Debunking 6 Lies You've Been Told About the Middle Ages

[@ceejno7861]

Worth adding that a lot of 'weird' Medieval art that modern people are familiar with came from bored monks doodling in the corners of manuscripts. Listen, I scribbled some fun stuff in the margins of my notebooks as a kid, but I don't think it'd be fair to judge the art style of an entire civilization from them.

[@anhatur]

Not precisely. The monks copied Bibles and other scriptures, and could be paid quite good money for the work. So the small drawings were enhancements to make the work and the investments look good, especially when reading speed could be so so even among the learned. (They mostly read aloud even when alone). It could be nice to have something a little more delightful to rest their eyes upon. But surely, the art was small and more of a simple “comic style” than anything. I’m sure it was better to have more of them than to make “high art” out of it.

[@0912sooli]

Its not just that, I saw a lot of examples of mediaval art which looked super weird and unrealistic...it was drawn on plates or smth like that. Its not just monks

[@imhappy7632]

This makes me wish atleast one of my doodles survived to the future. I want historians to be like " This piece of painted wood depicts a deity that is believed to have been worshipped in the past " and it just being a cat girl I doodled on my school desk

[@user-iw7gu8rk5i]

I actually did a paper on that! Most of the weird marginalia you see are from books of hours or psalters, both of which were often privately commissioned from workshops (that employed craftsmen, not men of the cloth) by the wealthy. The use of marginalia started to really pop up in the gothic era, especially in england and france. One really interesting example is the Book of Hours of Jeanne d'Evreux, which was commissioned for the third wife of King Charles IV of France. Theres a lot of truly strange stuff in the margins, but ultimately theres a couple of theories why such weird pictures crop up: one, the actions/thing translated into latin in a way that related to the text (since a lot of these were used to teach the wealthy to read this makes sense), some of them are simple puns, others are simply for decoration, some are intentionally eye catching (so you can remember the page bc they weren't numbered), theres a theory that the grotesque drawings would ward evil spirits off, and a lot are just references that would have made sense to the medieval viewer, but are nonsense to us. We also cant rule out the possibility that some of the artists probably just knew the client, and wanted to crack a few jokes that they would enjoy. So honestly, who knows! Its a fun topic for sure though, I'd recommend looking more into it.

[@ZeranZeran]

I doodle when I'm drunk sometimes, and looking at it the next day after I've sobered up I'm always either impressed, creeped out, or embarrassed. It's cool when you impress yourself, and don't even remember doing it! Some seriously creepy ones when I was going through a bad period in my life .I keep them in a journal. It's cool to see how your drawing style changes day by day, depending on what happens to you, etc. Feels like this could be a form of therapy one day, or maybe I'm just drunk.

[@100lovenana]

As an Art Historian in university, I can safely say that the reason why many people consider not only the middle ages, but any past era ever, as "inferior" to the current time is because a good 50% or more of important artifacts of those times were lost or destroyed. So many works of art and written information like books and manuscripts were lost in all kinds of events like wars, natural occurrences, or people dismantling them for other uses. People in the Renaissance, up to the 20th century, thought that greek and roman sculptures were all made without color because, when the ancient statues were found, their pigments were lost to time and natural causes. This made them believe that it was actually intentional from ancient artists, and started to worship the style of monochromatic sculptures as a "symbol of purity". Then it turns out that the ancient greeks DID paint their sculptures, just that the paint had worn out in all those centuries of being buried or hidden. Imagine this same thing with other works of medieval art and, most importantly, manuscripts that could've proven that they did hold more knowledge than we think. Historians and archeologists are searching for more artifacts precisely for that reason, to find what other forms of knowledge have been hidden due to the passage of time.

