The Mysterious Dancing Plague of 1518

[@DanielRodriguez-ce7jz]

The music was the perfect touch for the video. The dancing plague is such a curious occurrence. It totally sounds like something out of a children's story.

[@kylegreene1356]

Because it's bullshit.

[@incumbentvinyl9291]

People dancing themsleves to death sounds like a children's story?

[@brianclingenpeel5123]

I really dig this channel. The light humor of the narrator makes for an enjoyable view and distinguishes this channel from "just another history channel". I hope continues to grow

[@markriosn7589]

I'm skeptical of the mass hysteria hypothesis only because the outbreaks are so specific and suddenly stop. It's not like life for everyday people got easier after the 16th century. The 30 Years War was right aroubd the corner yet no cases of this dancing plague. I think it's more likely that some strain of virus or bacteria known to infect the brain (like meningococcal bacteria) damaged the movement centers of the brain causing chorea or uncontrolled jerking convulsions. Fever from infection could also explain the deliurm and altered state of mind. Finally, the reported lifelong convulsions some survivors suffered from suggests an infection that permanently damaged those parts of the brain.

[@markriosn7589]

Only problem is there aren't really any known brain infections that cause these specific symptoms and not other often more debilitating ones. If it was infection, it would have to be a (hopefully extinct) strain.

[@lordthistlewick5711]

Well, my initial leading thought was imbalanced humors, but I can admit when I am wrong. Well said.

[@francisfischer7620]

Scary! My grandmother was so horrified by this moment in history that she'd talk about it as though she had been there! She wasn't an educated person and didn't normally talk about history. She did survive the pandemic of the early 1900's, but lost her mother and three sisters. Perhaps that made her identify with this. I guess I'll never know.

[@tylerv2422]

Maybe it was one of her past lives and she felt a familiarity

[@curiositypiqued6573]

Hi Frances did your Nan have any other family eg father or other siblings etc

[@incumbentvinyl9291]

@@tylerv2422 One of her past lives? Are you insane?

[@incumbentvinyl9291]

@@curiositypiqued6573 *Francis If you're going to address someone by name, at least get it right.

[@curiositypiqued6573]

@@incumbentvinyl9291 stfu wasn't talking to u

[@causticwit]

Gives new meaning to the phrase "sick moves."

[@piperw4203]

Read an interesting novel a while back that was a sort of retelling of the Pied Piper tale and seemed to feature the same sort of mass-hysteria in this video, except the cause was because of ergot poisoning (the townspeople blame the rats and it goes on from there). The mc has cystic fibrosis so he can't drink ale, so he is largely unaffected while he watches his town and family spiral out of control. It's called "Breathe" I believe and actually got me interested in the midieval period!

[@scraidywolf7081]

I have cystic fibrosis. I didn't know it was around back then

[@LendriMujina]

I've been under the impression that, whatever caused this, it was something that had Akathisia as a symptom. If you've ever had something that caused that, you'd understand how your body screams at you to jerk around even as your fatigue begs you to stop. It truly does feel like you've been possessed.

[@rhondajohnson8310]

Tapping my toe to the medieval version of this disco hits, lol. Love the channel!

[@RowenaAitken]

The Pied Piper story is a warning to always pay your freelancers ;)

[@bohokittens5952]

true! unless it is unfinished lol like in this case described

[@CJ00014]

Lmao I'll never pay them. They can sue me again

[@travisashley2904]

I love the way you say "thank you for watching" 😂 so energetic

[@whippethacreem7299]

"I do say, Bartholemew, crank that shit up!"

[@elizabethlane7441]

I enjoy your videos. thanks 😊

[@lilahphoenix4109]

EVERYBODY DANCE NOW! Oh my God, the moment I picked that out in the background I was so fucking delighted, I had to stop the video and laugh my ass right off. Amazing.

[@Theturtleowl]

I love that the chapters have the names of songs. Nice touch.

[@stephenbowers7901]

Boogie Nights.... I've always been fascinated by this story, yet MM have added the details and delivered.... Medieval RMX's are a touch of pure class... Love your work - Marvellous

[@Tofuninja7]

So “Funky Town” was written in the Medieval times? Cant believe they ripped that off so many years later

[@BDaMonkey]

The bard versions of dance based pop songs. Excellent 👌

[@brabantplays8091]

Brilliant, and i just love the medieval abba track!

[@madisonatteberry9720]

"What caused people to dance til they died?" Boogie fever.

