10 historical facts from life in the Middle Ages, which are not written about in textbooks

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

Modern books and films about the Middle Ages do not always tell the truth about the daily life of ordinary people during that period. In fact, many aspects of the life of that time are not entirely attractive, and the approach to the life of medieval citizens is alien to people of the 21st century.

1. Desecration of graves

In medieval Europe, 40 percent of the graves were desecrated. Previously, only cemetery robbers and grave robbers were accused of this. However, recently discovered two cemeteries showed that, perhaps, ordinary inhabitants of the settlements did the same. The Austrian cemetery of Brunn am Gebirge contained 42 tombs from the time of the Lombards, a 6th century Germanic tribe.

All of them, except one, were dug up, and the skulls were removed from the graves, or, on the contrary, the "extra" ones were added. Most of the bones were removed from the graves using some kind of tool. The motive for this is unclear, but the tribe may have tried to prevent the undead from appearing. It is also possible that the Lombards wanted to "acquire" the memory of their lost loved ones. This may be the reason that more than a third of the skulls are missing.

In the English cemetery "Winnall II" (7th-8th centuries), skeletons were tied, decapitated, or their joints twisted. Initially, it was believed that it was some kind of strange funeral rite. However, there is growing evidence that such manipulations took place much later than the funeral, possibly because the locals believed that the undead might appear.

2. Proof of marriage

Getting married in medieval England was easier than making soup. All that was needed was a man, a woman, and their verbal consent to the marriage. If the girl was less than 12 years old and the boy less than 14 years old, then their families did not give their consent. But at the same time, neither a church nor a priest was required for the marriage.

People often got married right where they reached an agreement, whether it was a local pub or bed (sexual intercourse automatically led to marriage). But there was one complication associated with this. If something went wrong, and the marriage was concluded tete-a-tete, but in fact it was impossible to prove it.

For this reason, marriage vows gradually began to be taken in the presence of a priest. Divorce could only happen if the union was not legal. The main reasons included marriage with a previous partner, family ties (even distant ancestors were taken into account), or marriage to a non-Christian.

3. Men were treated for infertility

In the ancient world, it was usually the wife who was blamed for this in childless marriage. It was assumed that this was the case in medieval England. But researchers found facts proving the opposite. From the 13th century onwards, men were also blamed for the absence of children, and medical books of the time discussed male reproductive problems and infertility.

The books also contain some odd tips for determining which partner is infertile and what treatment to use: both had to urinate into separate pots full of bran, seal them for nine days, and then check for worms. If the husband needed treatment, he was recommended to take dried pig testicles with wine for three days. Moreover, all the wife could divorce her husband if he was impotent.

4. Problem students

In Northern Europe, parents had the habit of sending their teenagers out of their homes, placing them in an apprenticeship that lasted ten years. So the family got rid of the "mouth that needed to be fed", and the owner received cheap labor. Extant letters written by teenagers show that such experiences were often traumatic for them.

Some historians believe that young people were sent away from home because they were naughty and their parents believed that education would have a positive effect. Perhaps the masters were aware of such difficulties, since many of them signed a contract, according to which adolescents taken for training had to behave "appropriately".

However, the disciples received a bad name. Away from their families, they resented their lives, and connections with other troubled teenagers soon led to gangs. The teenagers often gambled and visited brothels. In Germany, France and Switzerland, they broke up carnivals, caused riots and once even forced the city to pay a ransom.

On the streets of London, violent battles were constantly taking place between various guilds, and in 1517 gangs of students ransacked the city. It is likely that disappointment led to hooliganism. Despite all the years of hard training, many understood that this was not a guarantee of future work.

5. Old people of the Middle Ages

In early medieval England, a person was considered elderly at the age of 50. British scientists considered this era to be the "golden age" for the elderly. It was believed that society honors them for wisdom and experience. This was not entirely true. Apparently there wasn't even such a thing as letting someone enjoy their retirement.

The elderly had to prove their worth. In exchange for respect, society expected older members to continue to contribute to life, especially warriors, priests, and leaders. The soldiers were still fighting and the workers were still working. Medieval authors have written ambiguously about aging.

Some agreed that the elderly were spiritually superior to them, while others humiliated them, calling them "centenary children." Old age itself was called "the anticipation of hell." Another misconception is that in old age everyone was weak and died before reaching old age. Some people still lived well at 80-90 years old.

6. Death every day

In the Middle Ages, not everyone died from widespread violence and war. People also died from domestic violence, accidents and too much pleasures. In 2015, researchers reviewed the records of the medieval coroners of Warwickshire, London and Bedfordshire. The results provided a unique perspective on daily life and the dangers in these counties.

For example, death from … a pig was real. In 1322, two-month-old Johanna de Irlandé died in her crib after a sow bit her on the head. Another pig killed a man in 1394. Cows were also responsible for the deaths of several people. Most accidental deaths were due to drowning, coroners said. People drowned in ditches, wells and rivers. Domestic killings were not uncommon.

7. This cruel London

As for the bloodshed, no one wanted to move the family to London. It was the most violent place in England. Archaeologists examined 399 skulls, dating from 1050-1550, from six London cemeteries for all classes. Nearly seven percent of them showed signs of suspicious physical injury. Most of them were people between the ages of 26 and 35.

The level of violence in London was double that of any other country, and the cemeteries showed that working-class men faced constant aggression. Coroner's records showed that an unnaturally high number of murders took place on Sunday nights, when most of the lower class were spending their time in taverns. It is likely that drunken arguments often occurred with fatal results.

8. Reading preferences

In the XV-XVI centuries, religion penetrated into all spheres of human life. Prayer books were especially popular. Using a technique that detects hues on the surface of the paper, art historians realized that the dirtier a page was, the more readers were attracted to its content. Prayer books helped to understand what preferences in reading were.

One manuscript indicated a prayer dedicated to Saint Sebastian, which is said to have been able to defeat the plague. Other prayers for personal salvation also received more attention than those intended to save another person. These prayer books were read daily.

9. Skinning cats

In 2017, a study found that the cat fur industry has also spread to Spain. This medieval practice was widespread and used by both domestic and wild cats. El Bordellier was a farming community 1000 years ago.

Many medieval finds were made in this place, among which there were pits for storing crops. But in some of these pits, animal bones were found, and about 900 of them belonged to cats. All the cat bones were dumped in one pit. All animals were between nine and twenty months old, which is the best age to get a large, flawless hide.

10. Deadly striped clothing

Striped clothing becomes fashionable every few years, but in those days, a dressy suit could lead to the death of a person. In 1310, a French shoemaker decided to wear striped clothing during the day. He was sentenced to death for his decision. This man was part of the city's clergy who believed that the stripes belonged to the devil. The pious townspeople also had to avoid wearing striped clothing at all costs.

Documentation from the 12th and 13th centuries shows that the authorities strictly adhered to this position. It was considered the garment of social outcasts, prostitutes, executioners, lepers, heretics and, for some reason, clowns. This inexplicable hatred of stripes still remains a mystery, and there is not even a single theory that could adequately explain it. Whatever the reason, by the 18th century, the strange disgust had faded into oblivion.

BONUS

And in continuation of the topic more 10 truthful facts about life in medieval England that are not written about in textbooks.