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? They spread via trade boats. 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. 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. 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. Home chairman meow wisdom Why Cats Were (Wrongly) Blamed for the Black Plague in Europe. But it starts to fall apart once you roll it around in the ol brainpan. Want more crazy cat facts? Cats, especially black cats, were now seen as evil and representatives of the . AKSHAY. Gregory IX. Encyclopedia of World Biography, Encyclopedia.com. I dont know what to make of the authors contention that we like to hate on the middle ages. Retrieved from https://academic.oup.com/ehr/article-abstract/CXXII/498/1075/457108/The-Black-Death-in-Egypt-and-England-A-Comparative?redirectedFrom=fulltext, Kattenstoet. Either way, his account cant be true. In Belgium, an entire festival, Kattenstoet, is dedicated to throwing cats from buildings and burning them in the streets. Yes I agree with you on this as we can never judge history in modern times Another belief is that the plague wasairborne. The Bull arose in response to rumors of satanic cults in Germany by the areas grand inquisitor, Conrad of Marburg. 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). Its believed by some that the plague spread, at least in part,via rats. But cats? In the ensuing years huge numbers of cats (especially black cats) and even their owners were killed across Europe in fear that they were evil witches and linked to Satan. Neither does rogue operative, Jason Bourne. Gregorys response was to issue the Vox in Rama. Good luck keeping cat population low for 500 years. Fewer cats, more rats, more fleas, and more plague. Cats are awesome rodent hunters. They fly in the face of the Christian idea of God putting the natural world and its creatures here for humanitys benefit. 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. 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. When an animal is removed from the ecosystem (especially out of fear) it usually causes a chain reaction. So, Im not so sure cats stop the plague. Wolves/dogs integrated themselves into society. Indeed the belief that the torture or killing of cats could break spells continued across northern Europe. Such heresies could not be left unchecked to spread around the population and thus undermine the Churchs authority. Granted, Im sure it was easier to get into back then, but thats right in the Medieval period. 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. 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. Where do we get our stuff? 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. 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. 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. 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. But feline-human relations deteriorated sometime in the early 1230s (CE) when Pope Gregory IX issued a papal bull called Vox in Rama. Though the Nazca Lines themselves werent discovered until 1926, when air travel started to become common, its been a World Heritage site since 1994, and is famous for its humming bird and astronaut geoglyphs. Elsewhere in Europe, the legacy of cat killings passed into folk practices. Eventually, the ItalianRenaissance would put this so far in the rearview, all we could think about wasfrilly collars. February 8, 2013. 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. Afterwards, they sit down to a meal and when they have arisen from it, the certain statue, which is usual in a set of this kind, a black cat descends backwards, with its tail erect. 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? Often fueled by a fear, individuals are often capable of doing illogical or terrible things as groups when given permission by authority figures. 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. ps. For he had inherited the problem of heresies which were blossoming across thirteenth century Christian Europe and challenging the universal church. This isa cautionary tale to all you cat haters out there. 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 cat had obtained a darker connotation through its association with Galinthias, who became a servant of Hecate, a Greek goddess of the underworld after she was turned into a cat by the goddess Hera. Unfortunately, modern DNA testing allowed us to dig into the causes of death from aging corpses. 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. 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. Plague. CATS ARE BETTER THAN PEOPLE. His condemnation of cats may not be responsible for the spread of black death, but its definitely connected to the decline in cat populations at the time, andthe proliferation of rat populations. THE HUMAN OVER-POPULATION IS CAUSING ANIMAL SPECIES TO GO EXTINCT. The truth is a little messy. Cats, dogs, horses, humans. 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. Some historians have forgiven the rats. 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. Good read, thanks! It came from was Asia, but it is still believed by many to have traveled on the backs of fleas living on rats. 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. However, historian Donald Engel believes that the Vox acted as a death warrant for the cat. Cats were later blamed for the Black Death (13461352), though rats were actually the culprit. Home; About; Contacts; Location; FAQ Much like modern-day Chicago, Egypt had a rat problem. Without them, pests would run wild, and not just rats. You know, small-town sh*t.9. Heretical beliefs were on the rise at the time, . He is mostly known for issuing the Decretales and starting the Papal Inquisition. 