In times of danger, people naturally
turned to the church, but the priests could not help much either. However,
they did come up with a reason for the plague. They said it was sent by
God to punish people for being wicked.In times of danger, people naturally
turned to the church, but the priests could not help much either. However,
they did come up with a reason for the plague. They said it was sent by
God to punish people for being wicked.
People paid more attention to priests than to doctors, so they looked for ways to persuade God to forgive them for their sins
Some of these people went on
pilgrimages. Others decided to do even more. They punished themselves in
public. Large group of them walked around the country, stopping at towns
and villages. They sang hymns at the tops of their voices and beat each
other with whips.
These people were called flagellants. But the craze did not last
long. People soon found that it did no good.