[@Kevan808]

I really enjoyed the background music 🤣

[@hamishanderson6738]

I want the CD! 🙆‍♂️🙅🤷‍♂️🤷🕺💃👯

[@Heather406]

Lol these videos do make me laugh! 😂 ‘now, my dancing is pretty terrible but it hasn’t killed anyone….. (commence creepy music) yet!’ And loving the pop culture medieval music 🎶

[@JohnDoe-ls2ww]

Haha the background music is hilarious... dig the disco throwback

[@da23injulecz]

superb content as always, i was seriously ccatching the dance vibe through your cheerful narration and those godly beat remakes :D i wish you snuck in one beat from beedle the bardcore's channel tho lol something like california love or in da club :D :D

[@whanethewhip]

You can dance if you want to. You can leave your friends behind. Cause your friends don't dance and if they don't dance then they're no friends of mine.

[@lone_cowboy3332]

I adore Medieval history! This channel is a gold :) One new subscriber from me !

[@arifireheart]

Love the music in this one! Great video!!

[@siamihari8717]

Excessive consumption of grain and bread molds from imperfect farming standards and terrible food storage.

[@emzybenzey]

Hiiii me again, medieval madness fan(atic) lol. This subject has always interested me so thanks for covering ☺️ I'm wondering if somehow they had all unwittingly taken MDMA, the dancing drug 🤣🤣🤣

[@probablyrajir638]

I knew about this but I had no idea about the pressures the people were under prior to the outbreak! This is why MM is great!

[@sophroniel]

It's like how people copy folks with torettes. Sometimes they delude themselves into thinking they also have the condition, because the virality of movements and ideas can be amped up to 11 when you have shared trauma plus hysteria plus no socially acceptable outlet which equals some kind of mad behaviour that the group all does together. I have this vivid memory after the Christchurch earthquakes; I was in my last year of (all girls' just as an fyi) school, and something spilled in a year 11 science class I happened to be helping in during an aftershock. One girl had a very bad allergic or asthma attack (no one knew) and I had to keep the class calm whilst the teacher took her from the 4th floor where we were to the ground floor and ambulance. About 5 minutes after, the girl who was cleaning it up started coughing, saying she couldn't breathe, and then another and another, until the whole room was coughing and crying and saying they couldn't breathe. I felt fine, and was baffled, because the thing that spilled? It was literally just highly diluted iodine. That's it. I couldn't even smell anything yet I had a class of almost 30 15 to 16 year olds crying and saying they couldn't breathe. I told them what it was, and that they'd be fine (because the girl had just eaten a chocolate at lunch, about 1/2 hour before that was contaminated with hazelnuts and she didnt know she was allergic, I later found out, and when the minor quake knocked the beaker and the bright orange yellow brown iodine landed on her hand, and she probably panicked and that made her heartrate jump and react faster to the tiny amount she had had at lunch), but they literally couldn't stop crying. Some were wheezing, some coughing, it was all very dramatic!! The teacher and I I managed to calm down after a while y assuring them there was nothing harmful happening, but from that day I totally understand how things like the dancing plague happen.

[@SL-es5kb]

Mirror neurons or something. It’s an ongoing area of research. Philosophically, it’s called mimesis. It’s the same capacity & tendency that causes us to learn and be socialized/molded so easily.

[@aimzzz9382]

Just found your channel and I’m loving it!! Binge watching everything 😌🙌🏼

[@karkovice10]

I've heard that this dancing plague was actually caused by a fungal infection in the food supply. I also like the fact that you've placed some pop songs with a medieval rhythm as the back ground music. :)

[@doyler102320]

Ergot poisioning more than likely

[@noahcarver6072]

I heard that LSD was first synthesized from ergot, though ergot itself is toxic.

[@karkovice10]

@@noahcarver6072 That would explain a lot! :)

[@OriginalRiotGrrl]

Yes, he covered that in another video-I believe it was "8 Plagues of Medieval Times" I never knew about Ergotism so that was very interesting! Those poor people back then-they never knew exactly what they were suffering from!!!!

[@jaybee6505]

@@doyler102320 My thoughts exactly. Everyone is tripping on psychedelics

[@jeanpaulsinatra]

Isn't Strasbourg near the Black Forest? Maybe they were dancing because the jungle's massive

[@MrLoobu]

It sounds like it was just a really good party which was completely outside the scope of comprehension for the culture of the time lol.

[@Timpon_Dorz]

Dude's having a stroke and they thought he's krumping.

[@glendanison3064]

Fascinating video about a bizarre subject. I hope you do a similar one about the biting nuns.

