Interesting facts about the Middle Ages, facts, and information

Facts and information from the early Middle Ages

• The Middle Ages is one of the three main epochs in European history, preceded by antiquity and followed by modernity. Each epoch is divided into periods.
• The Middle Ages began with the fall of the Roman Empire in the late 4th century and lasted until the 15th century.
• After the fall of the Roman Empire, the vast empire was divided into two parts: the Eastern and Western. The Eastern part, known as Byzantium, continued the tradition of antiquity for centuries. The Western part, however, was taken over by Germanic tribes, which destroyed a large part of the ancient heritage.
• Greek was the language of Byzantium, while Latin prevailed in the western part.
• The word “medieval” comes from the Latin words “media aeva,” meaning Middle Ages, and was assigned to the era by artists and scholars of the Renaissance period (it referred to the time between antiquity and the Renaissance).
• The beginning of the Middle Ages was marked by a decline in the population of Europe and the collapse of great ancient metropolises. Numerous barbarian invasions began, and new states emerged.
• During these transformations, the population of Rome plummeted from almost a million to just 30,000.
• Byzantium faced similar challenges. From the 7th century, Arab invasions began in Africa and the Middle East.
• The beginning of the Middle Ages was a true melting pot of transformations and clashes of various cultures. Germanic tribes, Saracens, Vikings, and numerous eastern peoples fought for the legacy of the fallen empire.
• With the spread of Christianity in conquered territories, monasteries, and churches were established, and the power of the church grew stronger.
• Initially, the Christian church’s authority focused on Byzantine territories. It wasn’t until the beginning of the full Middle Ages that their attention turned to Western Europe, and the sending of missionaries farther east began.
• The High Middle Ages began in the 11th century. Population growth resumed, and the church tightened its grip.

Interesting facts about the Middle Ages and how people lived in medieval Europe

• Contrary to common belief, people in the Middle Ages cared about hygiene in their own way. Historical records indicate the existence of public baths accessible to everyone. The poor and peasants had designated areas by rivers and streams where they washed their bodies. Of course, these places were separate for both genders. The nobility and wealthy citizens also used oils made from flowers, herbs, and aromatic spices.
• However, this doesn’t mean that the Middle Ages were devoid of foul odours. Due to the lack of sewage systems, access to running water, and cleanliness products, the stench in cities was dreadful. One of the papal emissaries wrote about his journey through Europe: “The one thing I cannot forget is the terrible stench, especially in churches, where people gathered in crowds and sweated for hours.”
• Soap made its way to Europe with returning crusaders. From then on, hygiene significantly improved.
• Life under the rule of the medieval church was not easy. Numerous prohibitions and restrictions meant that people in the Middle Ages fasted for almost one-third of the year.
• The feudal system prevailed in the Middle Ages. Peasants were obligated to work for the landowner, receiving a share of the profits in return.
• Watching executions and punishments was a popular form of entertainment in the Middle Ages. Such spectacles were quite common and included hanging, beheading, breaking, or quartering. There were instances where the convict’s body was dragged through the streets of the city to the delight of the crowd.
• Another type of brutal spectacle was the public display of insane and sick individuals. Some of them eventually fell into the hands of executioners, as it was believed that these people had direct or indirect contact with evil forces.
• Medieval medicine, as you might suspect, was in a dismal state. At markets and street stalls, one could buy remedies for everything and ointments that supposedly healed even the worst wounds, although they didn’t work. Relics with purported healing powers also frequently appeared.
• As one might assume, dental diseases and their awful condition were common in the Middle Ages. However, it’s not entirely true. Due to the lack of dentistry, teeth often fall out early, but until a certain age, they could be in better condition than ours today. People at that time cared for their teeth by cleaning them with special brushes. Furthermore, remember that the medieval diet lacked sugar, which we know is the main culprit for decay and cavities.
• Minor medical procedures such as removing an infected finger, pulling a tooth, or cauterizing a wound were performed by the village blacksmith, assisted by herbalists. The latter had to be cautious because the line between a herbalist and a witch was very thin at that time.
• The poorest peasants, even when sick, had to work in the fields every day, and fever, weakness, or old age did not exempt them from this duty.
• Melancholy, a state of mind associated with suffering, was a common affliction in the Middle Ages. Today, we know that these were often symptoms of depression, then called “black thoughts.”
• The tradition of exchanging wealth for care in old age originated in the Middle Ages and remains popular to this day. Usually, the eldest son receives the property in exchange for lifelong care for the parents. The church showed great foresight in this matter and introduced safeguards that established rules for transferring property. People without wealth in old age became beggars.
• Despite the enormous efforts of the church, or perhaps because of them, belief in supernatural powers was immense. People believed in magic, the devil lurking around the corner, and potions for everything, including love, happiness, and fortune.
• Deviant sexual acts with animals were commonplace in medieval villages. This problem became so significant that in the 13th century, the church declared bestiality a sin so grave that it was punishable by castration, live burial, or burning at the stake.

