Cats and dogs, interesting history

[Tobi]

I was inspired to take a look at how animals were kept during Tudor times, and medieval times (since I read a comment by LPC on the "Badger" thread.)

Yes, Queen Elizabeth had a cat burned alive in a wicker basket at her cornonation! How utterly horrible.

But there are some interesting historical facts about cats and dogs in Tudor times here:
http://www.thetudorswiki.com/page/PETS+of+the+Tudors

It shows how Pope Innocent (what a misnomer!) in 1484 was indirectly responsible for the Black Death, by having so many cats killed throughout Europe (believing them -I suppose -to be in league with 'witches' and 'the Devil'.....how utterly stupid!) As a result the rodent population increased and carried the fleas which caused plague.

[Catherine]

I had no idea  there were so many pets back then. I can see how our present day pets have come from that time.

It is very sad that cats were treated so badly. You are right about the link between banning cats and the plague. In a little twist of karma, many of the clergy died of the plague. If they had kept cats they would have been better off.

[cathie]

I can't add anything to what Catherine has said. ❤️

[Catherine]

I still can't get over the idea that they burned a cat alive for a coronation. Of course later on, that particular queen had a lot of people killed as well.  She wasn't nice, but she was consistent.

[Tobi]

I reckon Queen Elizabeth was swayed by the popular superstitions of the day. It is vaguely possible she didn't even know about it and it was done by some "Priestly People".... I can't imagine her being personally involved with every detail of her coronation rituals.

A lot of what medieval and Elizabethan people took for granted, we would be horrified by now.


It was a different world then.  A much much harsher world. But having Mary put to death seemed a bit mean. Elizabeth is said to have grieved very deeply afterwards for a long time. Treason and usurping of the throne was constant threat, so I guess she was worried about that. I hope she found some interesting truth after her passing. Maybe she even met that cat.....

I can only half imagine the complicated politics of being an absolute monarch in those days. But, unlike today with constitutional monarchy, people were just born into it, could do nothing to change it, and had to get on with ruling as best they could, according to the ways of the time.

[Catherine]

Quote:It was a different world then.  A much much harsher world. But having Mary put to death seemed a bit mean. Elizabeth is said to have grieved very deeply afterwards for a long time. Treason and usurping of the throne was constant threat, so I guess she was worried about that. I hope she found some interesting truth after her passing. Maybe she even met that cat.....

We would be shocked if were found ourselves in that world. It was a violent scary world. 

Having Mary, her sister, killed was a bit much, but then her father killed her mother and step mothers.
It was a very different world.

Even fifty years ago it was a very different world. No one talked about animal rights and banning animal cruelty.
Everyone ate meat and didn't care where it came from. They didn't connect meat with animals and how they were treated.

I like to think the world is moving in a direction away from cruelty. It is not a perfect straight line, but it tends in a general direction.