The Dancing Plague of 1518

Episode Description:

In the hot summer of 1518, a woman in Strasbourg walked into the street and started dancing. She didn’t stop for days. Then dozens joined her. And then hundreds. It became so intense that some danced themselves to death.

But what caused this bizarre outbreak? Mass hysteria? Ergot poisoning? Or was it a town gripped by something even stranger?

In this episode of History on the Margins, John Williamson digs into one of the weirdest unexplained events in European history. With his usual blend of humor, historical insight, and just enough morbidity, we take a look at how music, medicine, religion, and social pressure all collided on a medieval dance floor no one could leave.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• Who Frau Troffea was and how her dancing sparked an epidemic

• How Strasbourg authorities encouraged the dancing (yes, really)

• Why theories like ergotism, stress-induced psychosis, and religious fervor have all been proposed

• What this strange event tells us about trauma, social contagion, and the brain

• Why medieval townspeople may have literally danced to cope with their fear of divine punishment

Historical Sources & Research References:

1. Waller, John. A Time to Dance, A Time to Die: The Extraordinary Story of the Dancing Plague of 1518 (Icon Books, 2009).

2. Waller, John. “Dancing Plague: The Strange History of Dancing Mania,” The Lancet, Vol. 370, Issue 9602, 2007.

3. Bartholomew, Robert E., and Erich Goode. Moral Panics: The Social Construction of Deviance (Wiley-Blackwell, 2009).

4. Hecker, Justus Friedrich Karl. The Dancing Mania of the Middle Ages (1832; various modern reprints).

5. Albarelli, Thomas M. A Terrible Mistake: The Murder of Frank Olson and the CIA’s Secret Cold War Experiments (related to ergot poisoning and MKUltra connections—contextual reference).

6. Britannica.com – “Dancing Plague of 1518” entry

7. Smithsonian Magazine – “The Dancing Plague of 1518” (Article by Linda Rodriguez McRobbie, 2017)

8. BBC Future – “Why Hundreds of People Danced Themselves to Death” (Article by Joseph Gelfer)

9. Science History Institute – “The Devil in the Rye: Ergotism and Mass Hysteria”

10. National Geographic – “When People Danced Themselves to Death”

Listener Shoutouts & Extras:

Have a theory of your own about the Dancing Plague? Think it was aliens, ergot, or just a really good medieval DJ?

Send your thoughts to John at [email protected] or tag us on social with the hashtag #DancingPlague1518