[@CosmicRetriever]

This is often attributed to ergot poisoning, mass hysteria or "Hot Blood." Would be interesting to finally solve this medieval mystery.

[@ACKamikaze]

LMFAO!!!! Carabe!!! Sorry, slips like that bring back find memories of my family lol...

[@TheStumptube]

I saw a documentary not too long ago (within the last 10 years at least) called The Town that Caught Tourettes or something very similar. The conclusion there seemed to be some kind of mass hysteria. Humans are definitely weird.

[@firepowerg]

As Michael Jackson would say... Blame it on the boogie!

[@bessiemann7468]

Just found your channel I am enjoying it. I have seen people with sentvitus dance. Shaking of the head and hands

[@lenprice2014]

One of my favourite mysteries of the past - thank you for covering this!

[@justinakers3196]

I haven't watched all the way through the video yet so I don't know if the ergot poisoning was theorized in your video, but if it was , as someone who has taken acid many a time I the time I can't imagine dancing till I died. Even if I did dance throughout the duration of the acid trip that would only be 12 hours.. I understand the ergot poisoning Could have a different effect but it still just blows my mind

[@littlegirlshowSynch]

just because its made from ergot doesnt mean the trip would be the same lol

[@MrLoobu]

It was way too widespread, and there would be plenty of people doing other things too if it were.

[@dolma5250]

Nah the medieval version of dancing queen has done it for me lol.

[@Hamter_mental_counseling]

6:49 you missed a Flight of the Concords reference (concert flutist song)

[@celebrityrog]

Basically the world's largest outdoor rave that was so utterly fucking awesome and so massive that food supplies ran out and so did toilet spaces - leading to people eating food made with mushrooms they found outside while raving. On eating these mushrooms and mushroom laced cuisines some of the poisoned would die soon while others, hallucinating from the magical kind would be enjoying the moment which would likely lead to more dancing, compounded with some of these mushrooms not being in cow shit but human feces of which infected people with a myriad of diseases in a time long before antiseptics and antibacterial medicines, these people ultimately died. Dysentery, vomiting, convulsions. Get what I'm saying?

[@robintauber9994]

😂 "won't you take me to.... Funky Town"😂

[@bloodkin666]

Sudden, violent and jerky movements to exaustion and untimely death? We have this here on the 'hood. Name's CrossFit.

[@joannabaparileszczynska]

Would be interested in a video on the sweating sickness

[@Eris123451]

"One of many reasons not to leave your children alone near a flutist ?" That's so wise.

[@peytonhartley1104]

Ahhh...the first extended rave.

[@michaelhayes4537]

Your dancing cannot be any worse than Elaine Benes' "little kicks.", on Seinfeld.

[@MagdaleneDivine]

The only downside to this channel is that it doesn't post everyday.

[@curiositypiqued6573]

That's where dance macabre/dance of death (title correct??? ITSo) inspiration came from for saint säens And perhaps the "dead can dance" modern-day dark music group project

[@antonvernooy6186]

great content i rally glad to have found this channel

[@vastvideos7212]

I think it was either an intentional or subconscious protest of their servitude and as we kno alot of ppl especially of the times of old were easily influenced

[@lildoveable]

You are hilarious. Love it. Not the disease. That's terrible. You are great.

[@Jacktrack7]

I love Saint Vitus the Doom Metal band, also Black Sabbath has a great song called St Vitus Dance.

[@tjubiadebiyi]

Medieval Funky Town....love it!

[@Kuro-Mori]

The instrumental of blood on the dance floor was awesome.

[@michellebruce5092]

Great history video I enjoyed it. Can't wait to see more soon 😀

[@lilbullet158]

_One young guy _*_"All by himself"_*_ Started a Huge Dance Party at Sasquatch Music Festival in 2009 . It's actually still on KZbin. It's quite a sight to behold._

[@youwatch1995]

I dont think its food contamination bacteria but it could be something else cuz if it is then she should not be the only first dancing but yea people followed her. On the second thought perhaps these contamination is more like an influencial to its environment and did the local authorities, musicians and physician did not get infected?

[@bmaluginthevanishingman6034]

And the piper.Legion,the demon of old. Look at the similarities . Instead of cliff it was a cave. It mocked Christ and him casting the demon into the swine. Ergot is the main ingredient to LSD

[@aaronwilson4202]

Someone went back in time and spiked the river with ecstasy, I mean have you ever heard of this before watching this. Clearly time travel

[@vkusniykpekep]

I read the book of John Waller now and i see that all information is from this book. You didn't change any sentences, so why you can't say about author anything?

