15 Facts of the Middle Ages about which the movies do not correctly portray reality

The Middle Ages seems to us a dark age, when the world was plunged into darkness, mud and endless battles. Or, on the contrary, as a romantic age, during which beautiful ladies, brave knights and noble kings lived in high castles. Either way, we have cinema and popular literature to thank. It was they who created many stereotypes about the Middle Ages, which do not always correspond to the truth. Do not forget that this historical period lasted from the 5th to the 15th century AD, and during that time many things were constantly changing, beyond our knowledge.

We, from awesome.clubwe carefully reviewed historians’ comments on popular films and are ready to tell you which movie myths about the Middle Ages, do not correspond to the truth.

Thanks to the cinema, we believe that the inhabitants of the Middle Ages had a very peculiar concept of hygiene. According to fiction, they rarely bathed, once a year was already a miracle. They were dirty and smelled really bad. The truth is, it was none of those things. Public baths were very popular, even among the poor, who frequented them to refresh themselves and talk. The tourist resort of Bath, in Great Britain, became famous, even in the Middle Ages, thanks to its hot springs. Wealthy citizens could take full baths, while poor people cleaned themselves with damp cloths.

The stench was unbearable. As it was associated with sin, most people, regardless of origin, tried to exhale the most pleasant odor possible. Obviously, the main reason for a non-stinking body is cleanliness.

In the Middle Ages, people weren’t as troglodyte as we think. Monasteries and churches were not fertile grounds for dark superstitions and prejudices, on the contrary, they were a repository of knowledge. The clergy did not punish researchers for their scientific works, they often supported them. Many European universities emerged at exactly this time.

Most people were already aware that the Earth is round. The church didn’t even try to argue the contrary. It is very common for the rulers of this period to be portrayed with an orb in their hand, a symbol of the round Earth they ruled.

The word “chivalry” today is linked to noble and dignified behavior. A symbol of courage, justice and honor. The knight was a true warrior who protected the weak and punished villains. However, medieval knights were not the quintessence of all virtues.

For the most part, the riders were young men full of energy. When they weren’t fighting wars, they were spreading terror among the population. In the 11th century, landlords began to use them to keep their subjects in check, resulting in devastated lands and destroyed villages. According to one version, the Crusades were organized, among other reasons, to take these young knights away from their homelands.

Social stratification in the Middle Ages was much more complex than we usually think. People were not just divided into nobles and serfs. The so-called peasants could be both serfs, who worked on the lord’s land, and free people who owned a lot or their own business. In small towns, a few successful families could indeed manage the entire settlement. The wealthy citizen could even rent the lord’s property.

There were also servants of noble origin in the castles. The custom of sending children to serve a family of relatives was quite common. Only for certain occupations were the sons of nobles hired, such as pages or squires. These servants were unpaid, but their position in the hierarchy was significantly higher than that of ordinary servants. Most employees were male. For example, the Earl of Devon had 132 men and only 3 women in his service.

Women’s life at that time was not so sad and depressing. Many did not stay at home all day, but worked. They could help their husbands in business or work in almost any guild (association), however, for this they sometimes needed to have their spouse’s permission.

Women who reached master level taught beginners, including men. Therefore, many dedicated themselves to household chores only in their free time from work. Also, they couldn’t spend much time in the kitchen and, due to the danger of fire, not all families had a stove at home. Thus, commoners used to buy ready-made food from the nearest tavern.

Women built their careers in commerce, especially if they inherited it from their deceased husband. A widow could also become an armorer or a tailor, if the profession was passed on to her by her husband.

Lovely girls with long, straight hair sporting voluminous curls really did exist in the Middle Ages. However, this fashion, basically, was followed by representatives of the oldest famous profession… A decent lady should cover her hair. This applied to both noble and commoner women.

Good manners were also highly valued. Violation of etiquette could ruin the life, not just of the perpetrator, but of the entire family. Talking to strangers was unacceptable. A kiss, even on the cheek, from a man other than her husband or blood relative was considered a terrible breach of the rules. By the way, the tradition of kissing the ladies’ hand appeared only in the XVII-XVIII centuries. In the Middle Ages, only relatives could touch women’s hands.

