People have some very wrong ideas about the Middle Ages. Here
is a list of fifteen of the strangest misconceptions about the medieval
period – they often portray the people as being ignorant, cruel and
unsophisticated.
1-That medieval people thought the earth was flat
Virtually every medieval scholar believed the world was round. However,
in the 19th century it was widely reported that people in the Middle
Ages thought the earth was flat, because it made for a good example of
how backward the period was believed to be.
2-That Primae Noctis actually happened.
In 19th century France, it became a popular belief that lords had
several long-standing 'rights' over their peasants, including the right
to sleep with any bride the 'first night' after her wedding. There are
no recorded instances of this happening in the Middle Ages.
3- That Vikings wore Horned Helmets.
Vikings and other medieval warriors never wore horned helmets - they
would not be very useful in battle. In the 19th century Scandinavian
artists began adding the imagery to their depictions of the Vikings.
4- That there were elaborate torture devices in the Middle Ages.
There are many different gruesome torture devices - for example the Iron
Maiden, the Pear of Anguish, and the Breast Ripper. However, while many
are said to be 'medieval torture devices', they were actually invented
centuries later.
5- That medieval thinkers argued over how many angels could dance on the head of a pin.
In more modern times, scholars who ridiculed medieval theology would say
that they argued over silly notions, such as "How many angels can dance
on the head of a pin?" However, there is no example of a medieval
scholar actually writing about this subject.
6- That Chastity Belts were used to prevent women from having sexual relations
The story goes that when medieval lords went on crusade, they would make
sure their wives would not have sex by enclosing their waists in a
locked belt. The truth is that chastity belts were never used in the
Middle Ages, and that they first became popular in the 19th-century as
part of that period's fascination with instruments of torture from
medieval times.
7- That medieval people drank wine and beer because water was so polluted.
While people would avoid polluted water in the Middle Ages, there were
many sources of clean water which would be used for drinking. It was
also common for water to be added to wine in order to make it less
potent.
8- That Neuschwanstein Castle is a medieval castle.
Neuschwanstein Castle has been described as one of the great medieval
castles of Europe. However, Ludwig II of Bavaria began building this
castle in 1869 - like many others in Europe, this castle was based on
romantic ideas of what a castle would look like, but actually has little
in common with a real medieval fortress.
9- That people thought tomatoes were poisonous.
Tomatoes were not even around in Europe during the Middle Ages. The food
was imported from South America in the 16th century and soon became
widely used in most of Europe.
10- That people did not live past 30 years old in the Middle Ages.
It has long been stated the life-expectancy for a medieval person was
about 30 years old. This does not mean that a person was considered old
or about to die when they turned 30. If a medieval person survived to
adulthood, he would likely live into his 60s or 70s, and they would not
be considered to be old until at least the age of 50. Life-expectancy
rates were lower in the Middle Ages because there was a much greater
chance that an infant or child would die because of illness or disease
than in modern times.
11- Medieval people did not use cutlery.
Medieval people did not have to eat everything with their hands. Knives
and spoons were common throughout the Middle Ages, and the fork was
introduced to the Byzantine Empire by the 6th century, and into Italy by
the 11th century.
12- That medieval people never traveled.
The idea that medieval people would be born, grow up and die without
ever leaving their village is very unlikely. Many different records show
that people were traveling around and even moving to different parts of
a country. Even peasants would go on pilgrimages and visit churches and
monasteries, in their country and overseas.
13- That medieval people were always dirty and had terrible personal hygiene.
People in the Middle Ages did take baths, and would try to keep clean.
Combs and other personal grooming devices were also widely used.
14- That medieval women had no rights
Women in the Middle Ages could inherit, buy and sell property, run a
business, and had many legal rights (in fact some of these rights would
diminish in the Early Modern Period). The idea that they were virtual
slaves to their husbands is also false.
15- That all medieval people were extremely pious and obeyed the church.
While many people in the Middle Ages were pious and even extremely
devout, we can find that church officials were often complaining that
many other people were indifferent to following religious practices. We
can also find that even peasants had their own ideas about religion,
which diverged from official church teachings, and that among
theologians there was a lot of debate over many issues.
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This book is excellent:
ReplyDeleteWalsh, James Joseph. The Thirteenth: Greatest of Centuries. Fordham University Press, 1907.