Eastern Germany
From EpiMedDat
In Eastern Germany, a total of 11 epidemic events are known so far. It is a region.
Map of events in Eastern Germany
Table
| Disease | DateStart date of the disease. | SummarySummary of the disease event | OriginalOriginal text | TranslationEnglish translation of the text | ReferenceReference(s) to literature | Reference translationReference(s) to the translation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1350-05-16-Magdeburg | 16 May 1350 JL | The Black Death strikes Magdeburg and neighbouring territories, a great mortality arisies for almost four months; numbers are given for the Franciscan order. There is a plague pit in Rottersdorf, outside the city. | In dissem sulven jare [1350] erhof sik ein grot sterven in disser stad to hant pingsten und stunt wente na sunte Michels dage und starf untellich volk, dat men se up den kerkhof nicht al graven konde: men moste alle dage utvoren mit twen karen und mit einem wagen und grof grote kulen to Rotterstorp, dar warp men se in. […] Mi jammert to schrivende vand drosnisse und schaden, den Magdeborch nam van den sterven. De wisesten and bedervesten dusser stadt alsmeistich vorgingen, wente ed storven leien und papen, olden und junge, rike und arme. Dat stervent was hir nicht alleine to Magdeborch, ed was ok over al disse land. De barvoten spreken na der tid dat ut orem orden weren storven allein hundert dusent verundtwintech dusten veirhundert und drittech brodere. Hi bi mach men merken wat leien storvent sint in dem jare, nu in einen orden so vele brodere storven. Hir in dem barvoten clostere bleven nicht mehr wenn dre broder levendich. Ik was ok in einen hus sulftegede, dar blef ik sulfandere levendich und achte storven. Ik horde ok sedder seggen dat den Augustineren weren des jares worden twelf schock vruwencleidere to selegered und manscleidere. | In that same year [1350] there was a great mortality in this town from Pentecost to St Michael's Day and countless people died so that they could no longer be buried in the churchyards. Every day they had to go out with carts and a wagon and make large ditches in Rottersdorf; the dead were thrown into them. [...] It is difficult for me to write about all the sadness and the damage that Magdeburg suffered from this mortality. The brightest and the most needy of this city perished to a large extent. Laymen and priests, old and young, rich and poor died. The dying was not unique to Magdeburg, it was everywhere in the country. The Franciscans said afterwards that 124,430 friars from their order alone died. This may give you an idea of how many lay people died that year if so many friars died in one order alone. Here in the Franciscan monastery, no more than three friars remain alive. I myself was present in a house where I and one other remained alive and eight died. I also heard myself say that the Augustinian monks received 1200 pieces of clothing from men and women that year as a testamentary donation for the salvation of souls. | Magdeburger Schöppenchronik 1869, pp. 218-219. | Translation by Martin Bauch |
| 1350-05-23-Magdeburg | 23 May 1350 JL | A poem about how the Black Death strikes Magdeburg, a great mortality arises for almost four months and a plague pit is opened at Rottersdorf. This time is remembered as a time of misery, connected to the return of the "false Waldemar", an impostor pretending to be former Margrave of Brandenburg and the earthquake of January 1348 | Ik mach schriven wol vorwar: / na godes bort schach dusent jar / dreihundert unde veftich / und warde went an sestich / dat god sines tornes hand / streckede hir in dutsche land, / dat in den tein jaren / wart clage noch ervaren. / dat clagent maket al de dot. / ein stervent wart hr also grot / dat men alle dage / sach weinen und clagen / [p. 3] isliken umme sinen mach. / men mende, ed were de leste dach. / dat stervent hof hir in der stadt / an der hochtit trinitat / und stund na sunte Michels dage. / da weinen jammer unde clage / was hir so gemeine, / dat grot unde kleine / jammer mochen schouwen / an mannen unde vrouwen / und an cleinen kinde / ok an