[@adrasthe314]

As a regular historian, I'd like to add to your point that it also has a lot to do with the "historical regime" we live in. From Antiquity up until the 16th century, people thought the best thing was in the past and the most recent one was a degradation (hence why the people of the Renaissance absolutely despised everything medieval and the medieval folks hated anything late-antiquity; it just wasn't as good as what was before). Starting the 16th century, we saw a gradual shift towards the idea that the futur was better and, as such, the era that we lived in would necessarily be better than the last one. Ever since we kinda realised the climate crisis was a thing, we've slowly started to shift towards what's often refered to "presentism"; we're stuck considering our present the most important because the past feels less important and our future non-existent because of the crisis. We went from "considering everything in relation to our past" to "considering everything in relation to our future" and finally to "considering everything in relation to now". I'd honestly suggest reading Offendstadt's chapter on time in "Que sais-je? L'historiographie" to anyone intrigued and that can read French, he articulates incredibly well the entire dynamics

[@HeatherSimmons-l9z]

Such a good point about the monochromatic sculpture myth, which is so entrenched that these images are widely used as a visual representation of Greco-Roman civilisation. It's not anybody's fault that they didn't know about the colour, but it demonstrates how inaccurate ideas can be impossible to shift once they take hold

[@MacKennaTheGoddessofRadiation]

I've heard this happened with Medieval cathedrals, that they used to be all white and beautiful but centuries of candlesmoke blackned them

[@iulia3914]

Whenever people say “oh medieval people just forgot how to draw!” I imagine people in hundreds of years looking at anime figures going “wow, 21st century people COULD NOT draw lifelike people”

[@diegorincon4673]

The eyes to large. The head to large. The nose to small. The breasts so large; this shows that this art is sexually charged. How truly disturbing, unlike our amazing art. (Some incomprehensible bullsh*t)

[@rickrolld1367]

@@diegorincon4673 It's just a painting of bread

[@Gwestytears]

They certainly couldn't

[@memezoffuckery3207]

Anime will never die, anyone who rejects anime is a barbarian

[@Gwestytears]

Anime bad

[@lucindawelenc2191]

Shitty food? Medieval food is *delicious.* I wish you'd covered the myth that "they used a lot of spices to cover up the taste of spoiled meat." My medievalist friend says "Do you have any idea how much that stuff COST?!" In some cases, it was quite literally worth its own weight in gold. No they didn't have freezers or refrigerators. But if you were well off enough to eat meat on a regular basis, you didn't keep it sitting around for days before you ate it. The duck that you ate for supper was quacking on the pond that morning. Meat that wasn't eaten immediately was preserved in a number of ways. Salting, drying, smoking, pickling, etc. Nobody kept it around until it was green and stinking -- that would be just as unappetizing for medieval people as it would be for 21st century people!

[@ani_kiku]

I've seen people claim that people in medieval Europe probably even ate more meat than we do today relatively speaking which is also thanks to the fact that they didn't just eat part of it like we do today. When they slaughtered an animal they made sure to find a use for every part of it. Blood, the animals innards and so on and so forth. All of it was was used, preserved and eaten. Also eating meat wasn't exclusive to the higher classes either especially if you were a medieval peasant. Aside from your own animals that you kept and can slaughter when the time comes, there is also always the possibility to go hunting in the woods for 'lesser' animals such as rabbits or birds.

[@Herr_Flick_of_ze_Gestapo]

Indeed. the stupid retard modern myth that medieval people ate monotomous plain tastless stodge all day every day has already been debunked countless times. medieval people. from the highest nobility all the way down to the lowest poop scooper had a wide variety of food available. and meat and fish was eaten a LOT. they also had a wide variety of nuts, berries and other fruits, herbs etc We also seem to forget that in medieval era it was considerably warmer than it is now. It was so warm that they could have vineyards as far up north as in scotland. As is proven in scriptural evidence, people were often able to have two harvests a year. it was an era of great agricultural an thus economic prosperity. it was this era in which the gothic cathedrals .... mankinds highest and most complex and intricate architectural masterpieces ever produced, were build. (ps: medieval churches and cathedrals were all painted in vibrant colours and patterning. both on the inside ASWELL as the outside. not a square inch of stone was left unpainted.... people often seem to not realise that)

[@ZeranZeran]

Your comment is great. Common sense. People eat salted meat in a fancy restaurant near my city all the time.. it has never been frozen or cooled.. they just rub salt on it.. and left it for years and people pay hundreds of dollars for this people are weird, man

