Medieval and Modern Pandemics: A Historical Comparison by Chiara Frugoni

In an article published on Artribune Magazine #59, medieval historian Chiara Frugoni draws parallels between the Black Death of 1348 and the COVID-19 pandemic. She recounts how the plague reached Caffa in Crimea, where besieging Tatars catapulted infected corpses over the walls, prompting Italian merchants to flee unknowingly carrying rats and fleas. Frugoni cites notary Gaetano Mussi's account of sailors spreading death through embraces. She compares medieval flight from cities, criticized by Boccaccio in the Decameron, to modern escapes to second homes. Boccaccio rejected divine punishment or astrological causes, noting many could have survived with care. Frugoni highlights modern errors like housing COVID-19 patients in nursing homes. She discusses scapegoating: in 1348 Jews were accused of poisoning wells despite Pope Clement VI's intervention; today conspiracy theories blame Chinese labs, US biologists, or pharmaceutical companies. She notes a Florida pastor, Rick Wiles, who claims Jews get COVID-19 as divine punishment. Frugoni urges reading and critical thinking to combat fake news.