Top 10 Myths About The Middle Ages.pdf

8/10/2019 Top 10 Myths About The Middle Ages.pdf

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Top 10 Myths About The Middle Ages

The Middle Ages spanned roughly from the 5th century to the 16th century - a total of 1,100 years.

During the time following the Middle Ages which is often referred to as the !nlightenment", thepre#ious millennium was critici$ed and condemned - %ust as we now condemn the actions of some

during the &ictorian 'eriod se(ual prudishness for e(ample". Many of the writers of the newly

in#ented 'rotestant mo#ement harshly attac)ed the Middle Ages *ecause of its +atholicity.

nfortunately many of the myths and misconceptions that sprung up at the time are still *elie#ed

today. This list aims to set things straight.

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Death Penalty

Myth:The death penalty was common in the Middle Ages

Despite what many people *elie#e, the Middle Ages ga#e *irth to the %ury system and trials were in

fact #ery fair. The death penalty was considered to *e e(tremely se#ere and was used only in the

worst cases of crimes li)e murder, treason, and arson. t was not until the Middle Ages *egan to

draw to a close that people li)e !li$a*eth *egan to use the death penalty as a means to rid their

nations of religious opponents. 'u*lic *eheadings were not as we see in the mo#ies - they were

gi#en only to the rich, and were usually not performed in pu*lic. The most common method of

e(ecution was hanging - and *urning was e(tremely rare and usually performed after the criminal

had *een hanged to death first".

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Locked Bibles
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Myth:i*les were loc)ed away to )eep the people from seeing the /true word

During the Middle Ages until uten*erg came along" all *oo)s had to *e written *y hand. This was

a painsta)ing tas) which too) many months - particularly with a *oo) as large as the i*le. The %o*

of hand-printing *oo)s was left to mon)s tuc)ed away in monasteries. These *oo)s were incredi*ly

#alua*le and they were needed in e#ery +hurch as the i*le was read aloud at Mass e#ery day. n

order to protect these #alua*le *oo)s, they would *e loc)ed away. There was no conspiracy to )eep

the i*le from the people - the loc)s meant that the +hurch could guarantee that the people could

hear the i*le many wouldn2t ha#e *een a*le to read" e#ery day. And %ust to show that it wasn2t

%ust the +atholic +hurch that loc)ed up the i*les for safety, the most famous /chained *i*le is the

/reat i*le which 3enry & had created and ordered to *e read in the protestant churches. 4ou

can read more a*out that here.The +atholic diocese of incoln ma)es a comment on the practicehere.

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Starving Poor

Myth:The poor were )ept in a state of near star#ation

This is completely false. 'easants those who wor)ed in manual wor)" would ha#e had fresh

porridge and *read daily - with *eer to drin). n addition, each day would ha#e an assortment of

dried or cured meats, cheeses, and fruits and #egeta*les from their area. 'oultry, chic)en, duc)s,pigeons, and geese were not uncommon on the peasants dinner ta*le. ome peasants also li)ed to

)eep *ees, to pro#ide honey for their ta*les. i#en the choice *etween McDonalds and Medie#al
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Biblehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Biblehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Biblehttp://www.dioceseoflincoln.org/purple/bible/bible2.htmhttp://www.redditmirror.cc/cache/websites/listverse.com_7pwdd/listverse.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/medieval-feast01.jpghttp://www.redditmirror.cc/cache/websites/listverse.com_7pwdd/listverse.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/2942325-5dd8c96144.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Biblehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Biblehttp://www.dioceseoflincoln.org/purple/bible/bible2.htm


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peasant food, suspect the peasant food would *e more nutritious and tasty. The rich of the time had

a great choice of meats - such as cattle, and sheep. They would eat more courses for each meal than

the poor, and would pro*a*ly ha#e had a num*er of spiced dishes - something the poor could not

afford.7i)ipedia has an interesting article herewhich descri*es the mostly #egeta*le and grain diet

of the peasants in the early Middle Ages, leading to more meat in the later period.

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Thatched oo!s

Myth:'easants had thatched roofs with animals li#ing in them

8irst of all, the thatched roofs of Medie#al dwellings were wo#en into a tight mat - they were not

%ust *undles of straw and stic)s thrown on top of the house. Animals would not easily ha#e *eena*le to get inside the roof - and considering how concerned the a#erage Middle Ager was, if an

animal did get inside, they would *e promptly remo#ed - %ust as we remo#e *irds or other small

creatures that enter our homes today. And for the record, thatched roofs were not %ust for the poor -

many castles and grander homes had them as well - *ecause they wor)ed so well. There are many

homes in !nglish #illages today that still ha#e thatched roofs.