[@80sMetalHead]

#Outstanding !!

[@apocalipsereich6997]

The first LOVE PARADES... In German soil of course 👍😁

[@Expensive_read96]

I think this can be summed up as shenanigans and tomfoolery there's nothing else I can think of 😌

[@sarah82ish]

Wonder where in South Wales that church is as I’m from South Wales. Can’t find it on a Google search

[@shannsimms9072]

Yeah I think it was a series of unfortunate events combined with maybe not so great decisions. No aliens.

[@davidk7212]

someone probably used random berries, flowers and/or mushrooms to cut or increase scarce food supplies that the town all had access to

[@robertasparrow5699]

Andersen had a tale of cursed shoes made a girl dance against her will. Probably this event inspired the writer.

[@giannisgiannis870]

It wasn't illness and it wasn't dancing...it was something else..

[@martryan2060]

Could be Mr C from the shamen is the Highlander lol 😀

[@MrMannerless]

Wrong. It was the Devil!

[@bmaluginthevanishingman6034]

I tell you exactly what happened , A black man moved to the village. Hence the first time the white man danced...😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@Chris-es3wf]

Wow racist much?

[@ivoirtex_7618]

Wtf

[@whisperoftheheart1603]

Someone explain me?

[@kaloarepo288]

There is an extremely vigorous Italian dance called the tarantella -immortalized in many classical compositions like Rossini's "La Danza" -orchestrated in the ballet "La boutique phantasque" -the magic toyshop-the dance takes its name from the southern city of Taranto -founded by the Spartans -the dance gives its name to the tarantula spider and people thought that if you were bitten by this spider immunity would be obtained by dancing the tarantella non stop until the venom wore off.

[@TooBakedToDecideName]

It was lsd growing on the rye which had been milled into bread

[@forrestcarson-austin2468]

Now it’s back in the form of tiktok

[@Antibionic50]

Maastricht is in modern day Netherlands, not Holland. A common mistake. Love your video's!

[@chesshead]

If you could design a virus, you'd make it so that infected hosts interact with as many other potential hosts as possible. It would also benefit from increased physical exertion, leading the hosts to expel more virus particles into the air. A virus like coronavirus-19 is doomed to fail because it reduces social interactions.

[@OriginalRiotGrrl]

"Coincidentally, the same wording used on a review for my one-man cabaret show".....🤣🤣🤣💯 (At 5:28 of video 🤣)

[@gyroskcope]

Wonder if the dancing crones in elden ring are based on this.

[@anjadyrting3206]

Medieval raveparty gone bad?

[@oskarlibelle1769]

I new somebody who suffered from psychosis, and walked miles without shoes, until they started bleeding, due to some delusional beliefs. Quite sad.

[@Hamter_mental_counseling]

5:33 Cabaret not carabay?

[@watch-Dominion-2018]

5:33 - it's Cabaret, not Carabet

[@gijbuis]

I seem to remember that the origin of the famous song "sur le pont d'Avignon, ''l'on y danse, l'on y danse..tout en rond" was somehow attributed to plague?

[@jamesbond8608]

Do you mean Stassburg ? when you say stroussburg

[@Hamter_mental_counseling]

One small suggestion / feedback on these excellent videos would be to insert key dates into the video, maybe by including those in a corner to support the narration. This would give the viewer an helpful visual clue to better understand the timeframe of the events as audio clues might be missed

[@Lost_Dawn]

It was a Brain Amoeba or Fungus in the water of food probably. Maybe? But that many places makes it questionable.

[@thereub8166]

Can you release the score for this video? Thine medieval re-compositions of disco melodies doth jammeth, like a Fokker o' mothers!

[@bhpictures]

Where in the heck did you find this music? It's amazing!

[@MrSumone]

Early MDMA ravers

[@jayedendunahee7479]

if youve ever seen drug addicts at a methadone clinic . . they appear like they are dancing too . . because the drugs make their bodies keep moving . . they had no music . . this was simply a case of a drug dealer posted up in the town square . and the more drug fueled ppl he fed the more the crowd started to :dance": but its not really that . . . anyways ya thtats what happpened . . they didnt dei from dancing they died from the drugs the man gave or sold them and they collected around his area . . and their hearts gave out from the drugs

[@Steven-dt5nu]

Nice intro

[@imdeaded]

Epidemic of crazy people . Panademic of TP in 2019 is a perfect example of mass hysteria.

[@dooberoso]

Ye olde flocka

[@whippethacreem7299]

The bardcore Dancing Queen just, mwah 👌