den ingesinde. / de seiken men ungern laven / wolde, noch de doden graven. / mit wagenen unde karen / sach man to kerkhove varen / so vele der doden lute; / to Rottersdorp he nute / dar weren grote kulen, / dar inne de doden vulen. / neiman dat getelen kann, / wat vrouwen storve edder man. / […] / dat men noch alle dage / de lude horte clage, / wen se beginnen rogen / und ore dage wrogen. / se spreken, sodan ungemach / in der werlde nu geschach, / alse wi hebben levet: / [p. 4] de erde heft gebevet, / greve Wodenberch de dode man, / sprak men, he we up irstan. | I will write down the following: / After God's birth a thousand years / three hundred and fifty / and that lasted until sixty / that God stretched out the hand of his wrath / here to the German lands / that in the ten years / there was much to mourn. / The mourning was because of death. / Dying was so great here / that every day / weeping was seen and lamentation was made by everyone for his own. / People thought it was Judgement Day. / Dying began here in the city / on the Feast of Trinity / and ended around St Michael's Day. / Weeping, wailing and lamentation / was so widespread here that great and small experienced misery, men and women / and even small children and servants. / The sick were not cared for / nor did people want to bury the dead. / With wagons and carts / one saw many dead people travelling to the churchyard / out to Rottersdorf, / there were large mounds / into which the dead were allowed to fall. / No one can put into words / how many men and women died / [...] / one always heard people lamenting / when they were shaken up / because they were asked about their lives / they spoke: At that time only disaster happened in the world / when they lived: / [p. 4] the earth shook / and Count Waldemar, the dead man / was said to have risen again. | Magdeburger Schöppenchronik 1869, pp. 2-4 | Translation by Martin Bauch |
| 1357-00-00-Magdeburg | 1357 JL | Plague strikes Magdeburg, symptoms of bubonic plague are described and Jews were persecuted, expelled and killed as they were blamed for the epidemic outbreak | Dar na [1350] aver seven jare / wart hir echt ein stervent sware (...) In dem jare wart hir grot stervent in der stadt, und was de suke der lude vor wesen hadde over seven jare, also dat den luden drose worden under den armen edder an dem halse edder boven an den beinen. Dit stervent lede men den joden to, dat ed van orer gift were. Dar umme vordref men de joden, und orer wart vele vordelget | But after that 1350 there was a very heavy mortality here for seven years. ... In that year [1357] there was a great dying in the city. And it was the same thing that had affected the people seven years earlier. People got swellings under their arms, on their necks or on the upper part of their legs. The Jews were blamed for the deaths, saying it was caused by their poison. That is why the Jews were expelled, and many of them were also killed. | Magdeburger Schöppenchronik 1869, pp. 3, 223 | Translation by Martin Bauch |
| 1375-00-00-Magdeburg | 1375 JL | The plague strikes Magdeburg and neighbouring territories, a great mortality arises and plague pits are opened in different cemetaries of local churches. | In dussem sulven jare was grot stervent hir in der stad und al umme und stunt to Magdeborch wol anderhalf jar, dat men to sunte Johanse nicht graven konde up den kerkhof, sunder men makede grote kulen [p. 268] to dem hilgen geiste, to unser vruwen, to sunte Pawele, to den barvoten, to sunte Augustine und to sunte Marien Magdalenen, dar men se in warp unde begrof. | In the same year there was a great mortality in the city and also in the surrounding area and this remained in Magdeburg for a year and a half. It was not possible to bury people in the churchyard of St Johannes, but large mounds were made at the Heiliggeistkirche, Liebfrauen, St Paul, the Friars, St Augustin and St Maria Magdalena, into which the dead were thrown and buried. | Magdeburger Schöppenchronik 1869, pp. 267-268 | Translation by Martin Bauch |
