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Did Flying Corpses Spread the Plague?

Caitlin Doughty・13 minutes read

The city of Caffa faced a deadly siege by the Mongols resulting in the spread of the Black Plague to Europe through trade ships, with historians debating the root cause of the epidemic. Exclusive content will be available on Instagram while the main YouTube channel takes a break to focus on producing more elaborate content for the fall season.

Insights

  • The Black Plague spread from Caffa to Europe through traders on trade ships, leading to a widespread epidemic that affected various regions.
  • Historian Mark Wheelis suggests that the spread of the plague was likely due to rats and fleas on cargo ships, challenging the traditional belief that infected corpses played a significant role in the transmission of the disease.

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Recent questions

  • How did the Black Plague spread to Europe?

    Through traders from Caffa carrying the plague.

  • What caused the Mongols to stop the siege of Caffa?

    The outbreak of the Black Plague.

  • How did the Mongols attempt to breach Caffa's walls?

    By flinging plague-infested corpses over the walls.

  • What were the two hypotheses regarding the spread of the plague?

    Handling infected corpses and rats on cargo ships.

  • How did the city of Caffa contribute to the spread of the Black Plague?

    The corpses thrown into Caffa tainted the air and water.

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Summary

00:00

Plague in Caffa: Siege and Spread

  • The city of Caffa, now in Ukraine, was diverse and cosmopolitan, protected by two rings of fortified walls and purchased by Italian merchants from the Mongolian Golden Horde.
  • Jani Beg, the reigning Kahn of the Golden Horde, attempted multiple assaults on the walled city of Caffa in the 1340s, leading to a multi-year siege.
  • The Mongol troops besieging Caffa faced a pesky outbreak of the Black Plague in 1346, causing them to die en masse from the disease.
  • The Mongols, unable to continue the siege due to the plague, resorted to flinging plague-infested corpses over the walls of Caffa using a catapult.
  • The corpses thrown into Caffa caused the air and water supply to be tainted, leading to the spread of the Black Plague among the citizens.
  • Traders from Caffa who escaped the siege on trade ships carried the plague with them to Genoa, Venice, and other Christian areas, causing the spread of the disease throughout Europe.
  • Two hypotheses suggest how the plague may have spread: the first involves people in Caffa handling infected corpses, while the second attributes the spread to rats and fleas on cargo ships.
  • Historian Mark Wheelis believes that the spread of the plague to Europe was likely due to rats and fleas on cargo ships, rather than the handling of plague-infested corpses.
  • Throughout history, there have been instances of using dead bodies as biological warfare, such as catapulting plague-infected corpses over city walls during sieges.
  • Despite the historical belief in miasma and the spread of disease through corpses, modern understanding points to living people as more effective carriers of disease than dead bodies.

13:40

YouTube channel hiatus; exclusive content on Instagram.

  • In July and August, there will be no new videos on the main YouTube channel, as the team will focus on creating more elaborate content for the fall, with exclusive videos for Patreon supporters during those months.
  • Despite the break from the main channel, exclusive content will still be available on Instagram, ensuring continuous engagement with the audience.
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