Charter

In Charter, a total of 8 epidemic events are known so far.

Place

Time

Language

Disease

Animal

Keyword

Person

Nature event

River

Plague

Scribe

Social response

Victims

Events

	Date	Summary		Source	Translation	T

1348

Emperor Charles IV mentions the plague at the papal court in Avignon in a letter from the 1st of September 1348.

Nos, quia nonnulli ex fratribus nostris propter pestem, que, ut ad tuam credimus pervenisse noticiam, patriam hanc inaudita et incredibili clade vastavit, a curia secesserant nec adhuc redierunt ad illam, et quidam ex eis, qui in curia refata remanserant, infirmitate gravantur, elicere vel deliberare nequivimus, quid tibi super huiusmodi eiusdem nuncii tui ambassiata respondere possemus.

We, because some of our brothers, due to the plague, which, as we believe has come to your attention, had withdrawn from the [papal, C.O.] court and have not yet returned to it, and some of those who remained in the court are burdened by illness, have been unable to elicit or deliberate on what response we could give you regarding the embassy of your messenger concerning this matter. (Translation: Christian Oertel), assisted by ChatGPT 3.5.

---

1351 – 1351, December 6

In a charter from the end of the year 1351 John, Markgrave of Moravia, offers settlers, who are willing to settle down in Brno, which is depopulated by the plague, tax exemption for four years.

[...], qualiter condicio Ciuitatis nostr Brvnne que hactenus per perstilenciam et mortalitatem hominum miserabiliter deuastata et deserta fuit [...].

[...] such is the condition of our city Brno, which has so far been miserably devastated and deserted through the plague and the mortality of the people [...]. (Translation: Christian Oertel)

---

1351 – 1351, December 30

In a charter from the end of the year 1351 John, Markgrave of Moravia, offers settlers, who are willing to settle down in Znojmo, which is depopulated by the plague, tax exemption for four years.

Presertim, cum ciuitas nostra Znoymensis, que in metis Marchionatus nostri consistit, per pestilenciam et epidemiam pro dolor in tantum sit deuastata his proximis preteritis temporibus et desolata [...].

[...] Especially since our city Zojmo, which is situated at the border of our Margraviate, was devastated by a plague and epidemic and was left in great pain by its inhabitants in recent times [...]. (Translation: Christian Oertel)

---

1358 – 1359, October 5

The archbishop of Prague, Arnošt of Pardubice, grants an indulgence of 40 days to everybody who will participate in processions held and masses read to appease God and make him relieve the land from the plague which has it in its grip since the previous year.

Cum corporalis infirmitas frequenter animi aegritudinem subsequatur, et e contra correctis et emendatis vitiis plaga propter peccatorum pondus inflicta desinit desaevire. Hinc est, quod, cum mortalitatis pestilentia ob multitudinem . . pecatorum nostrorum, sicut versimiliter formidamus, ante paucos annos transactos et etiam anno proxime praeterito patriam istam invasisset et nobis poenitentiam agentibus et cessantibus a peccando plaga illa cessavit a nobis, nunc vero recidivantibus nobis in peccata dimissa tamquam si canes ad vomitum revertantur, et forsam quod non sine amaritudine cordis adicimus, quia non veriti fuimus maxime peccata cumulare, prioribus pestilentia saevior iterato est reversa. Nam cum priori vice hominibus ipsius pestilentiae morbo infectis poenitentiae spatium ex misericordia Domini concedebatur per triduum, nunc ipso die, quo inficiuntur, ut plurimum moriuntur.

When bodily weakness frequently follows the distress of the soul, and, on the other hand, the wound inflicted due to the weight of sins ceases to rage when the faults are corrected and amended. Hence it is that, when the pestilence of mortality, on account of the multitude of our sins, as we reasonably fear, invaded this country a few years ago and even in the past year, and that plague ceased from us as we repented and refrained from sinning, but now, with us relapsing into forgiven sins, it returns as if dogs return to vomit, and perhaps we say this not without bitterness of heart because we were not afraid to accumulate sins to the utmost, the pestilence is returning with increased severity. For while, in the previous instance, space for repentance was granted to those afflicted with the disease of the pestilence for three days through the mercy of the Lord, now on the very day they are infected, they mostly die (Translation: Martin Bauch) with the help of ChatGTP-3

---

1362, October 18

The archbishop of Prague, Arnošt of Pardubice, announces in the statutes of an archiepiscopal synod an indulgence of 40 days for those who sing and take part in a mass against the plague (missa contra pestilentiam) with devotion.

