1458-00-00-Genoa
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| Date startStart date of the disease. | 1458 | + |
| Date endEnd date of the disease. | + | |
| SeasonSeason (spring, summer, fall or winter) | ||
| Date otherOther mentioned dates. | ||
| PlacePlace(s), city or location of the disease. | Genoa | |
| RegionHistorical region(s) | ||
| CountryCurrent country | ||
| RiverMentioned river(s) | ||
| Natural eventMentioned natural event(s) | ||
| PersonMentioned persons(s) | ||
| GroupGroup(s) of people mentioned | ||
| VictimIndication of victims | + | |
| AnimalMentioned animal(s) | ||
| DiseaseMentioned disease(s) | Plague | |
| Epidemic waveAssociated epidemic wave | ||
| Social responseSocial response that happened in reaction to the disease | ||
| LanguageLanguage of the original text | Latin | |
| KeywordFurther keyword(s) | Epidemics, Mortality | |
| last edited | 19. 12. 2025 by EpiMedDat-Bot. |
In Genoa, evil men went during the plague to the sick and robbed them in their homes. If the sick were still alive, they suffocated them. The crime was reported to the king, who stopped it. But in the end, more than 80 people died because of the murderer.
Text originalOriginal text
Interea scelus enorme ibi perpetratum est et flagitium inexpiabile fere. Nam cum pestis in urbe grassaretur propter quod pene vacua foret hominibus, quidam ex societatibus ad pia opera deputatis convenerunt in unum numero XLVIII, statuentes inter se visitare morbo infectos ac curam eorum agere et cadavera tradere sepulture, non quidem intentione Deo obsequendi, sed domos infirmorum rebus evacuandi et, uno marsupio facto, statuebant inter se quis quid inde acciperet. Nec illi scelesti et crudeliores feris expectabant infirmorum mortem, sed accelerabant ipsos suffocantes, ut postmodum rapine vacarent. Sed tantum nephas pius Deus non est passus diu manere occultum. Facta enim inter eos quadam dissensione super cuiusdam morte temptanda, unus eorum accedens ad ducem vices regis exequentem, prius sibi vite preservatione postulata et obtenta, confessus est crimen suum et sociorum, narrans octoginta infirmos et ultra per eos suffocatos ante naturalem transitum vite et substantias eorum direptas. Quod audiens dux, caute illos inquiri fecit, et XXVIII ex eis captos suspendi fecit, aliis fugam hinc inde capientibus.
Text translationEnglish translation of the text
Meanwhile, an enormous crime and almost unforgivable outrage was committed there. For when the plague was ravaging the city, leaving it nearly empty of people, some members of charitable organizations came together, numbering forty-eight, and decided among themselves to visit the sick and take care of them, as well as to bury the dead. However, their intention was not to serve God, but to rob the homes of the sick. They made a pact among themselves, agreeing on how to divide the spoils they would take. These wicked men, even more cruel than wild beasts, did not wait for the sick to die naturally but hastened their deaths by suffocating them so that they could more quickly engage in looting. But God, in His mercy, did not allow such wickedness to remain hidden for long. A dispute arose among them regarding the planned murder of someone, and one of them, seeking to save his own life, approached the leader acting on behalf of the king. After securing a promise of protection, he confessed his crime and those of his companions, revealing that they had suffocated more than eighty sick people before their natural deaths and plundered their possessions. Upon hearing this, the leader carefully ordered an investigation, leading to the capture and hanging of twenty-eight of them, while the others fled in different directions.
