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. The purpose of Vox in Rama, rather, was to condemn a cult that had allegedly popped up in the Rhinelandand the bull was specifically sent to the city of Mainz. 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. Cats were later blamed for the Black Death (13461352), though rats were actually the culprit. Pope Gregory IX became pope of the Catholic Church in 1227 and he wanted to kill cats. But the association between cats and gender is not a new one. It was one of the most deadly pandemics in history. Of course, the Bubonic Plague also motivated the kitty killings, as many believed that cat germs contributed to the plagues spread. That misguided stereotype is why witches are still depicted with black cats to this day. It's like visiting the museum with a close friend who just happens to know all the best stories, secrets and gossip. Public Domain. They were hunted into extinction ! It was his distaste for cats that penned the Vox in Rama. CATS ARE BETTER THAN PEOPLE & ALWAYS WILL BE BETTER THAN HUMANS. We accept this storythat we humans once crossed cats and it resulted in one in three of us dyingbecause it just feels rignt. Statues of black cats dont come to life, and you sure as sh*t cant get a cat to walk backwards and let you kiss its butthole.5. Homeless Cats Recruited to Fight Rising Tide of Rats, Erika Engelhaupt National Geographical, September 29, 2017. The Decretals reorganized the whole library of Catholic laws. 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. Further, the plague wasnt a one-off event in Europe. 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. We may still see the effects of the mass cat slaughter today: Its been suggested that the small black cat population in Europe today is a direct result of that breed being deemed particularly devil-like. 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. Thus, whether the population of cats went down or not, the plague would still exist. We may not be that much superior to that time frame, but we have learned a thing or two since then, I hope. Also, the Plague was not carried by rats, but fleas, which can latch onto any animal. The Bull arose in response to rumors of satanic cults in Germany by the areas grand inquisitor, Conrad of Marburg. Since the ninth century AD, the Canon Episcopi of the Catholic Church had deemed belief in witchcraft to be a heresy in itself. I dont really agree that cats offered no protection from the plague. 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. But myths often transcend evidence, dont they? Zealousness is a common occurrence in medieval times, the same thing goes for Gregory IX. Gregory IX. Encyclopedia of World Biography, Encyclopedia.com. ANIMALS ARE BECOMING EXTINCT BECAUSE OF THE GREAT AMOUNT OF NEEDLESS BABIES BEING BORN. Wierd Tales, Vol 36. These new, heretical beliefs varied. 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. It also saw the breakup of the Carolingian Empire in 843. 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. 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. You can say that Im addicted to it. Others are less sure. Does the dwindling population of cats indirectly cause the infamous Black Death? The Remains of Dead US Presidents Will Be Sent Into Space, The Man Who Surgically Brought Back Unicorns. One such individual was a German priest and nobleman, Conrad of Marburg. HUMAN OVER-POPULATION ISNT PRETTY, IT IS THE CAUSE BEHIND CHRONIC WARS. 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. 1958 China Chairman Mao and the great leap forward he had designs on wiping out the four evils 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). Some historians have forgiven the rats. Required fields are marked *. In the years ahead, feline-kind all across Europe saw their status slammed from a sacred and protected animal to a false idol. Gregory believed him. According toSmithsonian Magazine, the Nazca geoglyphs may have been used for astrological, calendrical purposes as well as religious rituals to encourage rainfall and fertility. 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. However, historian Donald Engel believes that the Vox acted as a death warrant for the cat. 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. 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. 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. 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!! Constantly told the Truth is stranger than fiction!!! So theres a lot of weak info out there about the backwards things that Medieval people were wont to do. Henry was acquitted when he appealed to the bishop of Mainz and later that year Marburg himself was mysteriously murdered- probably at Henrys behest. That was when Ugolino was over 80 years old. Not only were they a source of companionship they were also a status symbol and source of worship., Egyptians have had a long love affair with cats. Tomb of Ancient Viking High King Discovered, The Most Bizarre Relics From The Ancient Funeral Rite. The only problem is that this story probably isnt true. (Ive decided not the repost the link here). Sweet Home Alabama Lyrics: What Does Muscle Shoals Has Got the Swampers Mean? 1999. 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. 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. The final point though is that contemporary accounts and the examination of modern doctors and historians of the evidence from them has shown bacteria that caused the Black Death can take the form of a lung infection called pneumonic plague, which was spread easily between humans. 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. The mass killing of those docile beautiful creatures is despicable. The reforms were based on the suggestions of the Italian scientist Luigi Lilio, with some modifications by the Jesuit mathematician and astronomer Christopher Clavius. 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. Was considering writing a song about the folly of feline flaying, now Im not so sure. Ive written before about whycats are strange including the reasons cats like to walk all over you, knead you and are afraid of cucumbers. 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. Retrieved from http://www.kattenstoet.be/en/page/497-511/the-cat-throwing.html, MedicineNet.com. In my home, I use cat statuettes as bookends, and have various other representations of these felines throughout my home. 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. 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. Heretical beliefs were on the rise at the time, . Thus, purported heretics, such as the Cathars and Waldensians, were accused of worshipping cats, according toMedievalists.net. 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. There are many variables to navigate to make this assertion, but it doesnt look good for Gregory. Learn how cats first spread around the world. On June 13, 1233, he issued a papal decree, Vox in Rama, based on bogus evidence provided by a Spanish Inquisitor. Wikimedia Commons. Some people even went as far as blaming. https://emergency.cdc.gov/agent/plague/factsheet.asp. Further down the line, his influence grew larger and larger, and by 1217 he was named the papal legate and Honorius chief representative in Liguria and Tuscany. Kitty cats are not everyones flavor of pudding, but they serve an important role in many urban areas, especially in the developing nations outside the western world. Pope Gregory IX (1147-1241) was probably the world's worst cat hater or at least he did the most damage to cats. Not only were they a source of companionship they were also a status symbol and source of worship. Purina. Actually, the murder of cats in Europe continued for hundreds of years, and another Plague swept through Europe again in the 17th Century. When an animal is removed from the ecosystem (especially out of fear) it usually causes a chain reaction. 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. They both carry fleas, only the mice never jump in my lap and bunt their head-glands all over my jeans. This was seen as a critical time as the sixth crusade had recently been defeated in Damietta, Egypt. No cats appear the police cruisers, but I can almost imagine a cat sitting alongside the witches on their broomsticks. Elsewhere in Europe, the legacy of cat killings passed into folk practices. The Church had already accused the Waldenses of worshipping the devil in the form of a cat. This is mainly because the black plague ravaged Asia before it goes on its way to Europe. Gregory lived from 1145 to 1241, AD. Many of these rodents had fleas that carried diseases including the Black Plague. Check out France, rats on the street, brave-pigeons without flight reflex, but no cats. (Accessed June 1, 2018). So, cats went from being the targets of pagan worship to Catholic contempt for these perceived similarities to the devil. Enter the ancestors of Garfield the Cat. But some of their adversaries do. On October 11, 1231, he appointed Conrad as the first grand inquisitor of Germany. Pope Innocent VIII came to power in the late 1400s, during the throes of witch crusades in Western Europe. After Pope Gregory IX associated cats with devil worship, cats throughout Europe were exterminated in droves. Cats, dogs, horses, humans. The Black Plague did happen. 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. Its disgusting the way people treat and exploit these great animals. 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. why did pope gregory think that cats were evil? Classical Cats: The Rise and fall of the Sacred Cat, Donald W Engels, Psychology Press. February 8, 2013. 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. Share this article your friends will love it too! As one might have predicted, thereafter, mass slaughters of cats blanked Europe. 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. Public Domain. 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. 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