Before syphilis was known as syphilis, its name depended very much on who you were talking to — and who they hated the most.

As war waged and the disease ran rampant throughout Medieval Europe and beyond, countries were eager to lay the blame at their enemies’ rash-ridden feet.

One of the most feared infections in human history, the actual origin of the Treponema pallidum subspecies confounds even modern researchers.

But back in the day, the English and Italians were totally convinced they’d found the culprit: the French, of course.