Skip to main content

That Time Pope Gregory IV Waged War on Cats

Yes, you read that right. Welcome back to That Time...! It's been a minute and I missed writing these.

"Pope Gregory IX approving the Decretals" painted by Rafaello Sanzio
Above: "Pope Gregory IX approving the Decretals" painted by Rafaello Sanzio (1510-11)

Pope Gregory IX became pope March 19, 1227. One of his first acts as pope was to give Konrad von Marburg, a German nobleman and priest, more inquisition power.  As part of expanding his inquisition power, Konrad was permitted to go against standard procedure to investigate heresy. Now, if you're like me and aren't super familiar with that lingo, it means that Konrad was able to do whatever he wanted to investigate people who went against the church. Konrad was known for being unreasonable and unjust.

In June 1233, Pope Gregory IX sent out the Vox in Rama, condemning the hersy of and authorizing a crusade against Luciferanism, more commonly known as Satanism. This was in response to Konrad's numerous allegations and often coerced admissions of heresy. One such admission, claimed that during a Satanic initiation, they would kiss the butt of a cat.

Then came the insane persecution of cats. Between the Vox in Rama and Konrad's allegations, people made a sport of torturing and even burning cats. In Denmark, people beat cats to death  to "banish evil" from the creatures. This was done for lent. In Ypres, Belgium the Kattenstoet festival began where cats were thrown from church bell towers and then burned. This festival still goes on today, though stuffed cats are now used.

Bishops in German kingdoms called heretics "ketzer" which comes from "katzke which means cats. Another name they used was "katzenkussers" which means cat kissers. Konrad's allegations truly caused a lot of chaos for cats.

Despite the Black Plague not happening for another century, some scholars believe this culling of cats could have had to do with the Black Plague sweeping Europe. However, there is no evidence to support that.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Why Blue is the Real Villain of Blue's Big City Adventure

Okay, so maybe "villain" isn't the right word. Blue is more like the antagonist. This post is about the Blues' Clues & You movie Blue's Big City Adventure. So there will be spoilers. If you have Paramount+, it's only an hour watch. I promise it is worth the watch if you have watched Blue's Clues in any capacity. Blue's Big City Adventure poster If you were born in the 90s or early 2000s like me then you most likely watched the original Blue's Clues show hosted by either Steve (Steve Burns) or Joe (Donovan Patton). I have an older and a younger brother, so I got to experience both. However, MY host was Steve, and I am a Steve fan til the day I die. I have Blue's Clues & You playing in the background as I write this post because I realized I haven't watched a single episode of the new series despite watching the movie 6 times. I cannot stress enough how much I love Blue's new design. She looks so much fluffier. The original Blue...
Post a Comment
Read more

Fangirl Friday: Deleasa

 Heyo! Happy Friday! It's that time of the week when I ramble about someone I love! Today's subject is DJ and producer, Deleasa. His name is Mike Deleasa and while I normally refer to my subjects by first name in these posts, I will be referring to him by his stage name, Deleasa. NOW to understand how I became a fan of Deleasa, we have to go all the way back to 2012, when Kevin and Danielle Jonas' reality show, Married to Jonas  premiered. I bet you're wondering what does this guy have to do with the Jonas Brothers? Deleasa is actually Danielle's brother, making him Kevin's brother-in-law. He was featured in the reality show and I ended up falling in love with him. He was actually my parasocial "rebound" from Joe. You can read all about my parasocial breakup with Joe in my Fangirl Friday about him . But enough about the Jonas Brothers. That's not why we're here. Plus I've already written 30k words about them on this blog. However, I am for...
Post a Comment
Read more

That Time Rod Stewart Found Other Ways of Doing Cocaine

 Heyo! Happy Monday! This week's That Time... is a doozy. If you're a classic rock fan or a fan of Rod Stewart, you probably know exactly what this post is about. This one is a short one, but an interesting one. So bear with me. Of course need to put a warning about drug use. There are plenty of other posts that you are more than welcome to check out if this isn't your thing. If you are unfamiliar with Rod Stewart, let me introduce you to the ICON! He's a rockstar who also has a few pop bangers. I grew up with his music and can't remember a time in my life without his music. The first song I think of when he pops into my head is "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?" . I know it's the most basic song of his, but I have fond memories listening to the song on the radio when I was a kid. He's also dabbled in a few bands, but I am more familiar with his solo work than his bands. Though check out his band, Faces. In 2012, Rod released his autobiography, Rod: The A...
Post a Comment
Read more