The Erfurt Latrine Disaster - July 26th, 1184

On this day in 1184, dozens of noblemen plunged to their deaths after a floor collapsed above a monastery cesspit in modern-day Germany.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
This Day in History Class is a production of I
Heart Radio. Hello and welcome to This Day in History Class,
a show that believes there's no time like the present
to learn about the past. I'm Gay Bluesier and in

(00:21):
this episode, we're talking about a deadly mishap from the
Middle Ages that will give you a newfound appreciation for
the miracle that is indoor plumbing. The day was July eleven,
eighty four. Dozens of noblemen plunged to their deaths after

(00:46):
a floor collapsed above a monastery cess pit in modern
day Germany. The nobles had gathered at St. Peter's Church
in the city of Erfurt at the request of their king,
Heinrich the sixth, also known as Henry the sixth. He
had called the meeting to settle a land dispute between
two prominent citizens, but unfortunately, the floor of the medieval

(01:09):
church where they met wasn't strong enough to bear the
weight of the large group. Nearly a hundred noblemen and
high ranking officials fell into the latrine pit below, and
at least sixty of those men never made it out again.
Located in the state of Turingia in central Germany, the
city of Erfurt has existed since at least the eighth century.

(01:33):
At the time of the Latrine Disaster in the late
twelfth century, the city was still part of the vast
Holy Roman Empire and was located in a region under
the control of German King Henry the sixth. He was
the second son of the Holy Roman Emperor Barbarossa and
was set to inherit the title himself when his father
passed away in eleven eighty four, though, the nineteen year

(01:57):
old ruler was on his way to Poland on official
business when he caught wind of an ongoing conflict that
had plagued the state for some time. The parties involved
were Archbishop Conrad of Minz, a leader of the Roman
Catholic Church, and Ludwig the third of Turingia, a noble
who held the title of land Grave, which was essentially

(02:19):
the empire's version of a duke. Their quarrel began four
years earlier, when Archbishop Conrad started building a fortified castle
on a hill near Ludwig's territory. At the time, frequent
power struggles within the empire had led to an ever
changing map, with feudal nobles and religious leaders constantly budding

(02:39):
heads and claiming each other's land. Given that contentious climate,
Ludwig viewed the archbishop's encroachment as a sign of aggression.
By eighty four, the drama between Ludwig and Conrad had
grown so intense that the king himself decided to intervene.
In late July, he called for a deliberate of meeting

(03:00):
known as a diet, to be held on the upper
floor of the rectory of the St. Peter's Church in Erfurt.
The exact roster of those who attended is unknown, but
it's believed that dozens of nobles, counts, and bishops were
summoned to discuss the matter and help negotiate a compromise.
When you factor in the king's entourage and any attendants

(03:21):
brought along by the nobles, the number of those present
spikes to well over a hundred people. The private room
where this group met wasn't intended to host such a
large gathering. Some historians believe it's floorboards may have been rotten,
while others argue that the floor only collapsed due to
the added weight of the armor and chainmail warned by

(03:43):
those in attendance. Either way, Shortly after the meeting, began,
the floor of the church suddenly collapsed. The weight of
the falling people and heavy debris was great enough to
break through the ground floor as well. The incident would
have been a disaster either way, but it was made
all the more gruesome due to the location of the

(04:05):
church's communal cess pit. Withindoor plumbing still centuries away, the
sewer systems of medieval Europe left a lot to be desired.
The simplest way to deal with human waste was to
dig a big trench or pit beneath the building and
just let the waste drop into it through one or
more latrines. The St. Peter's Church and Erfurt had several

(04:27):
latrines to accommodate the Benedictine monks who lived there full time.
Unfortunately for the German aristocracy visiting that day, the large
latrine pit where the monk's waist gathered happened to be
straight down from their meeting room. Contemporary accounts reported that
nearly everyone present fell into the latrine pit, though some,

(04:48):
including the king and archbishop, avoided the embarrassing fate by
clinging to the iron rails of the church's windows. Ludwig
the Third was among the many nobles who tumbled into
the rule of filth, but he was fortunate enough to
be rescued along with several others. The majority weren't so lucky, though.
There's no way to know how many died from drowning

(05:10):
or how many died from being struck by falling debris,
but altogether more than sixty people are said to have
lost their lives in the incident. The official chronicle of St.
Peter's Church reports the event matter of factly, stating quote,
many fell into the cesspool below. Some were saved with difficulty,
while others suffocated in the muck. Among the casualties was

(05:34):
Count Heinrich, the first of Schwarzburg, who was also engaged
in an ongoing feud with Ludwig. According to medieval author
and theologian Johann Gottfried, the Count was a confident man
who often boasted by saying, quote, if I fail, may
I die in excrement. Make of it what you will.
But that is indeed how Count Heinrich died. As for

(05:58):
the conflict that set the whole ordeal in motion, it's
unclear how or if it was ever resolved, but hopefully
the messy tragedy helped Ludwig and Conrad see things in
a different light, because while they may not have gotten
everything they wanted, they also didn't drown in sludge either,
And if that doesn't put things in perspective, then I

(06:20):
don't know what would. I'm Gabe Lucier and hopefully you
now know a little more about history today than you
did yesterday. You can learn even more about history by
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i HC Show, and if you have any comments or suggestions,

(06:41):
feel free to send them my way at this Day
at I heart media dot com. Thanks, as always the
Chandler Mays for producing the show, and thanks to you
for listening. I'll see you back here again tomorrow for
another day in History class.