6 myths about the Middle Ages that everyone believes - Stephanie Honchell Smith

Explore the 6 most common misconceptions about the Middle Ages, and find out what living in medieval times was actually like.
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Medieval Europe. Where unbathed, sword-wielding knights ate rotten meat, thought the Earth was flat, defended chastity-belt wearing maidens, and tortured their foes with grisly gadgets. Except… this is more fiction than fact. So, where do all the myths about the Middle Ages come from? And what were they actually like? Stephanie Honchell Smith debunks common misconceptions about the time period.
Lesson by Stephanie Honchell Smith, directed by Avi Ofer.
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View full lesson: ed.ted.com/lessons/6-myths-ab...
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Animator's website: aviofer.com
Music: www.wonderboyaudio.com
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[@dakaarys8424]

As someone who grew up in the middle ages, I find this video highly accurate and liberating.

[@HughJass-jv2lt]

🤣🤣

[@casso_4974]

These newer generations don’t understand the struggles we had

[@archerseo]

Finally someone who gets it! On my many pillagings of villages I met many nice and mostly normal people. Good times.

[@tailsntales1265]

@@archerseo yeah! And now all they do is spend their time laughing at those dang memes

[@CodTheBoyz]

You from Bosnia?

[@satviksajan8805]

The animator deserves a raise. If history lessons were shown like this, I would probably get much better marks.

[@user-10021]

It really reminds me of the redbull ads :D

[@MrsJudithWright]

Script also great.

[@littledudefromacrossthestr5755]

@@user-10021 now that u mention it lol

[@littledudefromacrossthestr5755]

@@user-10021 now that u mention it lol

[@augustinesim1672]

marks? Do you mean grades?

[@LeoAngora]

Imagine if our modern records get lost and future historians rescue some fragments to understand our era. Imagine those fragments random posts in social media and satire pages.

[@dinohall2595]

This speculation is a running joke in the comments on The Onion lol.

[@orangebeagle3068]

They would probably say that a major controversy of our era was also the shape of the Earth.

[@writwits5826]

the entire world was suspicious as red people with giant knives and giant mouths filled with teeth were AMONG US, unfairly categorised as "impostors" and thrown into space!

[@micahbush5397]

They would probably be struck with the sheer amount of time people wasted taking selfies and posting pictures of their meals. It's sort of like how, for some ancient languages, the overwhelming majority of what we have to work with are receipts that don't tell us much.

[@senny-]

@@writwits5826 Records show that ancient people refer to this as "the imposter is sus", which was most likely an encantation ritual.

[@toshi7573]

I love this Ted Ed animation. It’s like the *Red Bull Gives you Wings* commercial 😂

[@smallspace7]

Thank you that's why they seem familiar

[@thenaiam]

I was thinking the same thing!

[@Rihtainshtain]

😂👍

[@fallenkingdom-zd8xh]

Ted Ed gives you knowledgeeeeee.

[@MickThalisapaidshill]

Earth is flat. See Eric Dubay.

[@Lordblow1]

Only thing that is missing is that the original origine of the title 'Dark Age' referred primarily to its lack of direct written sources. It was a dark age just because it was hard to figure out what actually happened in it, in particular when compared to the ruins of the classical era that exist even to this day.

[@yakb.7690]

medieval ruins are everywhere in europe. In some cities there is houses that date back nearly that far. There is also lots and lots of documents that survived.

[@Lordblow1]

@@yakb.7690 Yes though to people from the renaissance era those were often relatively recently built. At least to my knowledge the majority medieval structures and text that have survived are from the late or high medieval periods over the early medieval. To those of the times I was referring to those text and structures might seem too recent to them to be part of the dark ages they describe.

[@yakb.7690]

@@Lordblow1 there is lots of fortresses and structures from the early middle ages all over europe too. In fact a lot of castles were just extensions of earlier fortifications so the ones we see today are both early and late middle ages. The high middles ages/renaissance saw the introduction of the printing press which drastically increased the amount of text material outhere and generally the further back you go the less material we have. Its not suprising you find more from 1500 than 500. The dark ages thing was mostly due to a shift in culture- "we now see ourselves as enlightened and declare the past as dark ages" thats always been the case. People in the 19th century though they were the most civilised ever but for todays people its a dark period without hygiene and safety standards

[@Lordblow1]

@@yakb.7690 fair enough

[@knightshade2654]

If I recall correctly, the dark ages only lasted from the sixth century through the ninth or tenth century, which began the Viking invasions.

[@drumchris92]

As a historian there‘s a simple fact I always refer to when talking about any time in history: people were the same as we are today. Their world and thinking may have been completely different but they certainly wanted to eat good food, be clean and smell good, make a living without too much effort and simply have a nice time. Teenagers probably snuck away an met in secret just as they do today, grown ups cared for their loved ones, had worries and were annoyed about their coworkers/neighbors, etc. while old people were just as wise an stubborn as they are today. I simply don‘t get why people always think that their medieval ancestors were some kind of savages. They survived in a time with many wars, no modern medicine or mechanical help. Honestly, people today are in no way better or smarter, maybe even less capable than the people in the middle ages. Can you make a fire with a flintstone or grow your own food? Glad I found this great video :)

[@sp00k48]

I am just curious, could you elaborate further on “as a historian”?

