Plagues, poisons, and potions - William G Naphy

In the 16th and 17th centuries outbreaks of the plague in and around the ancient Duchy of Savoy accompanied the arrest and execution of many people who were accused of conspiring to spread the disease. The accused were usually workers in the plague hospitals and were charged with targeting leading and wealthy people from urban areas, so that they could rob them while the afflicted homeowners were confined in quarantine.;Primarily the "conspirators" were poor female migrants working as nurses or hospital workers. Nevertheless, in every outbreak, the leaders of the conspiracy were educated professional male barber-surgeons. During the trials of the accused, judicial torture played an important role and the prosecutions often ended with the spectacular and gruesome execution of plague workers. In order to understand how this phenomenon developed and was regarded at the time, this study examines the courts and the part played by torture, as well as considering the socio-economic conditions of the workers, highlighting an early modern form of "class warfare".