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. A quick Google search shows that a felinefemme fatalecat mask is conveniently available on Amazon for only $25.22. While the fact is pretty obscure on whether the papal bull is directly influenced by Konrad, he is known as a zeal that is set on to burn every last heretic. A witch and her cat. 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. Both, however, rendered the Catholic Church redundant. So, rather than being a document banning cats from Europe, it was a letter sent to a city warning them about a cult. Great read! 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. I laughed to I almost passed out One thing though some of the Pussy Persecution may have derived from the Witch connection. Denmark's Fastelavn held at the start of lent was based on the premise that for spring to begin, evil had to be banished. And each time it hit Europe again, it appears to have come from Asia. This cruel practice continued until 1817 although the Kattenstoet continues to this day- involving stuffed cats instead. Cats are natural hunters. I was among the attendees of this event, and can attest that it was a doozy. The population of Europe drops from 80 million to around 30 million by the time the black death subsides, some cities even saw a decrease of more than 70% of their population, few, such as a village called Quob, lost their entire population. Gregory was a reluctant pontiff- and not just because of his age. THE RELIGIOUS SECTOR ARE OUT OF THEIR MINDS W/ THEIR POOR REASONING OF ENCOURAGING BIG FAMILIES. Does the dwindling population of cats indirectly cause the infamous Black Death? Elsewhere in Europe, the legacy of cat killings passed into folk practices. Zealousness is a common occurrence in medieval times, the same thing goes for Gregory IX. But, despite all the people who make their livings as cat psychologists, cats will just be cats. Conrad had initially been involved in the persecution of the Cathars and enjoyed significant successes during the Albigensian crusade of 1209 -1229. Thou Shalt not suffer a Cat to Live: Why Pope Gregory IXs Vox in Rama Implicated Cats in Devil Worship. In the decree, he declared that Satan is half cat and claimed that there were . Not only were they a source of companionship they were also a status symbol and source of worship. Purina. Since the ninth century AD, the Canon Episcopi of the Catholic Church had deemed belief in witchcraft to be a heresy in itself. 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? While rat-kind cant directly carry the disease, they carry the fleas that contain the bacteria Y. Pestis. As I understand it, people used small dogs for rat hunting. So theres a lot of weak info out there about the backwards things that Medieval people were wont to do. Wikimedia Commons. After Pope Gregory IX associated cats with devil worship, cats throughout Europe were exterminated in droves. 1958 China Chairman Mao and the great leap forward he had designs on wiping out the four evils What effects did it have? Pope Benedict XVI acknowledges pilgrims during his general audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican Nov. 4, 2009. There are many variables to navigate to make this assertion, but it doesnt look good for Gregory. 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. Where do we get our stuff? 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 . Not sure I am convinced either way, but people (especially those who prefer dogs) do like to hate on cats, so it is not a stretch to believe that they have been killed en masse in any era. Then, when the rats came bearing the Plague, there were no mousers left to keep the disease in check.3. 1999. I have no idea where you get the idea that cats place is in the wild. 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. Wikimedia Commons. They were hunted into extinction ! Hera are six really weird pets that you could actually own. The Black Death came in 1347. One can love animals, the Catechism says. Its a little school in England that was established in the year 1096. Gregory based his theory on evidence from Conrad of Marburg, a papal inquisitor. 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. In the 13th Century a wave of anti-cat sentiment swept through Europe, with religious leaders labeling cats as evil and diabolical, including Pope Gregory IX who did so in 1232 AD. 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. Cats were seen as agents of the devil, throughout much of history, and slaughtered again centuries later in New England during the Salem Witch Trials of 1692. At length, when the novice has come forward, [he] is met by a man of wondrous pallor who has black eyes and is so emaciated [and] thin that since his flesh has been wasted, seems to have remaining only skin drawn over bone. (2007, September 1). 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. For example Classical Cats: The Rise and fall of the Sacred Cat, Donald W Engels, Psychology Press. 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. 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. Others posit that the smaller geoglyphs were used as location markers for travelers. CATS ARE BETTER THAN PEOPLE & ALWAYS WILL BE BETTER THAN HUMANS. I get why we have dogs. In those days, papal inquisitors extracted confessions from prisoners that they worshiped the devil and his black cat by torturing them vigorously. 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. 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why did pope gregory think that cats were evil?