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Cats and their difficult lives in the Middle Ages - Medieval History - See U in History | See U in History / Mythology | YouTubeToText
YouTube Transcript: Cats and their difficult lives in the Middle Ages - Medieval History - See U in History
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in the ancient world the cat was adored
by diverse cultures
such as the chinese egyptian or roman
however around the 13th century in
europe the animal began to lose its
former status
it was usually tolerated for being
useful in fighting mice
what was often not valued as a pet a
warning to those who like cats
the history of this animal in the middle
ages is horrific
medieval theories about cats claimed
that they were cruel creatures
allies of the devil and witches legends
and myths about cats claimed that
heretics worshiped the animal
and kissed them below the tail right in
the orifice
there were rumors that witches could
transform themselves into cats
to bite and scratch babies even the pope
answered questions like
are cats the devil and are cats demonic creatures
creatures
with a resounding yes triggering
centuries marked by the killing of cats
the fear of the black cat has become so
ingrained in the memory
that beliefs such as it being a source
of bad luck continued to persist today [Music]
[Music]
the ancient egyptians revered cats they
even believed they were gods
for penalties for injuring or killing a
cat were severe
in ancient egypt they loved these
animals so much
that they even mummified them the
ancient greek historian herodotus
reported that
when a cat died in egypt all the
inhabitants of a house
shaved their eyebrows in a sign of deep mourning
mourning
the cats that died were embalmed and
buried in sacred containers
the cat in ancient egypt was intricately
linked to the goddess bastet
the priestess of the hearth the home woman
woman
and their secrets bastet was one of the
most popular deities in egypt
because she promised peace and
prosperity to her devotees of both sexes
any man had a mother or a sister a wife
or a daughter
that they cared for and protected while
at the same time
wishing for a peaceful and prosperous home
home
that was what bast had guaranteed every year
year
thousands of egyptians traveled to the
holy city of bubastis
to participate in the goddesses festival
bastet and the cats were so valued that
in 525 bc the egyptian army surrendered
to the persians
who painted the image of bastet on their shields
shields
and herded cats and other animals in
front of the egyptians before the city walls
walls
the egyptians would rather surrender
than harm the cats
cats were also popular in ancient egypt
and rome although not with the same
status they had in ancient egypt
the greeks did not use cats as hunters instead
instead
they domesticated weasel to control
pests but pet cats were well treated
the romans considered the cat a symbol
of independence
but all that changed in medieval europe
when cats were associated with the devil [Music]
[Music]
while the ancient romans celebrated the
independence of cats
medieval europeans were worried about it
medieval christians believed that god
had given them dominion over the animals
of the earth
but cats refused to be domesticated the dog
dog
man's best friend was capable of
learning to be loyal
and obedient but a cat would not act the
same way
despite all the flattery thus the
independent character of cats
caused great anxiety in medieval europeans
europeans
in the early 15th century edward duke of york
york
harshly described cats their falseness
and malice are known
but i dare say this if any beast has the
spirit of the devil within it
it is undoubtedly the cat both wild
and domesticated although most of the
population of medieval europe was illiterate
illiterate
this was irrelevant since stories were
mostly transmitted orally
the story that associated the cats with
darkness witchcraft
and the underworld along with the
church's efforts to demonize the values
of earlier religions
ultimately condemned the cat to an
inferior existence
its association with the feminine side
inherited from egypt
further contributed to the demonization
of cats
considering that women in the early
medieval ages were not viewed
in the most positive way before the
popularization of the cult of the virgin
mary in the high middle ages
100-1300 a.d along with the french
romantic tradition of courtly love that
elevated the status of the female sex
women were closely associated with eve
and the fallen man in the garden of eden
they were considered sinful by nature lustful
lustful
and responsible for the first fall of
man as well as for all the struggles
that every man had to face after adam
the jews known as christ killers
throughout the middle ages in europe
were associated with cats jews were said
to worship the cat
being able to transform themselves into
this animal to sneak into christian homes