[@heynicolettox]

This!

[@gradientO]

Wait, Dark Souls isn't true?

[@altadasaiaditya4398]

Always has been

[@alomaralsulaiman6501]

I wouldn't be surprised if this is an actual comment.

[@thesharinganknight9859]

2k likes inbound

[@washada]

You don’t get i-frames when you roll?

[@seermayton-el3488]

Of course not! Elden Ring is the true one!

[@wjzav1971]

Most important to remember: This covers an over 1000 year period. Think about how our world changed over the last 50 years. Things like gruesome torture, bad hygiene or superstition might have existed at certain places at certain times in the Middle Ages but it wasn't always the norm.

[@histori6259]

And Europe is a massive land mass that was less connected then than it is today! You cannot expect an Englishman in the 900s to act like a Greek in 1200s!

[@gimpytheimp]

Well from the dawn of humanity up to the automobile, the most common way for your average person to get around was by foot or horse. That's a long time for no change. Even the idea that Europe was more ethnically diverse is questionable because of that. It would be a very special occasion for someone coming from thousands of miles away to spend a month or so travelling.

[@truesosense7722]

@@gimpytheimp until the invention and the popularization of steam powered trains in the 19th century*

[@frequentlycynical642]

Also huge differences in lifestyles between the upper classes and the serfs. Huge.

[@tonyatthebeach]

Bad hygiene isn't exclusive to the middle ages...believe me!

[@its_dey_mate]

THANK YOU! Many channels have tried to explain the misconceptions, but this may be the largest I have seen, with the ability to teach this to a wide audience. Medieval people knew the Earth was round, we knew even in the Antiquity, this knowledge wasn't lost, just some believers had the wrong idea. Medieval people loved to bathe, it was a cherished and enjoyable event, this was common for both rich and poor (although fancier in the former). Medieval people were just as smart as we are now, they just *knew less* .

[@SilverPh3nix]

You misspelled medieval all 3 times

[@catdogmousecheese]

You really should read this book, "Barbarians to Angels: The Dark Ages Reconsidered". I had to read it for my history class in high school and it's all about how the "dark ages" weren't as dark as people believe them to be.

[@Blaqjaqshellaq]

"Prima nocte" is also something of a myth. (It was more a pagan thing...)

[@its_dey_mate]

@@SilverPh3nix Damn that's tough lol.

[@joshsaundh4851]

@@Blaqjaqshellaq 😷😷

[@seanpoore2428]

Overall, solid. the one thing i take issue with here is the "knights played minimal roles in medieval warfare". They were a numerical minority compared to other types of soldiers yes, but they were the military commanders, the most professional experienced and well equipped soldiers, often impacted battles during key decisive moments with heavy cavalry charges, often provided the logistics, were sometimes the Reason for a war(feuds, rebellions, needed money, etc) and depending on the era/setting could make up larger or smaller percentages of the present military forces. Also the knightly charge was something that Most medieval armies struggled against. If you didnt have disciplined pikemen who could hold their ground, or well trained archers/crossbowmen, (or something like Hussite war wagons) then your only real hope was to throw your own knights at them and hope for the best

[@RealUlrichLeland]

Knights and the nobility were also much more likely to go on distant expensive campaigns like the crusades compared to ordinary foot soldiers.

[@skipumpthajizzgod]

Lmao this is directly before the narrator calls stories about knights saving princesses “romanticized visions of a white Christian Europe” they aren’t trying to be intellectually honest here

[@sirdrchefwangiii1841]

Was it solid other than the torture was anyone really talking about any of these?

[@joeytheredkangaroo9393]

@@skipumpthajizzgod You think knights are not romanticized ?

[@Half_Finis]

​@@skipumpthajizzgodyea I reacted strongly to that aswell, I'll accept Anatolia being not white Christian but they generalized too much

[@maxchronos4567]

I really love how Ted-Ed uses Animation. I love it.

[@LOL_MANN]

How would you otherwise show it lol

[@525Lines]

Cartoons and knowledge. I love it.

[@victor-oh]

This one feels like it could give you wings

[@joshsaundh4851]

@@525Lines hey what should I do because my dad brought drugs today and I am scared that my dad might do something bad to my family

[@joshsaundh4851]

@@victor-oh hey can you please help me my dad brought drugs today and I am scared because I do not know what will happen if my dad takes the drugs my dad might do something bad to my family

[@Eiramilah]

I read the book City of Lights. It was the chronicles of a Jewish merchant from Italy headed to China in the 1200's. He carefully details sophisticated accounting and business practices, along with the goods and city policies of each stop he made. When he described the city of lights in China he may as well have been describing New York City. It showed very rich cultures both in Europe and abroad.