Sane, dilectissimi, pluribus retroactis temporibus saeva pestilencia et nuperrime fames horribiles et valida justo Dei iudicio, ut nostis, innumeros homines peremerunt et nunc iterum ipsa pestilencia terribilis et dira certo rumore volante in vicinis nostris partibus crassatur. [...] eodem die missa contra pestilentiam [...] cum devotione cantetur, cui omnes qui possunt intererunt humiliter misericordiam implorantes divinam, ut jacula pestilentiae a nobis procul amoveat et repellat.

Certainly, beloved ones, in many past times, a cruel pestilence and recently a horrible and powerful famine, through the just judgment of God, as you know, have destroyed innumerable people. And now again, the same dreadful and dire pestilence is spreading in our neighboring regions with a certain rumor flying. [...] On the same day, let the Mass against pestilence [...] be sung with devotion, to which all who can attend humbly implore divine mercy, that the arrows of pestilence may be far removed and repelled from us. (Translation: Christian Oertel)(With the assistance of ChatGPT 3.5)

---

1382

In a charter from 20 April 1382 Semovit, Duke of Cieszyn and prior of the order of St John in Bohemia states that large parts of the inhabitants of the city of Manětín had been killed by a plague "not long ago" (1380/81?) while others had moved away. With this charter, he sells the town to its remaining inhabitants.

Semovitus, Dei gratia dux Teschinensis, prior Bohemiae ordinis Hospitalis sancti Joannis Hierosolimitani, notum fieri volumus omnibus in perpetuum praesentibus et futuris hominibus, harum seriem litterarum audituris, quod peste crudeli in genus humanum tempore non longe retroacto ex permissione divina immaniter saeviante maxima pars populi in civitate ordinis nostri Manetin corruit et ab hoc saeculo emigravit.

Semovitus, by the grace of God Duke of Cieszyn, prior of Bohemia of the Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem, wish it to be known to all present and future people who shall hear the series of these letters, that in the past not long ago, with divine permission, through a cruel plague raging fiercely over the human race, a great part of the population in the city of our order, Manětín, fell and departed from this world. (Translation: Christian Oertel) (with the assistance of ChatGPT 3.5)

---

1380? – 1382, April 20

Duke Semovitus of Cieszyn (Teschen), prior of the knights of St John in Bohemia states in a charter of April 20th 1382 that recently a plague wave has more or less depopulated the town of Manětín (western Bohemia) and grants certain tax and inheritance advantages to the survivors.

Semovitus, Dei gratia dux Teschinensis, prior Bohemiae ordinis Hospitalis sancti Joannis Hierosolimitani, notum fieri volumus omnibus in perpetuum praesentibus et futuris hominibus, harum seriem litterarum audituris, quod peste crudeli in genus humanum tempore non longe retroacto ex permissione divina immaniter saeviante maxima pars populi in civitate ordinis nostri Manetin corruit et ab hoc seculo emigravit [...]

Semovita, by the grace of God duke of Cieszyn, prior of the Bohemian order of St John. We wish it to be known to all present and future individuals who will hear the text of these writings that, not long ago, a cruel plague raged horribly by divine permission among the greatest part of the population of the city of our order, Manětín, and they departed from this world [...]. (Translation: Christian Oertel)

---

1380 – 1386, February 24

In 1386 (?) The convent of the Premonastensian monastery of Teplice, (northwestern Bohemia) grants benefits to the inhabitants of the town of Hroznětín (Lichtenstadt), who have been burdened by the plague as well as by taxes and other extractions.

abbas [...] totusque conventus monasterii Teplensis Premonstratensis ordinis Pragensis diocesis recognoscimus et notum facimus tenore praesentium universis, praesentibus et futuris, quod iudex et iurati totaque communitas pauperum et fidelium nostrorum Lucidae Civitatis, attoniti pestilencia hominum, quae proxime Domino permitente nimis invaluerat, tum propter frequentes exactiones et bernas regales, tum ut possessiones et bona desolata nostri monasterii melius citius locarentur et reformarentur [...]

The abbot [...] and the whole convent of the Premonastensian monastery of Teplice, diocese of Prague, acknowledge and make it known to all, present and future, by the tenor of these presented [letters], that the judge, the sworn, and the entire community of the poor and faithful in our town of Hroznětín was struck by the plague of humans, which had recently, with the permission of the Lord, excessively prevailed. Both because of frequent exactions and royal taxes, and in order that the desolate possessions and goods of our monastery might be more quickly and effectively leased and restored [...]. (Translation: Christian Oertel)

---

References

This is an EpiMedDat page, and outside EpiMedDat it is a mirrored or cloned page or similar. Please note that the page may then be outdated (13.07.2025) and no longer relate to the content. The original page is or was located at http://epimeddat.net/wiki/Charter