homes
and commit mischief or cast spells it
was also believed that jews crucified
cats as a way of mocking christ's death
on the cross
to the patriarchal culture of the middle
ages the cat was clearly the vilest
creature on earth
in the 12th century this association
with the devil became
even more visible around 1180 walter mapp
mapp
explained in one of his works that
during satanic rituals the devil appears
in the form of a black cat
before his devotees the worshippers turn
off the light
and approach the place where they saw
their master they search for him
and when they find him they kiss him
under his tail
this text credited in the minds of
medieval europeans a long association
between cats and evil
when the first major witch trials began
in the 15th century
cats were accused of helping witches
hunting cats were considered cruel animals
animals
that preyed on mice taking pleasure from
the rodent's pain
this reinforced the rumors that linked
cats to the devil
instead of lovable and helpful pets
medieval europeans
began to see cats as a symbol of pure evil
evil
several countries of association between
cats heretics and witches
affected european cats in 1232
pope gregory ix issued a people bull
entitled vox and rama
declaring that cats were allies of the
devil thus
europeans began to massacre these animals
animals
during the persecution of heretics and
witches millions of innocent cats may
have been killed
the methods of killing cats were
horrible in belgium
cats were thrown from bell towers in france
france
they were burned at the stake in denmark
cats were beaten to death
a german artillery master suggested
attaching rockets to cats for use in sieges
sieges
all these forms of torture against cats
were considered cruel entertainment
at the expense of the lies of millions
of cats
you guys have seen that woody woodpecker
episode entitled suffering cats right
well that's not a jet on the back of a
16th century cat
it's an unusual military technique
recommended by the master gunner franz
helm of cone
who wrote a treatise on siege warfare in
the mid-16th century
in one section of the documents helms
suggested new methods
for setting fire to an impenetrable
castle or city
helm recommended putting a lit bag of
gunpowder on a cat's back
tie the bag on the cat's back then light
it then let the cat go
so that it runs towards the nearest
castle or town
when the terrified cat hid in a barn the
rocket would set the structure on fire
sure the cat would die a horrible death
but helm didn't seem to mind that
the outbreak of the black death after
pope gregory the knight's bull has often
been attributed to a widespread massacre
of cats
however this theory is untenable as it
was just one outbreak among many
the plague was killing europeans long
before the papal bull
on the other hand the plague of the 14th
century was amplified by the high number
of parasite-carrying rodents that
thrived in the absence of a large cat population
population
the people of the middle ages did not
know that the plague was caused by the
bacterium yersinia pestis
present in fleas which in turn parasited
the rats
the general opinion was the same as that
spread by the church
the plague had been sent by god as a
punishment for sins
in this way cats continued to be
slaughtered and killed
as people continued to see them through
the church's perspective
as evil and worthless creatures cats
began to be rehabilitated after the
protestant reformation
1517-1648 when the church's control over
the people's lives diminished
there began to be greater freedom of
thought in the 18th century
the spirit of the enlightenment
encouraged people to keep cats as
pets simply because they were a cheerful companion
companion
this trend became more common in the
victorian era in the 19th century
when queen victoria returned the cat to
the status the animal had in ancient
egypt when the rosetta stone was
deciphered in 1822
egyptian culture was revealed to the
world prior to this
hieroglyphics were considered merely an ornament
ornament
but after they were understood as a
language egyptian civilization was clarified
clarified
and attracted worldwide attention
stories of amazing discoveries in
ancient tombs
made headlines in england and around the world
world
several mentioned bastet and the
egyptian love of cats
queen victoria's interest in egypt
caused her to adopt two blue persians
and the monarch acquired a reputation as
a breeder of show cats
since victoria was a popular queen the
press reported on her interests
and these hobbies began to be shared by
other people who wish to have their own cats
cats
little by little their image was rehabilitated
rehabilitated
by the end of the 19th century the
medieval concept of the cat
as an instrument of satan was replaced
by that of the feline friend
and cherished family member known to cat
lovers today
as well as those of the ancient world you
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