[@civilengineer3349]

Whose the author? I want to read it

[@lorenzosaracino9912]

@@civilengineer3349 same

[@Gregory_Swan]

@@civilengineer3349 Jacob of Ancona

[@Gregory_Swan]

@@lorenzosaracino9912 Jacob of Ancona

[@lorenzosaracino9912]

@@Gregory_Swan thank you kind man

[@WG55]

While there is a lot of truth here, one should be careful not to overcorrect for past misconceptions. For example, the statement at 3:57 that "knights played minimal roles in medieval warfare." Heavy cavalry in the Early and High Middle Ages ruled the battlefield, but they lost importance in the Late Middle Ages.

[@civilengineer3349]

I would go as far as saying that heavy cavalry played a great role in the Late Middle Ages. For example, in the Battle of Patay where heavy cavalry beat foot men and the Battle of Agincourt, whereat footmen beat heavy cavalry. Heavy cavalry played a big role in the Reconquista. The Turks had great cavalry, which Vlad the Impaler of Wallachia copied and used against his former Turkish masters in a night raid of their camp. Then there was the Wars of the Cimbrian League in Italia whereat every side had pikemen, axmen, bowmen, and most of all; Knights

[@e.matthews]

Also so many depictions without colour, as if they had no access to dyes or paint. Medieval Europeans also enjoyed colour, of course they tried to include flourishes, accents, and flowers in their lives.

[@micahbush5397]

Wait, so color wasn't invented in the early 20th century? But we have video evidence!

[@breakerdawn8429]

Yes don't forget knights in shining armour were also very colorful and usually made up of colours of tye crest of the Lord they're serving. Distinct colours also helps commanders to manage the troops easily during warfare without confusing it with the enemies.

[@micahbush5397]

@@breakerdawn8429 Not to mention that for most of the Middle Ages, the chief armor was chainmail, which is not particularly shiny.

[@civilengineer3349]

Chain maille is shiny if polished

[@user-sf4io3tp8l]

tabards were used over chain mail often@@micahbush5397

[@micahbush5397]

Part of the issue with the "Middle Ages" is that it assumes that Rome "fell"; in reality, the Roman Empire in the east remained strong and held on for about another thousand years, while the western empire frayed and deteriorated over a long period into a patchwork of Germanic kingdoms that, in theory, owed fealty to the Roman Empire, but were autonomous in practice. Then too, Europeans imagined the Holy Roman Emperors to be the successors of Augustus rather than a distinct set of rulers, despite the cultural, political, and geographic differences between the Classical empire and the medieval confederation.

[@guifdcanalli]

ironically the entirety of the middle ages are defined by rome the middle ages started with the fall of western rome while it ended with the fall of eastern rome

[@Person-ef4xj]

As I understand it the ancient romans considered anyone who wasn't greek or roman to be a barbarian, while the modern idea of barbarian is someone who is primitive and uncivilized. I wonder if this could also have anything to do with the idea of the west becoming more primitive. I could imagine people mistaking the Germanic Kingdoms being called "barbarians" as in neither greek nor roman for "barbarians" as in primitive.

[@julianfejzo4829]

​​@@guifdcanalli Well in many places the end of the middle ages is defined by the discovery of the Americas by Columbus rather than the fall of East Rome, some even by the start of the Protestant Reformation

[@joshsaundh4851]

@@Person-ef4xj hey what should I do please I need your help my dad brought drugs today and I do not know if my dad takes the drugs I do not know what my dad will do to my family and I am scared 😟

[@pustota7254]

@@joshsaundh4851 what this has to do with anything

[@--Paws--]

Can't imagine how people would think of how society is like now by those who live in the distant future. Generational divide is always causing myths of how the previous generation is better than the new one.

[@Cellardoor_]

A lot of people still have a medieval mindset and medieval beliefs lol. Not hard to imagine when they're still here.

[@jeffreygao3956]

Hence, I don’t believe a word of paranoia.

[@Mansory811]

@@Cellardoor_ whats so bad about having some part of a mindset of the medieval? you just saw yourself that medievil was described much more negative as it actually was. Whats so bad about wanting chivalry and purity ?

[@EzraB123]

It's interesting to think that people 1,000 years from now will have videos, films, social media profiles, etc. All from this period. Which will no doubt contribute to a much greater, more intimate understanding of the past. "Internet history" might even become a new academic discipline. Logging and researching the tech footprint of past humans, pop culture, language, etc.

[@WilliamParkerer]

They will have much less myths about history for sure. Everything is being recorded nowadays. This comment section, for example, will go down in historical archives. Hello future generations!

[@timo191]

I disagree with your assertion that knights played no part in Medieval warfare. Romanticized in later years for sure, but heavy cavalry charges were quite important in battles.

[@VagueCastle649]

As every pole would tell you. Heavy cavalry was very important.

