Medieval Mythbusters

Barony of Castel Rouge

April 27 2007

Myths of the Middle Ages

• There’s a lot of information on the Middle Ages/Medieval period of history

• A lot of it is myth or fiction

• Much of what we “know” comes from Hollywood!

Myth 1. People bathed once a year

“Contrary to popular legend, medieval man loved baths. Some castles had a special room beside the kitchen where the ladies might bathe sociably in parties. Hot water, sometimes with perfume or rose leaves, was brought to the lord in the bedchamber and poured into a tub shaped like a half-barrel and containing a stool, so that the occupant could sit and soak long. In the cities there were public baths, or “stews” for the populace”.

http://somethingold.wordpress.com/tag/olde-ideas/

Myth 2. They never washed their clothes

“Wherefore love your husband's person carefully, and I pray you keep him in clean linen”

http://mw.mcmaster.ca/

scriptorium/section5.html

Myth 3. Housing was bad A medieval cottage from the thirteenth century,has been reconstructed by the Weald andDownland Museum, Sussex, England. It has tworooms, one containing the hearth that wouldhave been the main living area. The other room contains a stone oven. The house wouldhave been very dark and smoky inside as thereis no chimney and only a small window. Peasants' houses have not survived becausethey were made out of sticks, straw and mud. They were one-roomed houses which the familyShared with the animals.   They made their houses themselves becausethey could not afford to pay someone to buildthem. The simplest houses were made out ofsticks and straw.

• http://www.historyonthenet.com/Medieval_Life/houses.htm

Wattle and Daub houseswere taller and wider thanthe simple stick and strawhouses. They also offeredbetter protection from theweather.

They were made by firstconstructing a framework oftimber, then filling in the spaceswith wattle (woven twigs). Finally,the twigs were daubed with mudwhich, when dried, made a hardwall.

Myth 4. Food was bad“Medieval cooking was not, as has been so

easily assumed, a dubious practice that produced inedible dishes filled with strange spices and dangerous ingredients. Medieval cooks used many of the same type of foodstuffs that are in use today, in addition to forms of food preparation familiar to any of us. The dishes and recipes they prepared were neither inedible nor dangerous, but extremely delicious and nourishing products that employed the finest meats, grains, fruits, and vegetables medieval society was capable of developing. Then as now, mankind knew what tasted good and the sauces, stews, pies, roasts, and soups that satisfied the 14th century family are just as wholesome and enjoyable today”

http://www.godecookery.com/godeboke/godeboke.htm

Myth 5. Life was tough & miserable

Medieval HolidaysCircumcision of ChristTwelfth DayCandlemasSt Valentine's DayShrove TuesdayAsh WednesdaySt. David's DaySt. Patrick's DayFeast of St. Edward the ConfessorFeast of St. BenedictThe AnnunciationPalm SundayGood FridayEaster SundayHocktideAll Fool's Day, April Fool's DaySt. George's DayMay DayHoly Rood DayRogation SundayAscension Day or Holy ThursdayWhitsun or White Sunday, PentecostSt. John the Baptist

Trinity SundayCorpus ChristiTranslation of St. Thomas the MartyrSt. James the Apostle and St. ChristopherFeast of St. Peter in ChainsSt. DominicAssumption of Our LadySt. Augustine of HipoNativity of Our LadyExaltation of the CrossMichaelmas, or Feast of St. Michael the ArchangelSt. Denys' DaySt. Crispin's DayAll Hallows' EveAll Hallows' DayAll Souls' DaySt. Edmund the King and MartyrSt. Catherine's DaySt. Nicholas' DayThe Conception of Our LadySt. Andrew's DayChristmasFeast of the Holy InnocenceFeast of St. Thomas the Archbishop and Martry

Other Days

Myth 6. You got sick & died

“Medieval medicine is an extremely learned theory that makes sense when one considers the information doctors of the period had to rely on.”

http://www.the-orb.net/non_spec/missteps/ch4.html

Herbal discovery, 2005

“The monks' knowledge of herbs was so great it could be used to influence medicine today.

"You would not bother with strange plants at a monastery unless they were going to be used and these medieval brothers knew what to do. They knew more about plants than anyone alive today,"

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/3745498.stm

“In farm and manorial households, the owner's wife was expected to provide medical care not only to her own family but to servants and dependents, including tenants and neighbors of lower status. If she did not provide the care herself, she was responsible for seeing that it was done.”

http://gallowglass.org/jadwiga/herbs/WomenMed.html

Finding medieval facts

• The ORB: Online Reference Book for Medieval Studies

http://www.the-orb.net/

• Netserf: The Internet Connection for Medieval Studies

http://www.netserf.org/

• Stefan’s Florilegium

http://www.florilegium.org/

The Barony of Castel Rougewww.castelrouge.ca