History For Sleep with the Drowsy Historian

The TERRIFYING Fate of a Renaissance Smallpox Victim


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Tonight, we’re not following kings, warriors, or saints. We’re following a tailor’s apprentice in Renaissance Europe… as his skin blooms with red sores, his neighbors whisper of sin and punishment, and the local barber-surgeon arrives with hot cups and mustard plasters.

There are no miracles here. Just fever. Isolation. And a slow, painful transformation that leaves the body disfigured — and the memory quietly erased.

This is the horrifying fate of a smallpox victim. And in the Renaissance, you wouldn’t need to be cursed or criminal to suffer it. Just unlucky.


🛏️ Drowsy Historian’s Favorite Sleep Tools

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• Weighted Blanket for Pretending You’re a Mummified Pharaoh → https://amzn.to/4kVJCgE

• Sleep Mask Headphones For Total Historical Escape → https://amzn.to/4nWsNVn

• Book Light for Reading About Plagues at 2AM → https://amzn.to/4eSg0iu

• White Noise Machine for Blocking Out the 21st Century → https://amzn.to/3GJ9jTw


These are affiliate links. I may earn a small commission if you purchase through them—at no extra cost to you. Thanks for supporting the show while staying cozy.


#smallpox #renaissance #drowsyhistorian #historysleepstories #calmhistory #historicalillness #plague #barbersurgeon #historicalfiction #secondperson

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History For Sleep with the Drowsy HistorianBy Drowsy Historian

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