[@perfectstorm8204]

Would you need to be a knight to be considered part of heavy cavalry?

[@johnhodson9464]

The late Terry Jones of Monty Python made several interesting documentaries on this period. I always remember the point he made that if they were so backwards, how did they build such marvellous cathedrals?

[@adrianblake8876]

In the modern age, with our highly sophisticated technology, it took more than a century to build one cathedral...

[@elligilberg1564]

I love those documentaries!

[@ZemplinTemplar]

Medieval Lives was a great documentary series. I urge everyone to watch it with an open mind and carefully.

[@sommmeguy]

I miss Jones. Such a creative and interesting guy. I loved his medieval documentaries.

[@jessewheatley6880]

whoever they got to animate that cloak of invisibility absolutly nailed it

[@FarnesV]

Should've said how the church founded most of the science and universities

[@joshd3502]

You have to wonder why such an important fact was left out

[@afaris88]

What I like about this channel is how they explain things in around 5 minutes. Neither too long, nor too short, but just enough to provide important informations. Also, the animations never disappoint.

[@tau9956]

Man idk how some people can’t find history interesting

[@justsomeguywitharedmoustac8677]

History is. Studying it is not.

[@tau9956]

Yes that is what I meant. Studying it can get really boring

[@micahbush5397]

Because it's often been reduced to lists of names and dates, rather than a study of how people actually lived.

[@DellConagher1]

​@@tau9956 so you understand it now right?

[@BrianMcInnis87]

I have never in my life heard it said that medieval folks habitually ate rotten meat. Which stands to reason, given that rotten meat makes people sick and they would've instantly learned not to eat it.

[@adrianblake8876]

The way I heard it is that certain cultures spice their food because spices kill bacteria, and, well, there's no other alternative without refrigeration. Then again, it describes modern cuisine, and the spicy foods come from southeast asia, not europe...

[@bennytea7215]

​@@adrianblake8876 I heard it was to disguise the salty taste of meat, given it was often salted for preservation

[@shubhamgarg09]

Thank You Ted Ed for your entertaining informational Videos It not only makes me knowledgeable but WISE too

[@3minuteRead]

As human we came so far and this journey still on, that's the beauty ❤️🙏

[@coinderoux]

No way im also a human

[@lucaswarehernandez7139]

I am a tree 🌳

[@3minuteRead]

@@lucaswarehernandez7139 haha yes, i saw your pfp indeed you are wise wisdom tree :)

[@wv8d]

3:50 "isolated white christian societies" so all of europe?

[@RuthvenMurgatroyd]

They weren't isolated and trade from diverse places existed but they were 99+% White and Christianity was the rule with some Jews (arguably not white but by this time probably decently mixed) and pagans.

[@MrsJudithWright]

Fascinating topic. Misinformation is timeless. All the more reason to value TED Ed and their great lessons.

[@bellezavudd]

" Misinformation is timeless " A quote to mark the last 100, no 2000, or no probably 10,000 years. Thankfully we do have SOME real infomation to counterbalance.

[@mrnice1976]

.... unless it spreads misinformation of its own.

[@nanaten3]

Misinformation is timeless, yes, this video may as well be misinformation

[@loods2215]

Wow, videos so short rarely do this extremely fascinating period of history enough justice, but yours exceeded any expectations Great job!

[@Rpd4716]

This is the real problem that's lacking with the middle ages. People don't make enough justice towards it and don't understand what it's all about. Even the thought that it deserves a lot of it is impossible to find from anywhere. It's just taken as something meaningless and somewhat ordinary and nothing else, and that's not right.

[@travis5732]

About time! Great video. It's actually ridiculous how people think everyone was basically a caveman until all of the sudden, a handful of brilliant minds invented today's world. Obviously that's not possible. The brilliant minds that changed the world after the Renaissance are the result of centuries improvements in logical thinking, math and methods to investigate and learn. Of course, the invention of the printer changed everything, but without books to print that would've been meaningless.

[@StellaMariaGiulia]

- With a diet relatively poor in refined sugar they had fewer problems with cavities than we do. - While not having any rights on paper, women could live a much more independent life than the Renaissance or Counter-Reformation - Their relationship with religion wasn't all doom-and-gloom-we are born to die as people think. Death was a part of life, and most people didn't spend their life atoning their sins to enter paradise. The concept of *purgatory* was born medieval times. If you can understand Italian look for any of Alessandro Barbero's lessons on medieval history, it's an eye opener and a lot of fun!

[@Ikajo]

I think a lot of people also misunderstand the idea of purgatory. It was the idea of a place where you are purged of your sins. It wasn't the end of the journey. Most of what is depicted about purgatory comes directly from Greek and Roman mythology anyway. Just with an end date instead of eternal damnation.

[@samueleandriolo4517]

The only mistake is that knight didn't play a "minimal role" in warfare, but all in all great video, maybe it will change some people's minds

[@StudleyDuderight]

Knights actually had a huge role in medieval warfare as cavalry.

