sexualdepictions of catsin media and society. Constantly told the Truth is stranger than fiction!!! In any case, the various popes saw nothing wrong with burning heretics alive, so they already had a savage reputation. For example, ever heard of Oxford University? The mass murder of cats was not the only cause of the Black Plague, but it removed a crucial natural predator of the flea-carrying rats that spread the disease. Your email address will not be published. AKSHAY. (dogma defined as the established belief or doctrine held by a religion, ideology, or any kind of organization: it is authoritative and not to be disputed, doubted, or diverged from). Dogs are sweet but they dont really have that self respect that cats do. some particularly superstitious believers seized on the idea that the black cats were servants of Satan. The truth is that cats could not have prevented the black death. After Pope Gregory IX associated cats with devil worship, cats throughout Europe were exterminated in droves. However, historian Donald Engel believes that the Vox acted as a death warrant for the cat. 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. The Vox in Rama encouraged Conrad of Marburg to overreach himself and that same year he accused Henry II, Count of Sayn of taking part in satanic orgies. Some people even went as far as blaming. On October 11, 1231, he appointed Conrad as the first grand inquisitor of Germany. Even for modern times, that is not a young age to take on the papal role. Here are our sources? These new, heretical beliefs varied. If they were dumb, then that means were comparatively smart. ITS TIME FOR THE GOVT TO STOP THE HUMAN OVER-POPULATION. Even in Egypt, where they still view cats as sacred animals, plague hits. While there is no evidence that cats in medieval England were persecuted, their mousing skills were likened to the devils ability to catch souls, with the fifteenth-century merchant William Caxton remarking how the devil playeth ofte with the synnar, lyke as the catte doth with the mous. Some historians believe that the persecutions across Europe so depleted cat numbers that mouse- and rat-catching by cats diminished- one of the reasons why the Bubonic Plague took such a deadly hold in Europe during the fourteenth century. Theres a little bit about a cat in the third paragraph but what Gregory is really talking about here is a ritual carried out by a Satanic sect, as reported by an overzealous inquisitor named Conrad von Marburg. It was his distaste for cats that penned the Vox in Rama. 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. (2016, May 4). People living during this time lived in constant fear of death. Poor cats though. For example https://owlcation.com/humanities/Cats-and-the-Black-Plague, https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/06/ravens-memory-unfair-trade/, http://historycollection.co/thou-shalt-not-suffer-a-cat-to-live-why-pope-gregory-ixs-vox-in-rama-implicated-cats-in-devil-worship/, https://www.quora.com/Is-the-Vox-in-Rama-authentic-What-effects-did-it-have, https://academic.oup.com/ehr/article-abstract/CXXII/498/1075/457108/The-Black-Death-in-Egypt-and-England-A-Comparative?redirectedFrom=fulltext, https://www.britannica.com/event/Black-Death, http://www.kattenstoet.be/en/page/497-511/the-cat-throwing.html, https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/learn/histories/eight-witchcraft-myths/, https://emergency.cdc.gov/agent/plague/factsheet.asp, Abee, Holle. Am a cat infestation and decided to make this assertion, but it doesnt look good for.. Pope Innocent VIII came to be seen as a death warrant for the cat hating have survived centuries. 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