Interesting facts about the Middle Ages and medieval science and technology

No doubt, the Middle Ages earned their reputation as the “Dark Ages” for good reason. It was a time of ignorance and backwardness, especially in rural areas and small towns. Free thought and learning were stifled in their infancy, and non-religious art was marginalized. However, there wasn’t complete stagnation, and many fields of study developed quite dynamically.

Below, you’ll find a few interesting facts about the Middle Ages that you probably don’t know.

• It’s believed that the Spanish Inquisition contributed to the rapid modernization and revolutionismation of the judicial system and investigative methods. This might sound bizarre, considering the atrocities committed by members of the Holy Office. However, it was thanks to them that prisons saw a ban on violence among prisoners, separate cells for women and men, as well as mandatory feeding and basic hygiene for detainees. Many changes also occurred in investigation methods and witness interrogation.
• The first universities were established at cathedrals, so lecturers were primarily clergy, and lecture topics were, of course, approved by the church.
• During the Middle Ages, sciences such as astronomy, mathematics, physics, and medicine flourished. However, the final results of research had to comply with the requirements of the church.
• The oldest medieval university in Europe is the University of Bologna.
• Scientific development in the Middle Ages occurred not only at universities but also among monks. Monasteries were where new methods of farming, food processing, and storage, as well as many other inventions, were developed. Thanks to constant contact between different orders, these innovations spread rapidly throughout Europe.
• Under the supervision and with the help of the church, the first hospitals were established, where monks and nuns worked. Many treatment methods were developed in these institutions, saving lives and improving health.
• Many inventions that originated in the Middle Ages are still in use today, including clocks, eyeglasses, furnaces, and agricultural machinery.
• In my opinion, the greatest achievements of the Middle Ages were the travels of Marco Polo and the development of Gothic architecture.
• Other technologies that developed in the Middle Ages included blacksmithing and metallurgy.
• Many scientists hid their discoveries and inventions that contradicted the church’s teachings. Similarly, artists concealed numerous symbols and veiled messages under the pretext of sacred art.
• Anonymity was a key feature of medieval art, especially initially. Many works from this period do not have a defined creator.
• In addition to traditional art forms such as painting and sculpture, illumination (handwriting and decorating books) and the art of creating complex and intricate stained-glass windows also flourished intensively.

From the above text, one could infer the assumption that the Church in the Middle Ages bore the entire burden of education on its shoulders. Perhaps thanks to it, the dark ages were not as dark, but we do not know how much the world would have developed without the Church. Recently, one of the esteemed physicists stated in an interview that if it were not for the Church’s aversion to science, causing us to lose almost a thousand years of development. Perhaps we would already be inhabiting Mars and other planets.

Interesting facts about the Middle Ages, knights and military development during this period