[@jtmartin1170]

Only thing I found somewhat inaccurate was that “Knights played a minimal role in medieval warfare”. The concept of kingdoms having a corps of elite cavalry made up of the nobility dates back to Ancient Egypt. Knights were commanders and shock cavalry; compared to navy SEALs today. Trained from birth to be the best possible warrior they can be, and often the tide of the battle, if not entire campaigns rested on the effectiveness of an army’s Knights. Yes, armies were mostly made up of peasant militia and men-at arms, but those armies were often funded, trained, equipped and led by the Knights they fought alongside.

[@damedesuka77]

I love the animation style. There's barely any detailed human face depicted, they're just a bunch of abstract blobs, but it feels alive and not lacking any emotions at all. Very interesting!

[@someradguy2903]

Course it was a British book. I think that’s just what the British ate lol

[@anthonyodonnell6105]

Great video, but I'm not sure about the claim that knights played a minimal role. Heavy cavalry-which consisted of knights-was an important aspect of medieval warfare.

[@valimaa1006]

Also on the note that the 1 000 year period cannot be summarised into one coherent era that remained the same but rather changed over the hundred years, the same goes for all the different countries. There was not one coherent medieval country, but still Spain has their own history, completely different from German history during those times and saying they were all same medieval nations is like saying all of north america is the same.

[@VictorLopez-qb7qr]

Thanks, I've been interested in this topic since I read "Le Moyen âge, une imposture" (The Middle Ages, a fraud) by Jacques Heers, a French historian. I was already learning about many myths of the Middle Ages that people use to say, but I understood much better how it all came about thanks to that book.

[@Zul_Qarnain]

The name is SUS

[@VictorLopez-qb7qr]

@@Zul_Qarnain why?

[@Zul_Qarnain]

@@VictorLopez-qb7qr imposture

[@pdruiz2005]

Europeans in the Middle Ages knew about spices grown in modern-day Indonesia, Sri Lanka and southern India--that's why they bought them. They knew about bathing customs from the Middle East--that's why they had bathhouses all over where they bathed with fragrant soaps. And they built incredibly sophisticated structures that inspire awe even today--Gothic cathedrals with giant stained windows. In no way were Europeans in the Middle Ages "barbaric." They knew what they were doing.

[@fenhen]

It’s crazy that 1,000 years of history is just lumped together. Imagine the period 1,500-2,500 being lumped together under an umbrella term in the future.

[@CarloBaldi80]

Dear Ted, I live in a city 2300 years old, in Italy, and I can assure legal punishments for crimes during the middle ages was something beyond your strongest imagination. Absolute horror.

[@24601st]

you were there 2000 years ago? that's crazy

[@remilenoir1271]

And somehow, living somewhere gives you the knowledge of what life in that place was like 800 years ago ? The ancient Romans had corporal punishments beyond anything a medieval man could imagine. They also practiced genocide and destruction routinely on a scale simply unbelievable for medieval people. Brutality is not the prerogative of medieval times. Far from it. Compared to the brutality of later periods which saw the wars of religion, the thirty years war, the napoleonic wars and the two World Wars, the medieval age would seem pretty tame.

[@CortoMalteaser]

@@remilenoir1271 most of the brutality in the Middle Ages happened during times of war and especially during the crusades once the Catholic Church was able to reconcile Christian doctrine with warfare. During the period using corpses during a siege as psychological warfare, having no quarter, and executing captives in front of the enemy was standard recourse for warfare. The crusades however contained a number of documented acts which were unquestionably far more brutal than was par for the course. To conclude, while the Middle Ages were not pure “savagery” and were certainly far from it, the troops of the Middle Ages were just as capable of war crimes at a large scale as we are today, in fact the siege of jerusalem isn’t too far off the brutality of what happened in Nanjing.

[@monkpato]

Dear Carlo, there were horrible tortures but they were developed during the Renaissance.

[@gregorcutt1199]

You think modern governments are more merciful than medieval ones? Even for traitors, being hung drawn and quartered is fast compared to the methodical, weeks- or years-long tortures that modern bureaucratic states are capable of.

[@t.b.cont.]

Most of this is true, but medieval law was absolutely cruel to criminals. They were treated like animals, and there was many sadistic forms of execution like the breaking wheel or the oubliette

[@toddsypolt4911]

The breaking wheel existed in only a portion of Europe, and the only reported uses were on absolutely heinous criminals. The oubliette didn't exist during the middle ages and was invented later.

[@t.b.cont.]

@@toddsypolt4911 every portion of Europe had their own way of executing. None of it was pretty. Flaying, hanging, boiling, drawing and quartering, gibbeting, burning, etc. it was all quite brutal, some more sadistic than others. For serious crimes like treason sometimes criminals were dismembered and their parts displayed to the public for extended periods. And so far I’ve just talked about punishment dealt by the state. Often the common person would also get to take part in dealing punishments too, as was the case with pillaries. While not necessarily intended as a form of execution, there is many documented cases of peasantry becoming violent by throwing much more dangerous objects than intended, like bricks and stones. There’s also the fact that outlaws by definition were outside the protections of the law. They were treated as animals, and could be legally hunted as such for a bounty. I was wrong about the oubliette, but in medieval times to be a criminal or an outlaw was to be less than human

[@Imperiused]

The animation on this blew me away. Amazing job. That dragon at the end!! :D

[@kirbymarchbarcena]

This video is so mythologically entertaining and informative

[@Jacheongbi_han-eun]

Omg this is awesome! Not only is it super fascinating I have a 50 point medieval project coming up this week! Love this, thank you!

[@buddy3635]

Good luck!

[@jeffbenton6183]

2:50 when the ax-weilding executioner is legally obligated to just tickle a prisoner, but otherwise leave him a alone.

[@alekszafran8020]

the animation of the invisibility cloak is stellar :0 how can someone be able to create such beauty

[@jfppp1]

My wife is a professor of art history specializing in the medieval period. She insists the medieval period started before the fall of Rome, whereas I insist that it started in 476 when Rome fell. We argue about this a lot. Ok, I'm being silly, but I sometimes tease her by saying it started in 476.

[@Thebreakdownshow1]

This animation feel like those red bull animations that they do/ did.

[@CarlosCostaX]

I'm waiting for the RedBull can to show up.

[@RhevinoKilljoy]

Getting better contents all the time...love this Ted Ed

[@WobblieSkellie]

I never realized people thought chastity belts were real historical devices back then and not just some modern fetish thing.

[@JacobFosterNeoCon]

This is a good video which busts a bunch of myths but whats with the random claim that "knights didn't play a large role in medieval warfare" in the middle? Thats very untrue a huge claim to just drop in without evidence.

[@anonymous666951]

@@ssmithphd Because the Third Estate populace (peasants and freemen) had nothing better to do than wage holy wars or plunder neighboring kingdoms? You're downplaying the role of knights in conducting and instigating warfare under feudal society. You might as well argue that the Joints Chiefs of Staff aren't heavily involved in warfare because they don't get blood on their uniforms.

[@anonymous666951]

@@ssmithphd Actually you did. Medieval "fighting" involved raising armies and directing soldiers on the field of battle. Those activities are not playing a "minimal role in medieval warfare" as the video states about knights.

[@finnmiles7311]

I'm glad this video didn't pretend med Europe was full of "POC" here but I still think you should have made it clear they were incredibly rare and Europeans travelled to non white societies too so it went both ways.

[@ajaygopal2208]

Very informative and the animation, especially, was excellent.

[@hihello9131]

Wow… absolutely stunning video. Amazing work!

[@cloroxbleach7554]

Even medieval people with literally zero education and access to any technology and electricity knew better than Flat-Earthers nowadays with all the information in the world LOL

[@Isaaac165]

Agreed bro.

[@shzarmai]

exactly

[@kevozo1074]

This makes sense. There’s no way the Enlightenment could’ve just happened out of nowhere, so the Middle Ages were a low key time of progress that led to that

[@watching7721]

I'd say the Renaissance led more to the enlightenment

[@rathersane]

I know that nobody was expecting this, but it would be worth mentioning that the infamous Spanish Inquisition was active in the 15th and 16th centuries, after the Middle Ages were over.

[@blaketindle4703]

The 2018 video game “Kingdom Come: Deliverance” did a great job of accurately portraying life in early 15th century Europe.

[@ConservativeCatholic2000]

As a guy who loves history, especially the Middle Ages, I absolutely love this video. Too many people today have the wrong ideas about the Middle Ages and it is annoying sometimes. While the Middle Ages were not perfect, it was not as dark, backwards, and superstitious as a lot of people think of it 😊

[@thunderbird1921]

Exactly! A ton of science and medicine was actually developed despite Europe getting hit by diseases and ripping itself apart at times with wars. They were VERY forward-facing in a number of ways.

[@lucaswarehernandez7139]

Okay, but the part about knights was wrong. They played a crucial role in medieval warfare.

[@davidbryden7904]

Similar to "dark matter", the "dark ages" refers to the lack of information about the era.

[@tygrkhat4087]

Medieval food may not have had the spices we take for granted today, but the food wasn't bland. They had herbs like marjoram, dill, fennell, and rosemary; seeds like sesame and carroway; plus garlic and members of the onion family.

[@jw6588]

Would rather watch Metatron talk about this topic, though this video was way more accurate than I had expected it to be.

[@LoveFactorySweatShop]

Don't listen to anyonr who wears a costume 40 hrs/week.

[@CCoburn3]

Except for the fact that knights DID play a large part in medieval warfare, this is probably reasonably accurate. But knights did not go on quests or silly things like that. But they did form the backbone of feudalism and feudal armies.

