The Monster of Ravenna

1512 Battle of Ravenna, Italy: France under Gaston de Foix (Duke of Nemours; b. 1489) vanquished a pontifical alliance of Spaniards, Swiss and Venetians. De Foix (a nephew of King Louis XII) was killed by a pike in his side, and a further twelve thousand men perished in the battle; the city was not held by the French for long, and returned to papal rule.

The Monster of Ravenna

In March, a month before the battle, and documented in many publications of the time, the ‘Monster of Ravenna’ was one of the earliest monstrous births to attain international notoriety. A child was born with severe birth defects (possibly Roberts's Syndrome) in the city of Ravenna, shortly before Italian forces were defeated there. An apothecary named Lucca Landucci recorded in his journal an account of a drawing that had been put on public display in Florence.

The ‘monster’ was described as having a large horn sticking out of its head and no arms. On its chest were the letters ‘XYV’, and its scaly leg had an eye on its knee. News of the child was quickly communicated to Rome, and soon all of Europe had heard of it. It is believed that Pope Julius II ordered the baby starved to death ...

Tagged: birth, bizarre, anomaly, anomalies, france, italy, history