| 1383-06-00-Magdeburg | June 1383 JL | Plague strikes Magdeburg in summer, a great mortality arises. | In dem sulven jar des sommers was hir grot stervent . | In the summer of the same year (1383), there was a lot of mortality here. | Magdeburger Schöppenchronik 1869, pp. 288. | Translation by Martin Bauch |
| 1395-00-00-Magdeburg | 1391 JL | A great mortality in Magdeburg, afflichting mostly children, is connected with a dearth and food scarcity caused by Danish-Swedisch war. Mortality had been prevalent since 1391. | In dussem sulven jare (1395) storven vele lude und bi namen untellike kinder. Dat stervent hadde gewart wol veir jar, dat de lude in dusser stad an underlat storven. In dissen veir jaren was strenge tid an korn, an spise, an heringe und an allerleie kopmescop; dat makede ein grot krich de dar was twischen den twey koningen Denemakren nd Sweden. | In the same year (1395) many people died, especially countless children. The mortality had probably lasted four years, during which the people in this city died without ceasing. During these four years there was a great shortage of grain, food, herring and all kinds of goods. This was because of a great war between the two kings of Denmark and Sweden. | Magdeburger Schöppenchronik 1869, p. 294 | Translation by Martin Bauch |
| 1415-00-00-Magdeburg | July 1415 JL | A great mortality in Magdeburg and surrounding lands, killing also the father of the archbishop. | In diesem sulven jare [1415] was to Magdeborch ein grot stervent und in anderen landen; und do starf greve Gunter van Swarzborch, unses heren vader van Magdeborch, in sunte Allexius dage. | In the same year 1415 there was a great mortality at Magdeburg and also elsewhere; Count Günther von Schwarzburg, father of our Lord the Archbishop of Magdeburg, died on St Alexius' Day. | Magdeburger Schöppenchronik 1869, p. 343 | Translation by Martin Bauch |
| 1428-03-01-Magdeburg | 1 March 1428 JL | A mortality strikes Magdeburg for 9 months, mainly lower social stratas are affected. There is a considerable number of apparent deaths among the victims of this disease. | In dem sulven jare was hir grot pestilence. De enstunt ersten in der vasten und warde wente to winachten, und storven doch nich tvele namhaftiger lude, doch worden grote burkulen to sunte Johannes gegraven, und mang den doden in den burkulen stonden ein deils wedder up des anderen und des dridden dages wol bi 30 edder 40 minschen . | In the same year (1428) there was a great epidemic here. It first began during Lent and lasted until Christmas. Few notable people died, but large mass graves (literally: peasants' mounds) were dug near St Johannes. Some of the dead in these mass graves rose again the next or third day, totalling between 30 and 40 people. | Magdeburger Schöppenchronik 1869, pp. 378-379 | Translation by Martin Bauch |
| 1463-00-00-Magdeburg | 1463 JL | A mortality strikes Magdeburg. | Im jar 1463 war hir grosse pestilentz. | In the year 1463, there was a large epidemic here. | Magdeburger Schöppenchronik 1869, p. 405. | Translation by Martin Bauch |
| 1484-07-25-Magdeburg | 25 July 1484 JL | A mortality strikes Magdeburg and the surroundings, higher social strata and young women particularly affected. | Im selben jar (1484) war auch hir gros sterben, war ein landtsterben, und fing an umb Jacobi und werhete bis auf Michaelis. In diesem sterben storben viel vornehmer leut und sonderlich viel jungfrawen. Andere schreiben, dis sterben hab angefangen umb pfingsten und gewerhet bis Martini. | In the same year (1484) there was a great dying here, and throughout the country. It began around St James' Day and ended on St Michael's Day. Many noble people and especially many young women died as a result of this plague. Others wrote that the deaths began around Pentecost and lasted until St Martin's Day. | Magdeburger Schöppenchronik 1869, p. 417. | Translation by Martin Bauch |
| 1516-00-00-Magdeburg | 1516 JL | A mortality strikes Magdeburg. | Im jar 1516 war hir pestilentz. | In the year 1516, there was an epidemic here. | Magdeburger Schöppenchronik 1869, p. 421 | Translation by Martin Bauch |
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