[@markmuller7962]

I think some of the myths comes from the very real misery caused by horrendous epidemics but actually the worst ones striked in between the middle ages and the Renaissance due to the booming commerce and exploration so even that is misleading

[@Tuffsmoygles]

In response to the debauchery of Roman baths, the early Christian church frequently discouraged cleanliness. “To those that are well, and especially to the young,” Saint Benedict in the sixth century commanded, “bathing shall seldom be permitted.” It was considered a sin.

[@HiEyGurl]

Ikr, the Holy Roman Catholic Church Outlawed Bathing for 500 years and it wasn't a sin, it was just because Greeks Had Bathhouses and things along that line and they didn't want anything associated with that.

[@laney6j1]

one of my favorite ted-ed animation styles!

[@mrnice1976]

I find this video introduces myths of its own. Is this how history is taught today? On TED, seriously? I think there are many half truths here. The fall of the Western Roman empire brought with it a technological regression which included the loss of what had previously been common knowledge. Yes, many written records and the Latin language were preserved by the Catholic Church, but it became elitary knowledge (including the skill to read and write) and confined to church representatives and their associates. Even the Byzantines/Eastern Romans switched to the use of Greek, so that Latin was only preserved in the church. That is where a lot of the continuation of records comes from. City infrastructures did not match the technological sophistication of Roman cities. Life must have deteriorated somewhat. One of the liberating moments was Luther's translation of the holy scripture from Latin into German which brought it out of that elitary sphere and into the minds of the common folk. That was in the 16th century. Around the same time Copernicus formulated the heliocentric model (again). Yes, it had been formulated independently centuries before in the classical age, but the fact that Copernicus' work was celebrated as groundbreaking and he faced some discrimination for it by doubters is already an indication that it was not common knowledge just prior. Finally, yes ideas flowed, especially from south to north, as the most advanced civilizations that championed science were Arab Muslim (for example Al Andalus - today's Spain) and Byzantine. Much of today's Algebra taught came from scholars of that age who spoke Arabic. But constant war with them (cultural, religious, resource driven) was also a reality. The Spanish call the period between the 8th and the 15th centuries the "reconquista" (reconquest), a time during which they were constantly at war with Al Andalus in an effort to push them out. That was literally their main theme. They succeeded after 800 years. On the other side of Europe, Christian kingdoms united to stop the Ottoman advance on Vienna. That speaks less to a free exchange and more to a "not in my backyard" mentality. Even political, religious and and cultural enemies will trade and exchange ideas in between battles. Even though they were the shock troops of the time, knights were mounted nobility, not soldiers in the traditional sense, and they had a code of conduct to abide by which is where the "chivalry" concept comes from. Yes, it's romanticized in some children's stories, but that's beside the point. There were some important knight battles where I was born that shaped the history of the region with repercussions until this age and day. The above is how history is taught in middle/high school in Europe, my personal experience attending school in 4 different European countries while growing up. Yes, in direct comparison every country teaches history with a twist towards making themselves look good and justified in their actions (except of the Germans where the main theme is "we messed up and now have to live with it", but they still marked half of Poland as "Germany under Polish administration" on the map used in class), so some things I take with a grain of salt, but we always thought we were capable of owning our own history. America is taking it to a whole different level and is now invading European cultural space trying to reshape it. What's happening, America? Ideological demagogy taking over?

[@samuelgrasia493]

The real case is those writers generalize "peasant life in the medieval era" as medieval life, and ted ed generalize "aristocratic life in the medieval era" as medieval life Both are wrong if taken to the extreme

[@gradientO]

Best comment here. We need to be aware of those biases

[@micahbush5397]

Even peasants weren't as barbaric as most people imagine. Most would have probably bathed weekly, for instance.

[@lucareichelt7338]

Yeah, no way the average peasant was allowed into a bathhouse other than the local river

[@cernunnos8344]

​@@micahbush5397 actually you could bath everyday very easily, public baths were a huge part of life in the middle ages

[@micahbush5397]

@@cernunnos8344 If you lived in or near a town, sure. If you lived in a more rural setting and had to draw and heat your own water, then you'd probably stick to a weekly bath and daily washbasin.

[@kyb7795]

You left out the both of a darklord trying to take power by crafting a ring

[@victorminkov5183]

Torturing people takes a lot of time and energy. If you going to do it, it has to be for a good reason. I would contend that knights did play a major role in warfare. Heavy Calvary were the name of the game for a long time in that period. Sure they weren’t the brunt of an attack but having charges of power heavily armored horseman played an enormous role on the battlefield. This was basically true until the battle of Agincourt where Heavily armored knights were finally proven to have lost their effectiveness.

[@daltonslayton6766]

Imagine you made a joke, and several centuries later, people believed you were serious

[@JipJac]

The narrators subtle hints at “diversity” were noted

[@julianosvonskingrad7009]

Those myths are especially untrue for the most civilized part of Europe at that time: The Byzantine Empire, the flourishing eastern half of the former Roman Empire, with a functioning bureaucracy, a ton of laws, bathhouses, aqueducts and sewage systems.

