Self Flagellation
The people who whipped themselves were called Flagellants. They whipped themselves because they believed the plague was a punishment from god and to forgive themselves they must encounter pain.
It was perceived as a punishment from God for the sins of humanity. People called Flagalents whipped themselves in order to gain God's approval and so spare them from the plague
In Dante's "Inferno," punishment is determined by the principle of contrapasso, where sinners experience a punishment that corresponds to their sins. For example, fraudulent individuals are forever immersed in boiling tar, reflecting how they deceived others and were themselves never at peace. Through contrapasso, Dante illustrates the idea that the consequences of one's actions are intertwined with the sins themselves.
Indulgences can be earned by doing certain spiritual exercises, such as pilgrimages, to lessen the punishment for sins.
Indulgences
A group of traveler who marched in a line from town to town, punishing themselves harshly for their sins. They believed such punishment would terminate the plague.
They were called flagellents, they walked from street to street whipping themselves for their sins
disoedient
Belief in Jesus Christ and acceptance of his sacrifice for our sins are what excuses us from eternal punishment. Christians believe that through faith in Jesus, our sins are forgiven and we are granted eternal life.
To take the eternal punishment of our sins
Christians believed the black death was a punishment from god so the flagallant movement during the time of the black death was when people would offer bodily penance to god by whipping themselves in attempt to rid themselves of the black death.
In Dante's Inferno, the punishments suffered by sinners are directly related to the sins they committed in life. The severity of the punishment reflects the severity of the sin. Each punishment is meant to symbolize the spiritual consequences of the sin.