[5] This kind of comportment could have been caused by elevated levels of psychological stress, caused by the ruthless years (even by the rough standards of the early modern period) the people of Alsace were suffering. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. She appeared unable to stop herself from her frenzy. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. The behavior spreads rapidly and broadly in an epidemic pattern. PART A: Which of the following statements best describes a central idea of the text? The Dream 2. There was no music and her face betrayed no expression of joy. They started dancing for no reason at all. In 1518, a string of bad harvests, political instability, and the arrival of syphilis had induced anguish extreme even by early modern standards. Previous Post. [3], The main source for the claim is John Waller, who has written several journal articles on the subject, and the book A Time to Dance, a Time to Die: The Extraordinary Story of the Dancing Plague of 1518. There is also uncertainty around the identity of the initial dancer (either an unnamed woman or "Frau Troffea") and the number of dancers involved (somewhere between 50 and 400). Numerous people took to dancing for days without rest, and, over the period of about one month, some of the people died from heart attack, stroke, or exhaustion. None of these ideas are able to truly explain the abrupt Dancing Plague that occurred in … The Strasbourg Dancing Plague of 1518: When People Danced To Their Death Engraving of Hendrik Hondius portrays three women affected by the plague. The Dancing Plague of 1518 was an occurrence of unknown origin. She kept at her masquerade for nearly a week, before it was claimed that three dozen other Strasbourgeois (mostly other young … On gaining consciousness her dance continued. She then began a fervent dancing vigil, all alone for somewhere between four and six days. Somewhere between 50 and 400 people took to dancing for days. The Misery 3. Investigators in the 20th century suggested that the afflicted might have consumed bread made from rye flour contaminated with the fungal disease ergot, which is known to produce convulsions. Posted On May 15, 2020 | 0 comments. View commonlit_the-dancing-plague-of-1518.pdf from AA 1 Text-Dependent Questions: 1. The Dancing Plague first appeared in July 1518 when a woman named Mrs. Frau Troffea jumped into the street and started dancing. Leave a Reply Cancel reply. [7][8][9], 16th century mass dancing mania in Strasbourg, Learn how and when to remove this template message, "A forgotten plague: making sense of dancing mania", "Waller (John), Les danseurs fous de Strasbourg. Controversy exists over whether people ultimately danced to their deaths. ‘Dancing Plague’ of 1518, the Bizarre Dance that Killed Dozens” explains how this stress-induced psychosis may have come to be in writing, “Having suffered severely from famine, and in many cases wiped out and reduced to begging, the region was in an ongoing crisis. The dancing plague (or dance epidemic) of 1518 was a case of dancing mania that occurred in Strasbourg, Alsace (modern-day France), in the Holy Roman Empire in July 1518. Seven other cases of dancing plague were reported in the same region during the medieval era. This suffering manifested as … A three-year epidemic in 1005-1008 AD. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. The area was riddled with diseases, including smallpox and syphilis.” … Dancing Plague of 1518 In July 1518, residents of the city of Strasbourg, Alsace (then part of the Holy Roman Empire), were struck by a sudden and seemingly uncontrollable urge to dance. Diverse choreas (St. Vitus' dance, St. John's dance, tarantism) were labeled in the Middle Ages referring to the independent epidemics of "dancing mania" that happened in central Europe, particularly at the time of the plague. Death in the Streets – The Dancing Plague of 1518. by thegypsy. [2], Waller speculates that the dancing was "stress-induced psychosis" on a mass level, since the region where the people danced was riddled with starvation and disease, and the inhabitants tended to be superstitious. The mania lasted for about two months before ending as mysteriously as it began. The dancing plague of 1518 is one of the most bizarre events in history. She continued this way for days, and within a week more than 30 other people were similarly afflicted. The dancing plague (or dance epidemic) of 1518 was a case of dancing mania that occurred in Strasbourg, Alsace (now modern-day France), in the Holy Roman Empire in July 1518. One of the most bizarre incidents of 1518 – “The Dancing Plague” is unforgettable in the history of humankind. She previously worked on the Britannica Book of... Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. It lasted for such a long time that it attracted the attention of the Strasbourg magistrate and bishop, and some number of doctors ultimately intervened, putting the afflicted in a hospital. Required fields are marked * Name * Email * Related posts. Nor would so many people have reacted to its psychotropic chemicals in the same way. For some unknown reason, the dancing mania seemed to follow epidemics of the black plague. Some sources claim that, for a period, the plague killed around fifteen people per day,[2] but the sources of the city of Strasbourg at the time of the events did not mention the number of deaths, or even if there were fatalities. Event DescriptionIn 1518, the citizens of the Holy Roman Empire city of Strasbourg began one by one, to partake in a silent dance. There do not appear to be any sources contemporaneous to the events that make note of any fatalities. Omissions? Such outbreaks take place under circumstances of extreme stress and generally take form based on local fears. Patricia Bauer is an Assistant Editor at Encyclopaedia Britannica. According to him, pe… In the case of the dancing plague of 1518, Waller cited a series of famines and the presence of such diseases as smallpox and syphilis as the overwhelming stressors affecting residents of Strasbourg. [citation needed], However, John Waller in The Lancet argues that "this theory does not seem tenable, since it is unlikely that those poisoned by ergot could have danced for days at a time. The history books are full of accounts of large groups of people breaking into dance. Resources for the Dancing Plague of 1518. The residents of the city of Strasbourg, France (then part of the Holy Roman Empire), in July 1518, was struck by a sudden and uncontrollable urge to dance, where the people even ‘danced themselves to death’! #DancingKills. City authorities were alarmed by the ever-increasing number of dancers. The 1518 Dancing Plague of Strasbourg was just one of many spontaneous outbreaks of dancing that occurred throughout Europe from the 7th to the 17th Century. In the early 1500s, a Contemporary explanations for the dancing plague included demonic possession and overheated blood. 'Dancing Plague' of 1518, the bizarre dance that killed dozens. dancing plague of 1518. In his book ‘A Time to Dance, A Time to Die’, Waller has put forth the argument that the series of events were the results of extreme anxiety and fear of the divine. Historical sources agree that there was an outbreak of dancing after a single woman started dancing, a group of mostly young women joined in, and the dancing did not seem to die down. The Dancing Plague of 1518 had started. In July 1518, a woman whose name was given as Frau (Mrs.) Troffea (or Trauffea) stepped into the street and began dancing. A number of them died from their exertions. Since the dancers seemed to be dancing in a state of trance, it could have been brought upon by extreme psychological distress. The sources cited by Waller that mention deaths were all from later accounts of the events. One of the first major outbreaks was in Aachen, in the Holy Roman Empire(in moder… The civic and religious leaders theorized that more dancing was the solution, and so they arranged for guildhalls for the dancers to gather in, musicians to accompany the dancing, and professional dancers to help the afflicted to continue dancing. Somewhere between 50 and 400 people took to dancing for days. The ergotism theory also fails to explain why virtually every outbreak occurred somewhere along the Rhine and Moselle rivers, areas linked by water but with quite different climates and crops". Your email address will not be published. In full view of the public, this is the apogee of the choreomania that tormented Strasbourg for a midsummer month in 1518. As per various reports, they had an uncontrollable urge to dance. Une épidémie de transe collective en 1518", "Mystery explained? Next Post. Learn how your comment data is … Wine Connection. Sexist Theories. Many had died of starvation. It was the month of July in the year 1518, in Strasbourg, France. By Paul Wallis Aug 13, 2008 in Health. As you read, take notes on the various causes or explanations the … There have been several theories as to the causes of the Dancing Plague of 1518, both from contemporary and modern sources. One day she began dancing in the street. wiped out an estimated one-half of the entire human race! Then there were the prevailing conditions. [6], This psychogenic illness could have created a chorea (from the Greek khoreia meaning "to dance"), a situation comprising random and intricate unintentional movements that flit from body part to body part. Every European dancing plague between 1374 and 1518 had occurred near Strasbourg, along the western edge of the Holy Roman Empire. Ring in the new year with a Britannica Membership, https://www.britannica.com/event/dancing-plague-of-1518, Academia - The Dancing Plague in Strasbourgh. She has a B.A. Ergotamine is the main psychoactive product of ergot fungi; it is structurally related to the drug lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD-25) and is the substance from which LSD-25 was originally synthesized. The Dancing Plague (or Dance Epidemic) of 1518 was a case of dancing mania that occurred in Strasbourg, France (then part of the Holy Roman Empire) in July 1518. Add new comment Cancel reply. In History, Superstition, Uncategorized. [citation needed]. All of these conditions were satisfied in Strasbourg in 1518,” the year the Dancing Plague came to the town in Alsace—an involuntary communal dance festival with deadly outcomes. Just imagine — one of your friends suddenly going off the rails and starts dancing their heads out. with a double major in Spanish and in theatre arts from Ripon College. She seemed unable to stop, and she kept dancing until she collapsed from exhaustion. Dancing plague of 1518, event in which hundreds of citizens of Strasbourg (then a free city within the Holy Roman Empire, now in France) danced uncontrollably and apparently unwillingly for days on end. John Waller, an associate professor of the Department of History of Medicine at Michigan State University, hypothesised about the causeof the dancing plague. 