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Kissing was a big deal in the Middle Ages: for signing contracts, for greeting colleagues, and for showing deference to the King - a tradition that ended on 16th July, 1439, when Henry VI issued a decree imploring his citizens to stop kissing his ring.\nSome 400 years before the modern concepts of hygiene and germs had been scientifically established, the 18 year-old monarch clearly had an instinct that clamping down on kissing might stop the spread of the bubonic plague - a deadly disease that had been rampant for 100 years.\nIn this episode, Olly, Arion and Rebecca explain why one village soaked their supplies in vinegar; reveal how to write a letter to the King (with appropriate levels of flattery); and consider the merits of banning bearded men from handling milk\u2026\xa0\nFurther Reading:\n\u2022 BBC profile of Henry VI: http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/henry_vi_king.shtml\n\u2022 \u2018Here ye, here ye: No more smoochies!\u2019 (History Daily, 2020): https://historydaily.org/kissing-ban-england-response-black-plague-1439\n\u2022 \u2018What Made The Black Death So Deadly?\u2019 (The Infographics Show, 2019): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5q-PIN3KSE\nFor bonus material and to support the show, visit\xa0Patreon.com/Retrospectors\nWe'll be back on Monday! Follow us wherever you get your podcasts:\xa0podfollow.com/Retrospectors\nThe Retrospectors are Olly Mann, Rebecca Messina & Arion McNicoll, with Matt Hill.\nTheme Music: Pass The Peas. Announcer: Bob Ravelli. Graphic Design: Terry Saunders. Edit Producer: Emma Corsham.\nCopyright: Rethink Audio / Olly Mann 2021.\n#1400s #Royals #Discoveries #White #UK\n Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices