Medieval castles often relied on gravity for waste disposal. One of these notoriously unpleasant medieval jobs was that of a gong farmer. But not all castle-related jobs were so pleasing. These sound like normal and acceptable jobs, and they most often were. These were millers, bakers, blacksmiths and butchers, farmers, and cooks. Outside of a castle a village usually arose - most often filled with artisans whose skills where needed for the proper functioning of the castle. This was clearly done for strategic reasons. In return, a Lord had to swear his obedience to a king, and provide military aid at any given time.Ī castle was often built on a rocky promontory or a hill. Lords held titles and lands and gathered taxes from the villages that were on those lands. Castles varied in size and were almost always the seats of regional Lords. A castle required a lot of work and care. The main centers of habitation in the Middle Ages were castles. This lack of hygiene reflected on the citizens and was also one of the main reasons for the rapid spread of the Bubonic Plague in the mid-1300s.īut cities were few and far between. Animal carcasses often remain in open sight - untouched. Many contemporary sources go into detail about the conditions of life in such a city - rats run in plain sight, and stray dogs are aplenty. ( Public Domain ) Life in medieval Europe was especially unpleasant for people living in urban areas.Īrchaic building methods made the districts prone to fires, and the lack of sewers meant that sewage ran through the streets. The imprisonment of Charles, Duke of Orléans, in the Tower of London from a 15th-century manuscript. ![]() A combination of rapid urban growth and lack of suitable space led to overcrowding and the spread of sickness. London was notorious for its lack of hygiene and its dismal conditions. The number of its citizens steadily rose through the centuries, and around the year 1300, it numbered well over 100,000 people. ![]() One excellent example of this is London through the Middle Ages. But urban life was never great for the common folk. In the years 1300 AD, Paris numbered around 150,000 citizens, while Venice had around 120,000. For example in the year 500 AD, Constantinople numbered between 400,000 and 500,000 inhabitants - unheard of for the time. Constantinople, Paris, Venice, London, Dublin - for the time these were considered densely populated and major metropolitan centers of the Middle Ages. To begin our story, we shall focus on the life in major urban centers of the medieval world. Sure, in time the hand of their sovereign did reach these villages, but it was still a better way of life than in the town. ![]() Such lives were undisturbed by the discomforts of life in the urban regions or castle villages. Game of Thrones Creates a Romantic and Grotesque Pseudo-Medieval World, Revealing Modern Perceptions of the PastĪrchaic pastoral societies of the mountains, such as the ones found in the Alps, the Pyrenees, or the Carpathians, would rely on their age-old traditions and the way of life that they maintained for many generations.Advances in Medieval Knight Armor Could Not Match Weapon Technology!. ![]() But the lives of those who remained at their ancestral hearths, in far mountainous regions and remote villages were certainly very different. It can be agreed, however, that life in medieval European capitals and major towns was far from good - at least by some modern notion of comfort. Europe is big - and different regions and societies lived in different ways. Some people say that it was not as bad as we think, but the full answer is not so simple. But how was life for the denizens of medieval societies during this long period? In some places it declined sooner, others later, but in general it began giving way to the Renaissance period and the famed Age of Discovery around the 15th century, as lifestyle began to drastically advance all around Europe. It is widely agreed that the Middle Ages in Europe lasted roughly from the 5th century to the 15th century AD. So now we go back in time to those illustrious Middle Ages and dig deep into the lives of those that came before us. It is time to finally approach this subject from a realistic point of view - no embellishment, no escaping the true facts. In our latest article we are going in depth to uncover all the little details that made up the lives of all classes of medieval society: from lords to peasants, soldiers to courtiers. But was it truly so dark? Is there more to it, or are we mistaken? When we think about the life in medieval Europe, we tend to conjure up grim and dismal images of war, poverty, sickness, and the Dark Ages.
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