10 reasons to be glad that we do not live in the Middle Ages (11 photos)

The Middle Ages lasted about a thousand years, and it probably felt even longer. As you might guess, during this impressive era, a lot of things have changed in our world, and only one thing has remained unchanged - all these years, life has sucked, to put it mildly. So here are ten reasons to be glad that we were lucky not to be caught in these difficult times.





1. Plague without a feast



In 1347, the bubonic plague came to Europe, which soon became known simply as the Black Death. Over the next decade it claimed the lives of millions of people; According to historians, the plague killed about twenty million people in total - and then there were not as many people in Europe as there are now, so in just a few years almost half of the population of Europe died.

The Black Death was a ruthless killer. At night, people went to bed healthy, and in the morning they woke up mortally ill and died a painful death within a couple of days. The Black Death was merciless and did not discriminate between rich and poor - scientists estimate that only about 10% of those who contracted the disease survived. Children were left orphans, families were broken up, entire cities were almost wiped off the face of the earth, and many people were cut off from the outside world. Yes, the modern world had a hard time dealing with the COVID pandemic, but it was nothing compared to the plague - in just a few years, European society completely regressed.

2. Live bad, die young





As you already understand, life in the Middle Ages was difficult - even if someone managed to avoid hunger and the merciless Black Death, there were still plenty of ways to die in terrible agony. Tuberculosis, leprosy and cholera were everywhere, the concept of personal hygiene did not exist, and in such cities, one could only dream of a sewer system. Instead of wisely disposing of excrement and human waste, local residents simply threw it into the streets, which not only created a disgusting stench, but also a breeding ground for deadly diseases.

Knowledge of medicine was also surprisingly primitive. People at the time believed that unpleasant odors directly caused illness, a belief called the miasma theory that became quite popular in Europe. Of course, the theory is wrong, but it made people realize the importance of cleanliness and personal hygiene, which, in turn, significantly helped their health. Of course, not all classes felt the improvement. Rich people had the means and ability to stay clean and smell relatively fresh if they wanted to. But the peasants, who usually lived in cramped quarters with several families and even livestock, had a much harder time.

Surviving infancy and childhood was also a challenge back then - only about a third of all children born in that era reached adulthood. Childbirth, of course, was also extremely dangerous, and mothers and newborns often died in the process. At that time, the average life expectancy was only about 35 years, with men usually living a little longer than women, and the rich, of course, living much longer than the poor.

3. Ruthless wars



During the Middle Ages, military battles occurred constantly - some wars were short and bloody, while others, such as the 100 Years' War, dragged on for a long time. Because armies lacked modern weapons, it often took decades for the war to be finally resolved. Anyone who was able to fight had to be constantly ready for battle - nobles in particular spent most of their lives preparing for war, as they were obliged to demonstrate their skill. If they did not want to fight, they had to pay the king a large sum of money to avoid fighting.

Of course, the vast majority of people in the Middle Ages did not have enough money to buy themselves out of conflict, so they obediently enlisted in conscription. At the same time, large landowners were required to provide soldiers for military operations - the more land, the more soldiers they demanded. These powerful landowners typically sent poor peasants with little or no military training into battle. They were led by one or two knights who tried their best to bring order to the chaos.

Some leaders recognized that having a well-trained and organized peasant army could help in battle. However, they also feared that if these peasants became too skilled, they might rebel and try to overthrow them. Such “swings” remained the main problem of armies throughout the Middle Ages.

4. Crime and punishment



In the Middle Ages, caught criminals always faced severe punishment - both truly dangerous murderers and petty swindlers. People were punished for everything: for example, in most European regions it was forbidden to live on the streets or beg; peasants were forbidden to marry without the permission of their master, and in some places they even punished women who gossiped too much. Surprisingly, in 1314 England even banned playing football! Fortunately for the British and all fans of English football, this did not last long.

In the early Middle Ages, the guilt of suspects was determined through cruel practices, such as ordeals: if a woman was suspected of witchcraft, she could be tied up and thrown into a pool of water. If she managed to survive, she was considered innocent. If a woman drowned, she was found guilty. Considering that the suspects were thrown into the water tied up, one can guess how many “guilty” witches there were.

Beginning in the 1300s, these trials were replaced by trials by jury, but punishments in that era were still incredibly cruel compared to today's standards. Public executions were common, as were floggings and beatings. Even minor crimes such as pickpocketing were punished to the fullest extent.

One of the most terrible crimes that could be committed was treason. Betrayal of the king was considered such a heinous act that it entailed unimaginably cruel punishment. The convict was tied to a wooden board and dragged to execution, after which he was hanged, but before his death the rope was cut. However, there was no mercy in this act: the criminal, who was fully conscious, was then supposed to be gutted and his entrails burned in front of his eyes. And only after this the executioner finally cut off his head with a swing of the ax. Then, so that the execution would serve as a cruel lesson for others, the head of the condemned man was put on public display.

5. Harsh peasant life



In the Middle Ages, people were divided into different classes. As in most eras, those who were of a higher class had a more than good life - they had power, money and high status. In most medieval communities, the king generally owned all the land within his kingdom. He leased it to the nobility in exchange for an oath of allegiance, after which these nobles had the right to manage their land and levy taxes as they saw fit. As might be expected, they were most often cruel, and their privileges came at a great cost to the serfs. In essence, the nobility treated them like slaves - the serfs worked by the sweat of their brow six days a week from dawn to dusk. Under the feudal system, they were forced to grow crops, raise livestock, and give up any valuables to pay the nobles for the use of their land.

In ancient times, serfs and slaves were still occasionally able to occupy high positions - some even became incredibly rich and led armies. In one notable case, the son of a freed slave even became Emperor of Rome. But unfortunately for slaves and peasants in the medieval world, such social mobility was unimaginable - most often, once a person was born into the lower class, he remained there for life. As a result, the poor masses simply continued to work hard, with no chance of ever improving their lives.

