Plagued bodies and penitential souls: secular and ecclesiastical response to the 1576-78 plague of Milan

Plague once again in arrived the city of Milan in August of 1576, and resulted in the deaths of approximately 15% of its entire population. Although this was not a catastrophic loss of lives in comparison to previous plagues, Milanese secular and religious authorities reacted with a series of measures effectively recorded by several contemporary sources. Various manuscripts written by Giacomo Filippo Besta, Paolo Bisciola, Ascanio Centorio degli Ortensi, and Gaspare Bugati outline both secular and ecclesiastical responses to this disease. Secular plague legislation in Milan during this time period focused on the seclusion of sick persons, largely through the temporary lazaretti camps, as well as through sanitary controls. The plague legislation enacted by the Milanese government during this pestilence projected Milan to be at the head of plague control as compared to other European cities during this time period. This plague also elicited a lot of ecclesiastical response, particularly through the actions of Milan’s archbishop Carlo Borromeo. While the government was focusing on the restriction of contact between the Milanese the people, Borromeo held city-wide processions that were aimed at ridding Milan of plague through an elaborate act of penance. Borromeo was able to use this plague, as well as his distinguished position as archbishop, to advance Milan’s position as the frontrunner of Catholic Church reform during the 16th-century. The thesis seeks to draw a comparison between the secular and ecclesiastical responses to the Milanese plague of 1576, and examines the ways in which these authorities utilized this plague outbreak as they vied for control over the city.