Caragea's plague

Caragea's plague (Romanian: Ciuma lui Caragea) was a bubonic plague epidemic that occurred in Wallachia, mainly in Bucharest, in the years 1813 and 1814. It coincided with the rule of the Phanariote Prince Ioan Caragea.

The outbreak in Bucharest started in April 1813, but there were no recorded deaths until June. A quarantine was established, the city gates of Bucharest were closed, and guards were placed to prevent anyone from entering the city without permission. The foreigners and non-residents were expelled from the city, and the city's beggars were relocated to monasteries beyond the city's walls. Within the city, public meetings in pubs and coffee shops were forbidden. Alcohol sales were only allowed for domestic use. To avoid the formation of crowds, markets and schools were closed down, and the prisoners in the debtors' prison were set free.

Bucharest hired additional gravediggers to create mass graves. By October 1813, there were not enough gravediggers to bury all the dead. Several bodies were left out in the open, where they were eaten by the local dogs and other urban animals. By January or February 1814, there were fewer deaths. People who had fled the city were soon able to return. However, two of the quarantine hospitals established during the epidemic remained in operation until 1818. By estimates of the era, there were between 20,000 and 30,000 deaths in Bucharest during the years of the epidemic.