The parties of the aristocrats and the feasts of the commoners in no way resembled scenes from horror films, where everyone grabs food with their hands, stuffing their mouths greedily, chewing and dropping pieces, snarling and throwing the leftovers under the table. There was a strict etiquette that regulated meals. Although delicacies that required cutting were not uncommon, it was accepted to eat strictly with the aid of knives and spoons. Forks were only used for preparing and cutting. Before the beginning and at the end of meals, hands were washed.

Knives used at meals were personal, and guests brought their own. They took the food with them, but they didn’t eat with the fork. A piece of food was removed from the knife with the fingers and brought to the mouth. You couldn’t put your elbows on the table, nor stuff your mouth with food. It was also not customary to pick up salt from the salt shaker with your fingers. Bread was cut, not broken by hand. Napkins were considered an obligatory part of the meal: they were placed on the wrist or on the left shoulder.

Potatoes, turkey legs and orange carrots, so popular in the movies, only appeared in the 16th century.

Witches were not violently persecuted, as we tend to believe. Until the 13th-15th centuries, the church was not even very interested in them, and even then it did not bother them everywhere. In England, anyone could turn to a local witch for help finding something lost. In Ireland or France, however, things were more complicated. The real witch hunt only began in the 15th century, with the appearance of the Tribunal of the Holy Office of the Spanish Inquisition.

The lords were not so ruthless with their servants. There is no information that the famous “first night right”, which aristocrats supposedly often took advantage of, actually existed in the Middle Ages.

The sight of a horde of heavily armed horsemen galloping and advancing towards the enemy ranks looks impressive. The truth is that it was more effective for warriors to dismount from their horses in the middle of battle. Cavalry was an excellent weapon against rebellious peasants or barbarians. However, it did not always work against well-trained infantry.

In the XIV century in England, the greatest attention was paid to archers. King Edward II even banned the warriors from playing football, as they were too enthusiastic about the game and had little practice on the shooting range.

Military commanders were always concerned with troop motivation. However, pretentious speeches (the texts of which have survived to this day) were pronounced in the camp, before leaving for the battlefield. Prancing the horse in front of the detachment, shouting slogans, was not at all effective. First, because the commander would be an excellent target for the enemy, and besides, half the troops would not hear anything.

In cinema, to make battle scenes easier to understand, opponents are visually divided. So some arrive on the battlefield in shiny armor, others in strange clothing and war paint. In fact, not everything was so obvious. An example: in the beautiful film “Brave Heart”, the Scottish warriors were presented with their faces painted blue. By the time the action of the film takes place, this custom has not been followed for about a millennium.

It is a custom to represent the medieval city in dark colors. Impassable mud, pigs wallowing, chickens scattered at the feet of its residents. This is a picture of a typical medieval village, which we usually see in movies. However, it wasn’t so bad. There were strict laws that obliged citizens to take care of the space in front of their homes. The streets had to be kept clean, and for the accumulation of rubbish, severe fines were imposed. If the owner of the garbage was not found, the punishment extended to all the surrounding houses. Therefore, all the dirt had to be disposed of in the river, or in the nearest sewer.

Domestic animals on the streets of the Late Middle Ages is also a questionable phenomenon. Owners were prohibited from letting animals out into the street. Those who disobeyed were fined.

We are used to seeing people from the Middle Ages represented in dark clothes, dirty with soot and grease, both peasants and wealthy merchants. However, there were beautiful costumes at the time. Dyes were very expensive, so the simplest clothes were usually white. Blue garments were an inexpensive option. Yellows and grays cost a little more, while magenta, red and green were only available to the upper classes.

It is true that clothes lost their colors quickly. The dyes were unstable and the soap used in washing corrosive. Therefore, the color of the objects also showed how new they were.

Representatives of other races were not a curiosity in the Ages…