Did peoples in history have any vague idea of bacteria? What did they think when a cut got infected? Did they have a scientific view of the phenomenon or did they think it was divine punishment?

by WaywardAnus
DanKensington

This will, of course, depend on the specific people - it is entirely possible that other peoples will have a different view to that of Early Medieval England. Thus, anyone wanting to write about other peoples is more than welcome to do so, because more points of view are always helpful!

But for Early Medieval England, they knew how to deal with an infection. Here's u/BRIStoneman's post on the medical textbook Bald's Leechbook and what it advises for infections.