• Medieval rulers had to use violence to establish and maintain their position. Therefore, it’s not surprising that the medieval world was based on violence and brutality.
• The endless wars and violence led to the rapid military development of European armies. New elements of combat equipment, tactics, and innovative armour began to appear.
• The most significant change was the replacement of the short Roman sword with the long knightly sword.
• Over time, the heavy cavalry, consisting of knights mounted on giant horses clad in steel, became the main force of every army. It was said that whoever had heavier cavalry ruled the world.
• The Crusades against Muslims, organized for over 200 years, significantly contributed to the development of weapons and the art of war. Their goal was to strengthen the church’s power, but also to improve finances and faith itself.
• The Crusades were not only directed against Muslims. Western knights were also sent against pagan tribes such as the Prussians, Lithuanians, and Scandinavians.
• The first crusade set out for the Middle East in 1095, and besides gold and treasures, it brought back new doctrines of warfare.
• A significant invention was the powerful plate armour, which appeared in the 14th century. These were thick steel plates connected by leather and special hinges.
• Full plate armour could weigh over 30 kilograms. Unless it was tournament armour, then its weight could reach up to 60 kilograms. After all, no one wanted to die during a knightly tournament.
• With trained knights came the code of chivalry, which listed the qualities a true knight should embody. It also included principles that a knight should follow. Some of these included courage, courtesy towards women, support, and care for the weak, loyalty to their lord, and unwavering faith in God.
• Before a warrior became a knight, he had to undergo a long journey and learn many things. In many countries, only someone of high birth could become a knight. He should begin learning knighthood at a very young age and serve other warriors as a squire. He had to know how to behave in every situation, both in conflict with other squires and during official meetings with those better than him. Moreover, many hours each day the future knight had to spend on learning to fight with every possible weapon.
• When a knight felt that his squire had shown skills and courage, he could dub him a knight. The young man would then receive spurs and a sword belt.
• Although movies and novels present us with images of huge, epic medieval battles, such events were not common at all. On the contrary, each side tried to avoid confrontation at all costs. Training a knight took years, as did training squires, infantrymen, archers, or horses. The loss of such wealth could determine the fate of an entire country. Therefore, one side of the conflict often locked itself in a castle, while the other sought ways to breach it. Most of these disputes were eventually resolved through negotiation and compromise. Of course, when it came to battle, they were exactly as you’ve seen on TV, brutal and bloody.
• Historical sources recounting the struggles of knights or even entire armies are just interesting facts about the Middle Ages, as they are actually embellished legends and tales written by the victors.

End of the Middle Ages

• The endpoint marking the end of the medieval era is typically considered to be Martin Luther’s appearance in 1517. Others believe that the Middle Ages ended with Gutenberg’s invention of the printing press, the fall of Constantinople to the Turks, or even the discovery of America by Christopher Columbus.
• The Enlightenment replaced the Middle Ages.
• The end of the Middle Ages was marked by the collapse of the feudal social structure, exacerbated by the great plague epidemic. A significant portion of the population, and even entire cities, perished during this time. It is estimated that one-third of Europeans died during the Black Death.
• Thanks to recent inventions such as firearms, the rules of warfare changed. This contributed to the decline of the noble knightly class. For trained marksmen, a knight charging on horseback was like a sitting duck and added no value to the skirmish.
• The power of the church was shaken as the epidemic claimed both secular city dwellers and clergy. When people lost trust in the church, the strongest social bonds broke.
• With the relaxation of bans and old laws, cities, trade, and the economy began to flourish. Cities prospered due to thriving craftsmanship. Secular universities emerged, laying the foundations for sciences that were previously prohibited. Merchants and traders amassed fortunes even greater than those of the nobility. All of this led to irreversible changes throughout Europe.

Other less known curiosities about the Middle Ages

• The most bizarre law in the Middle Ages was the sentencing of the body of a person who committed suicide to death. The corpse of the suicide victim was hanged, quartered, or torn apart in front of spectators, and ultimately burned at the stake.
• There were also trials of animals. There are cases described of a trial over a horse that kicked and killed a townsman. The poor animal was sentenced to death by hanging.
• In the Middle Ages, nobles, or townsfolk, engaged in lending money at exorbitant interest rates. Failure to repay the debt meant the debtor would lose everything, including their head.
• Those caught masturbating were sentenced to years of fasting.
• Absence from church meant public flogging and humiliation in front of neighbours.
• On the orders of Pope John I in 525 AD, the calendar was changed. From then on, years were counted from the birth of Jesus, rather than from the founding of Rome.
• Contrary to popular belief, the most fervent witch hunts did not occur in the Middle Ages. The worst time for those accused of witchcraft was from the 15th to the 17th century.
• The Church recognized marriage as a sacrament only in 1164. Before that date, people simply promised each other fidelity, usually in the presence of family.
• Islam emerged at the beginning of the Middle Ages.
• In the Middle Ages, the average lifespan was 33 years.
• During the medieval period, while Europe was engulfed in darkness and superstition, Muslims were advancing in medicine, astronomy, and many other sciences, achievements that Europe would not reach for centuries.
• Science flourished outside medieval Europe. The aforementioned Muslims were thriving, as were the Chinese. They invented gunpowder, for example, as early as the 9th century, centuries before it appeared in Europe.
• The Middle Ages were a period of lawlessness. Bandits and dishonourable knights roamed the roads between cities.
• The largest battle of the Middle Ages was the Battle of Grunwald. According to estimates and records, over fifty thousand soldiers fought on the fields.
• Facts about the Middle Ages are just a part of our trivia section covering various topics.