G701 + G92 saint gertrudes riga medieval 23andme format

In the heart of Riga, Latvia, two lives lost to one of history’s deadliest pandemics were uncovered in the church of Saint Gertrude. Their graves tell a story that connects genetics, history, and tragedy.

The Black Plague swept across Europe in waves from the 14th to the 17th century, killing millions. By the 1600s, Riga—then under heavy German influence—was no exception. The city’s cramped streets and bustling trade routes made it especially vulnerable to outbreaks.

Genomic research has revealed that one of the victims, buried in Saint Gertrude’s, was a man of predominantly German ancestry. This reflects the long-standing presence of Baltic Germans in Riga, who held political and economic power during much of the city’s history. The other victim, a woman also buried in Saint Gertrude’s church, carried predominantly Latvian ancestry, representing the native population who lived under foreign rule.

The German occupation of Latvia shaped not only politics and culture, but also the lives—and deaths—of ordinary people. The plague did not discriminate. It cut across class, ethnicity, and gender, claiming both the ruling elite and the native population alike.

For this video, I have analyzed both genomes with my trait predictor and betacalc tools. We will find out what diseases they were predisposed to, what traits they had, and what they looked like.