"

S#elly Peo$le
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Myth:'eople didn2t *athe in the Middle Ages, therefore they smelled *ad

9ot only is this a total myth, it is so widely *elie#ed that it has gi#en rise to a whole other series of

myths, such as the false *elief that +hurch incense was designed to hide the stin) of so many people

in one place. n fact, the incense was part of the +hurch2s rituals due to its history coming from the

:ewish religion which also used incense in its sacrifices. This myth has also lead to the strange idea

that people usually married in May or :une *ecause they didn2t stin) so *adly - ha#ing had their

yearly *ath. t is, of course, utter ru**ish. 'eople married in those months *ecause marriage was not

allowed during ent the season of penance". o, *ac) to smelly people. n the Middle Ages, mosttowns had *athhouses - in fact, cleanliness and hygiene was #ery highly regarded - so much so that

*athing was incorporated into #arious ceremonies such as those surrounding )nighthood. ome

people *athed daily, others less regularly - *ut most people *athed. 8urthermore, they used hot

water - they %ust had to heat it up themsel#es, unli)e us with our modern plum*ed hot water. The

8rench put it *est in the following atin statement; &enari, ludere, la#ari, *i*ere< 3oc est #i#ere=

To hunt, to play, to wash, to drin), - This is to li#e="

:ust paying the *ills>

%

Peasant Li!e
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Myth:'easants li#ed a life of drudgery and *ac)-*rea)ing wor)n fact, while peasants in the Middle Ages did wor) hard tilling the fields was the only way to

ensure you could eat", they had regular festi#als religious and secular" which in#ol#ed dancing,

drin)ing, games, and tournaments. Many of the games from the time are still played today; chess,

chec)ers, dice, *lind man2s *luff, and many more. t may not seem as fun as the latest game for the

7ii, *ut it was a great opportunity to en%oy the especially warm weather that was caused *y the

Medie#al 7arming 'eriod.

&

'iolence (very)here

Myth:The Middle Ages were a time of great #iolence

7hile there was #iolence in the Middle Ages %ust as there had always *een", there were no e?uals

to our modern talin, 3itler, and Mao. Most people li#ed their li#es without e(periencing #iolence.

The n?uisition was not the #iolent *loodlust that many mo#ies and *oo)s ha#e claimed it to *e, and

most modern historians now admit this readily. Modern times ha#e seen genocide, mass murder,

and serial )illing - something #irtually unheard of *efore the /enlightenment. n fact, there arereally only two serial )illers of note from the Middle Ages; !li$a*eth athory,andilles de @ais.

8or those who dispute the fact that the n?uisition resulted in #ery few deaths, 7i)ipedia has the

statistics hereshowing that there were at most" B6 recorded e(ecutions o#er a 160 year period -
http://listverse.com/crime/top-10-most-evil-women/http://listverse.com/crime/top-10-most-evil-women/http://listverse.com/crime/top-10-evil-serial-killers/http://listverse.com/crime/top-10-evil-serial-killers/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_Inquisition#Death_tollshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_Inquisition#Death_tollshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_Inquisition#Death_tollshttp://www.redditmirror.cc/cache/websites/listverse.com_7pwdd/listverse.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/tax-of-violence-jr.jpghttp://www.redditmirror.cc/cache/websites/listverse.com_7pwdd/listverse.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/medieval-lists.jpghttp://listverse.com/crime/top-10-most-evil-women/http://listverse.com/crime/top-10-evil-serial-killers/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_Inquisition#Death_tollshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_Inquisition#Death_tolls


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from C5,000 trials=

*

+$$ressed ,o#en

Myth:7omen were oppressed in the Middle Ages

n the 160s and 1E0s, the idea that women were oppressed in the Middle Ages flourished. n fact,

all we need to do is thin) of a few significant women from the period to see that that is not true at

all; t :oan of Arc was a young woman who was gi#en full control of the 8rench army= 3erdownfall was political and would ha#e occurred whether she were male or female. 3ildegard #on

ingen was a polymath in the Middle Ages who was held in such high esteem that Fings, 'opes,

and ords all sought her ad#ice. 3er music and writing e(ists to this day. !li$a*eth ruled as a

powerful ?ueen in her own right, and many other nations had women leaders. ranted women did

not wor) on +athedrals *ut they certainly pulled their weight in the fields and #illages.

8urthermore, the rules of chi#alry meant that women had to *e treated with the greatest of dignity.

The *iggest difference *etween the concept of feminism in the Middle Ages and now is that in the

Middle Ages it was *elie#ed that women were /e?ual in dignity, different in function - now the

concept has *een modified to /e?ual in dignity and function.

-

.lat (arth
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Myth:'eople in the Middle Ages *elie#ed the earth was flat

8urthermore, people did not *elie#e the !arth was the center of the uni#erse - the famous mon)

+opernicus dealt a death *low to that idea without *eing punished" well *efore alileo was tried

for heresy for claiming that it pro#ed the i*le was wrong. Two modern historians recently

pu*lished a *oo) in which they say; /there was scarcely a +hristian scholar of the Middle Ages who

did not ac)nowledge G!arth2sH sphericity and e#en )now its appro(imate circumference.

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/rde and gnorant

Myth:'eople of the Middle Ages were crude and ignorant

Than)s largely to 3ollywood mo#ies, many people *elie#e that the Middle Ages were full of

religious superstition and ignorance. ut in fact, leading historians deny that there is any e#idenceof this. cience and philosophy *lossomed at the time - partly due to the introduction of

ni#ersities all o#er !urope. The Middle ages produced some of the greatest art, music, and
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literature in all history. oethius, occaccio, Dante, 'etrarch, and Machia#elli are still re#ered

today for their *rilliant minds. The cathedrals and castles of !urope are still standing and contain

some of the most *eautiful artwor) and stonewor) man has *een a*le to create with his *are hands.

Medicine at the time was primiti#e, *ut it was structured and willing to em*race new ideas when

they arose which is how we ha#e modern medicine".

+ontri*utor; :8rater

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Top 10 Myths About The Middle Ages.pdf