[@Ikajo]

They also tend to focus on England and France, rather than Europe as a whole. For example, the Nordic countries entered the Medieval era much later than more southern countries. And the shift is considered to be connected to when those countries became Christian. Obviously, that is an oversimplification that doesn't take into account the social structures already present at the time. Sweden even spent a while ruling over most of north-west Europe. Until a king fell off his horse and died. Bonus fact: Sweden and Denmark hold the record for most wars fought between two countries in history. Some within a very short time period.

[@Abirexe-wu7th]

this video actually covered wayyy more that 6 myths

[@user-bp4nv3qp4d]

The animation is excellent👍🏻

[@Kaiser-jo3uj]

coincidentally the literacy rates ive seen just so happen to be roughly the size of the nobility and clergy which to me at least that most of these figures refer to literacy in latin and not the vernacular as I simply don't see how merchants could get by without being able to keep records.

[@Rixizu]

Correct. It wouldn't be unusual for at least one person in a household to know how to read and write. Because writing is a useful skill. And poetry writing was a popular pastime.

[@TheJokerscene]

Can you guys have Stephanie Honchell Smith do more segments? Her voice is perfection.

[@chetanoimbe2572]

4:27 I like how the dragon farts while taking off.

[@Pea23]

“isolated white christian societies”… yeah because that’s the culture the european medieval period belonged to.

[@patrycja3956]

the animation is absolutely brilliant

[@valtervcosta]

it's such an absurd that we call a one thousand years period "middle ages"

[@JiannaSandoval]

Once again the animation is 👌🏼👌🏼👌🏼

[@masterlu1869]

And how about the book Malleus maleficarum? I do believe, the is evidence, that to this particular timeperiod many female lives were taken by just the superstition of something makebelief.

[@gomshom67iscool23]

how could insane inventions be invented like the printing press in an age of no development?

[@arnaldorentes5371]

As allways, amazing!

[@JD-ul8qu]

There is an armory museum in Worcester, Massachusetts called the Higgins Armory. If I recall correctly it is the largest collection of medieval armor in the western hemisphere. There was a small display of metal chastity belts...mayby a dozen? So they did exist. Anyway, if you're into medieval armor I highly recommend.visiting it. Its worth the trip.

[@59spadesofalife52]

Begs the question how do we even know what is actually from the middle ages and not fabricated or misunderstood? The chasity belts specifically are a tough one to understand

[@shannon890]

@@59spadesofalife52 carbon dating

[@dylanenriguehuntington2908]

@@shannon890 carbon dating is deeply innacurate, like literally can be off by thousands of years, they prolly could analyze the age thu other methods however

[@Candlemancer]

The only people that make this claim are creationists​@@dylanenriguehuntington2908

[@DarkSoulSama]

I don't think chastity belts would work with locks that big...

[@perugaray8346]

Ted-ed deserve more subs. They educate us for free!

[@perugaray8346]

@@TEDed3 I'm sorry but I don't use telegram 😓

[@BlackStallionStudios]

This should be written in school textbooks. There is such a misconception about it. Good work!

[@maurasi_maurano2107]

Finally!!! As a medieval enthusiast I am always disappointed at how little people really know about them, thanks to false legends and Hollywood movies.

[@Rpd4716]

This is really true. You can't change how low level people really are on this. Everything would always have been much easier if this subject were thought better than what have been now the situation. It is harmful, to lower subjects as being worse than what they are in the reality. The subject of middle ages deserves a high position of value in the typical knowledge of things and this is a measure on how these subjects are taken in the reality.

[@MrFantocan]

The animations are nice, but the ideas here are arbitrary, for exemple Knights were a strong part in warfare, so much as there were many knightly orders. Some exist to this day.

[@yellow_laser3995]

I love this kind of animations.

[@ostrados]

Against many misconceptions, in that period science actually flourished under the Golden age of Muslims. 6 centuries of science and civil development that all started from books translation movement of Greek and ancient sciences to then advance and develop methodological science. It's in that period that Chemistry, Trigonometry, Algebra, and early Modern Medicine have been founded, in addition to major advancements in astronomy, engineering and agriculture. This leap of science and Muslims spread of books paved the way toward the advancement of Europe in the 17th century, especially after the fall of Al-Andalus.

[@primeministermarci3387]

Ok great video except the part about how knights were barely part of medieval warfare 😂 That’s untrue, although I guess it depends if you define knights by stature or by type of military unit. Armoured cavalry were the dominant military force of the time until the 1400s. Knights were not only not not important, they were the foundation of warfare in this period.

[@ab-15188]

If my school uses the Ted Ed way of teaching whereby they use animation instead of thousands of words, I'd pass with flying colors

[@ascrassin]

the saddest part is when sommes uses these myth as justification for their thinking/action.

[@albertenema7937]

Spectacular animation, useful information

[@Sun.Shine-]

That invisibility cloak animation is 👏👏