6. Medicine? No, have not heard



Around 540 BC. Greek physician Alcmaeon of Croton proposed a theory that gained considerable popularity in his time. He believed that human health depends on the balance of four fluids - humors. These humors were blood, mucus (phlegm), yellow bile and black bile. Alcmaeon's theory was, of course, wrong, but it managed to survive for a thousand years, and by the Middle Ages medicine had not advanced beyond that point. In some ways, unfortunately, she has even regressed.

Unlike the ancient Greeks, who recognized physical causes of illness, people of the Middle Ages attributed supernatural causes to their ailments. Quite often, medical examinations began with an analysis of the patient’s astrological chart. In many cases, the diagnosis was a humoral imbalance, and the prescribed treatment included either bloodletting through cuts or the use of leeches. Of course, there were no antibiotics or other drugs. The primitive nature of pain and symptom management at that time was brutal and unforgiving.

Those who required surgery were at even greater risk. Limited knowledge of the inner workings of the human body hampered progress, and due to fears of superstition and disease, dissecting corpses to study anatomy was prohibited. Moreover, doctors considered surgery below their profession and left this task... to hairdressers. These people were often illiterate and their only qualification was actually working as hairdressers. In theory, they knew how to use scissors and (sometimes) a scalpel.

The only anesthetics available were alcohol or certain herbs such as mandrake, but many hair surgeons did not use even these methods, mistakenly believing that pain would aid the healing process. The few patients who survived the operation were then at significant risk of infection and death over the next few days or weeks.

7. No career growth (and smoothies)



During the Middle Ages, most people lived and worked on farms—historians estimate that about 80% of the population was engaged in farming. However, as cities and towns grew, new job opportunities emerged. Unfortunately, many of these jobs paid poorly, required a lot of time and effort, and were extremely unpleasant.

One of the most popular unusual professions in those days was the work of a leech collector. Doctors had a constant need for leeches, which gave people the opportunity to make a living by collecting these nasty blood-sucking creatures. Catching leeches was quite simple, but nasty - the collectors simply walked into a suitable body of water and waited for the leeches to attach to their bodies.

Another profession that brought in a little more income was felting. Fullers were more common than leech pickers, and they could earn three times more than peasants working in the fields. However, in the work itself everything was far from ideal. The fuller's job was to remove oil, dirt and other contaminants from the wool for future products. The most effective method was to trample the wool with bare feet in a barrel filled with human urine. And this process continued for hours, from dawn to dusk, six days a week.

8. Imposed faith



During the Middle Ages, the Catholic Church had enormous power throughout Europe, as well as great wealth and influence. First, the church was exempt from taxes, and peasants had to pay it a tax of 10% of their earnings. In addition, they were obliged to devote their time and labor to church lands free of charge.

The enormous resources and political power of the church allowed it to permeate almost every aspect of medieval society, making worship essentially compulsory. After all, who would fight an organization that could ruin your life overnight?

As the leader of the church and the earthly representative of God, the pope wielded a level of power equal to, and often greater than, that of most European monarchs. Although popes did not directly command armies, their influence was so significant that they were able to call for crusades against Muslim soldiers in the Holy Lands. The numerous Crusades have gone down in history for their extreme bloodshed, and centuries of such fierce fighting have resulted in the brutal deaths of millions of people. In medieval Europe, the Islamic and Christian worlds were almost completely separated. Most Europeans were devout Catholics—or at least professed to be—but there were also small groups of pagans, Jews, and people who followed other teachings. These religious minorities simply could not speak openly about their faith because they were at risk of persecution and death.

9. Women had a hard time



Life in the Middle Ages was difficult and unfair in many ways - unfortunately, this was especially true for girls and women. They were stuck for centuries in a male-dominated society, which left women with very limited rights. Until they married, they essentially remained the property of their fathers, and after the wedding, this “right to property” passed to their new husbands. If a woman was attacked, raped or murdered, her husband was primarily considered the victim, since he was the one who suffered the loss due to property damage.

Pregnancy and childbirth were also terrible - women usually died in childbirth, and those who survived found themselves at the mercy of fate in an indifferent and cruel world. With all this, women were primarily seen as mothers and nannies, but peasant women still had to work in the fields. Unfortunately, they received much less pay than men, although they did the same work. Then, after work, they still had household chores and childcare to look forward to.

Despite these obstacles, a small number of women have managed to defy expectations and achieve power and influence. In some cases in England, women were given special licenses that allowed them to run their own businesses; they could also inherit wealth under certain circumstances. But such women were a very rare privileged minority - for the vast majority of women in the Middle Ages, life was difficult and joyless.

10. It was much colder then



The history of human civilization goes back about 6,000 years, and during this time people have been lucky enough to experience relatively stable and pleasant temperatures more than once. But not every decade passed equally smoothly. There was a significant drop in average global temperatures around the 1300s, with temperatures dropping by about 1.5 degrees Celsius over several centuries. This may seem like a small thing, but the cold spell lasted a very long time, and in some places (like Europe) it was much worse than in others - northern Europe suffered from the cold for several generations.

This long period of cooling was so significant that climate historians now call it the Little Ice Age. As might be expected, its impact on medieval Europe and other nearby regions was devastating. Rivers and harbors were frozen for months, and due to crop failure, tens of thousands of people died from hunger and cold.

Today, scientists know that the Little Ice Age was caused by a combination of volcanic eruptions and solar activity. However, as we remember, superstition reigned in the Middle Ages, so many people attributed the cold snap to a vengeful God. Others argued that it was the work of magic and evil witches, which only worsened religious persecution during the era, contributing to the spread of witch burnings and mass violence.