'Dancing Plague' of 1518, the bizarre dance that killed dozens", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dancing_plague_of_1518&oldid=1005783875, Articles needing additional references from July 2020, All articles needing additional references, Articles with unsourced statements from June 2020, Articles with unsourced statements from May 2020, Articles with unsourced statements from August 2020, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 9 February 2021, at 11:31. The mania affected men, women, and children who danced until they collapsed from exhaustion. B. Listen | Print. After resting, she resumed the compulsive frenzied activity. Corrections? The outbreak began in July 1518 when a woman began to dance fervently in a street in Strasbourg.[1]. The Great Dancing Plague of 1518. The dancing plague (or dance epidemic) of 1518 was a case of dancing mania that occurred in Strasbourg, Alsace (now modern-day France), in the Holy Roman Empire in July 1518. Somewhere between 50 and 400 people took to dancing for days. The theories that have been brought to light are mass hysteria caused by St. Vitus, Ergotism, Tarantism, and an unknown type of heretical cult. Hundreds of people in this tiny region were overcome by a sudden urge to dance—to the brink of extreme exhaustion and sometimes death. The Ascent 4. [2], This could have been a florid example of psychogenic movement disorder happening in mass hysteria or mass psychogenic illness, which involves many individuals suddenly exhibiting the same bizarre behavior. The outbreak began in July 1518 when a woman began to dance fervently in… This website takes you through the story of the dancing plague of 1518, but also encourages you to think about the forms mass hysteria takes on today. The Dancing Plague of 1518 Five hundred years ago in July, a strange mania seized the city of Strasbourg. Here‘s the long version of this historic event with a ton of details and here‘s the quick version. A relatively unknown woman history refers to as Frau Troffea stepped outside into a narrow street. The event was sparked by a woman, Frau Troffea, whom one afternoon silently began twisting and dancing in the city streets by herself. This only exacerbated the contagion, and as many as 400 people were eventually consumed by the dancing compulsion. The Memory Historical documents, including "physician notes, cathedral sermons, local and regional chronicles, and even notes issued by the Strasbourg city council" are clear that the victims danced. The dancing plague, also known as the dancing mania, St John's Dance or chreomania was a societal phenomenon that primarily occurred on the mainland of Europe between the 14th and 17th centuries. Joe Maddon, head coach of the Chicago Cubs, has an unconventional approach to handling violations of team rules. Coined the “Dancing Plague of 1518” historians still to this day aren’t certain on what caused the event to happen. The dancing plague (or dance epidemic) of 1518 was a case of dancing mania that occurred in Strasbourg, Alsace (now modern-day France), in the Holy Roman Empire in July 1518. When a player violates a team … dancing death domesticated history plague plants theory. Wikimedia Commons The dancing plague of 1518 may have caused the deaths of more than 100 people in modern-day France who simply could not stop moving for days or even weeks on end. The dancing plague (or dance epidemic) of 1518 was when a massive case of dancing mania happened in Strasbourg, Alsace (now modern-day France), in the Holy Roman Empire in July 1518. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). In July 1518, residents of the city of Strasbourg (then part of the Holy Roman Empire) were struck by a sudden and seemingly uncontrollable urge to dance. Also known as the “dancing plague”, it was the most fatal and best documented of the more than ten such contagions which had broken out along the Rhine and Moselle rivers since 1374. The outbreak began in July 1518 when a woman began to dance randomly in a street in Strasbourg. In early September the mania began to abate. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Although still unsolved, there have been theories published on the subject. The same fungus has also been implicated in other major historical anomalies, including the Salem witch trials. In July of 1518, one year before Martin Luther's theses would be pasted to the door of the The otherwise best known of these took place in 1374; that eruption spread to several towns along the Rhine River. Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. The Sacrifice 5. It involved groups of people dancing erratically, sometimes thousands at a time. Quite a lot of people got infected by the dancing plague. Ominous Origins: Dance Like It’s 1518. highlights; Horror Shots Podcast; Myth and Mystery; Ominous Origins Podcast; Posted by: February 20, 2021; 0 comments; On this episode of the Ominous Origins podcast, we explore the mystery of the dancing plague of 1518 that swept hundreds off their feet.

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