The Erfurt Latrine Disaster: History’s grossest tragedy?
The grim details of the Erfurt Latrine Disaster of 1184 are not for the faint of heart. Discover the full story of one of history's grossest tragedies.
Image: The Erfurt Latrine Disaster occurred in an unknown building neat the city's cathedral | stock.adobe.com
When it comes to disgusting events in history, you can’t get much worse than the Erfurt Latrine Disaster. Also known as the Erfurter Latrinensturz in German – translating to 'Erfurt latrine fall' – the disaster saw many nobles falling into a latrine cesspit and drowning in filth.
The story of the Erfurt Latrine Disaster is often riddled with inconsistencies, but it is easy to see why. It became a legacy that entered local folklore, leading to various retellings and factual errors.
Join us here at Sky HISTORY as we dive deeper into the horrific Erfurt Latrine Disaster. We’ll keep things factual, but we will also examine some of the popular inconsistencies surrounding the event.
How did the Erfurt Latrine Disaster come about?
On 26th July 1184, in Erfurt, Germany – known then as the Holy Roman Empire – Henry VI, King of Germany, attended an imperial assembly. This assembly, called a Hoftag, was intended to be a mediation of sorts for Archbishop Conrad of Mainz and Landgrave Louis III of Thuringia.
The two parties had been embroiled in a land dispute since the defeat of Henry the Lion. The dispute was only growing in intensity, and so the king was forced to intervene to settle the matter.
Henry VI, then only 18 years old, acted on orders from his father, Frederick I Barbossa. He was diverted from his military campaign while on the way to Poland and sent to immediately mediate the meeting, which was taking place in Erfurt.
The events of the Erfurt Latrine Disaster
The Hoftag began in the morning on 26th July. There were many attendants present, including Archbishop Conrad, Landgrave Louis, and various other local bishops, members of the nobility, and prominent citizens from Erfurt.
The meeting took place on the upper level of a building with two stories, near to the Erfurt Cathedral. However, the support beams of the upper level were severely rotten. With the combined weight of everyone in attendance, the floor collapsed.
As the attendants came crashing down from the second floor, the ground floor also gave way. Beneath the ground floor was an underground cesspit, and many people fell straight through both floors into the toxic sewage of the underground pit.
Medieval latrines were incredibly basic and primitive, especially when compared to the sewage management systems we have today. They were basically just sloping holes that would deliver waste to the cesspits underground.
To fall into a cesspit of this nature was a death wish in its own right. Not only were they deep, but the waste accumulated had a quicksand-like effect due to its consistency. It was also chock full of parasites and incredibly harmful bacteria. Those who fell into the cesspit attempted to swim out, but it was an impossible task. They drowned horrifically, choking on years of accumulated human waste.
The victims of the Erfurt Latrine Disaster
It is thought that around 100 people may have perished during the collapse, but we know for sure that 60 nobles passed away. Some died from injuries sustained by the fall, while others were crushed in the debris. However, some poor souls suffered a particularly grotesque fate when they plunged into the cesspit and suffocated in the waste.
Various nobles from Erfurt died in the disaster, including Count Burchard of Wartburg, Count Heinrich I of Schwarzburg, and Behringer von Wellingen, to name a few.
Landgrave Louis fell during the disaster, but he survived. The king and Archbishop Conrad managed to avoid falling altogether, as they were sitting in a stone window alcove and were safe. They had to hold on tight to the alcove to keep from falling while they waited for rescuers, who later saved them with ladders.
Had the king also perished in this disaster, there is no doubt that it would have been more well known as a significant historical event. Instead, it is often remembered as a somewhat farcical and gross tragedy.
The misconceptions surrounding the Erfurt Latrine Disaster
As mentioned, the disaster became a folk tale in Germany, with many misconceptions surfacing as the story was retold. The somewhat bizarre nature of the macabre disaster played into this, allowing people to get carried away with their storytelling.
For example, many believed that everyone who perished during the disaster died only from plummeting into the cesspit and drowning in human waste. We know that isn’t the truth, but it makes for a more compelling story to tell due to just how grotesque it is.
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