Medieval Europeans believed confessing sins could cure physical illness, and hospitals required it

historyanalysisWellcome CollectionMiddle Ages · Europe

Medieval Europeans believed confessing sins could cure physical illness, and hospitals required it

the gist

In medieval Europe, confession was thought to heal the body as well as the soul, because sin was seen as a cause of disease. The Fourth Lateran Council of 1215 required Catholics to confess at least once a year and told doctors to send sick patients to priests first. Churchmen compared confession to purging, bloodletting and surgery, and medieval physicians believed emotions could cause illness. Hospitals often required patients to confess on arrival and at intervals afterwards. Some confession was also thought to bring remarkable recoveries, while physicians worried that telling dying patients to confess could signal death was near.

so what

It shows how medieval medicine joined body, mind and spirit, a view that differs sharply from modern separation of psychology and physiology. It also explains why the boundary between confession and counselling has long been blurred.

fun fact

Archbishop Hubert Walter of Canterbury was reported to have eaten and made his will after confessing on his deathbed in the 13th century.

Wellcome Collection · CC BY 4.0

Illustrative photo · Pontificake at English Wikipedia, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

source: Wellcome Collection ↗

historyWikipediaclassic1336–1565 · Karnataka, India

Hampi was once one of the world's largest cities, until its Vijayanagara capital was destroyed in 1565

the gist

Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India, with more than 1,600 surviving remains spread over 4,100 hectares. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565. Travellers from Persia and Portugal described it as a prosperous, wealthy and grand city with temples, markets and farms along the Tungabhadra River. By 1500 it was estimated to be the world's second-largest city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at the time. In 1565 a coalition of Muslim sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire, its capital was conquered and destroyed, and the city was left in ruins. Hampi remains a religious centre, with the active Virupaksha Temple at its heart.

how it works

The city was built around a fortified core with temples, markets and water structures along the river, supplied by an extensive network of roads and waterworks. When the empire fell, the city was not rebuilt, so its stone monuments were left standing.

so what

Hampi shows how quickly a great city can vanish after a military defeat, and how a ruined capital can remain sacred. Its ruins give historians a view of medieval South Asia that few other sites can match.

fun fact

The name Hampi comes from Pampa, an old name for the Tungabhadra River.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia · text CC BY-SA 4.0

Image: Wikimedia Commons

source: Wikipedia ↗

2 min

politicsshortCNA2:01

False allegations about Singapore’s hand in Indonesia’s markets and a made-up meeting

from CNA

CNA Verify has found close to 400 posts pushing falsehoods tying Singapore to Indonesia’s stock market rout and to a secret meeting that never took place. Together, they drew nearly 12 million views, and some were circulated by accounts that appeared to be working in concert, across multiple social media platforms.

Here’s how the disinformation campaign targeting Singapore was uncovered.

on YouTube: CNA ↗