[@erikaczerniejewski495]

Funny thing about beef today is "aged beef" sits around for weeks until it's green and molding on the outside-often 45 days after slaughter. They just trim the grossness off and call it good

[@sadwasdead5065]

people forget medieval people were still people

[@vilwarin5635]

Another lie commonly told is "women did not know how to write and read". Reading and writting were considered a feminine trait, or something that non manly men did (as monks). Many women were the house/farm administrator, and they had to take care of the money, workers/servants, etc... most things they had to writte down. Also, mothers were on charge of their children education, and they were the ones teaching them to read and writte

[@tiamatmichellehart6821]

Three words: *Christine de Pisan.* That magnificent military strategist; I read her book!

[@katharinamaria5204]

hey I don't mean to be a know it all or anything, but it's actually spelled "write"... I mean no harm by this, just wanted to let you know in case you're a non-native speaker trying to improve your English :)

[@barrankobama4840]

It's sadly true that literacy was higher among men than women, and it's even sadder that it was low for both. To go back to Roman time levels of literacy we have to wait until the XVIII century... Moreover, reading and writing were considered two distinct abilities, many people knew how to read but not how to write.

[@barrankobama4840]

@@tiamatmichellehart6821 Cristina da Pizzano was an exception, she was the first woman to have writing has her main professional occupation. There have been many other women writing, of course, she simply was the first one to make it her main job. Another example of woman that wrote significant works in the middle ages is Saint Caterina da Siena, who wrote a lot of theological, philosophical and social essays a few decades before. But these cases are not indicative of the general condition of women in Western Europe in the XIV - XV century, as well as a Kings or Popes are not indicative of the general condition of men.

[@livsterlove5681]

Correct me if I am wrong butI believe this misconception comes from a Bible verse where it says that men could understand the sermon and they would teach it to their wives afterword. So sexist, I’m not sure if this was written about the Jewish synagogue or Catholic Church but it seems exaggerated. Also that books were rare and so modern people were like oh reading must be rare too. That might have led to the idea of illiteracy for the common people.

[@homosapien9526]

Middle ages were so futuristic they made the best meme paintings

[@IsabellaForde]

They probably had a form of meme back then too. Like comedy within art I imagine had to be present.

[@chocolatedonut6312]

Facts

[@henrykkeszenowicz4664]

Well, memes aren't a modern thing, they completely correspond to Aristotle's view of mimesis, an artistically modified representation of reality.

[@anna8389szczerba]

Yup ahhahahaha

[@Shadowsandflowers]

Have you read about how Michelangelo spent a lot of his time while painting the Sistine chapel putting in secret messages making fun of his boss, the pope?

[@janek.3549]

I would just like to point out, that even though the middle ages were a time period, they only "took place" in europe. Asia and other continents had their own eras happening at the same time, but they were not called the middle ages.

[@fullmetal1119]

Honestly, I thought that was common knowledge but I guess not?

[@minervamclitchie3667]

Yes, I'm part Indian and my Indian ancestors were not in the "Dark Ages" in India.

[@ZeranZeran]

Places like China didnt exist yet, because the Europeans hadn't found them they didn't count (THIS IS A JOKE, DO NOT KILL ME)

[@poppi510]

@@minervamclitchie3667the point is that there is a huge misconception about the “dark ages” in Europe. It wasn’t like suddenly everyone was smart again when the renaissance began. And before that everyone lived like animals in a cave. There were also connections between India and Europe for example. Europe wasn’t cut off from the world. When it comes to blackpowder for instance, it was earlier existent in Europe than many would have guessed.

[@adrasthe314]

I'd like to add onto that... most time periods in history up until roughly the 19th century weren't only "time bound" but also "region bound". Just think about the aztecs and the mayas and every other pre-colombians civilization that might come to your mind; most of them have a very similar level of "development" (though the term isn't really the right one, it's all that I kinda have to describe it x_x) than the one the Europeans had during antiquity, despite the fact that most meso-american civilization that we think about flourished during what the medieval age in Europe. Feudal Japan, which started around the mid-middle ages (roughly 1000 ce) lasted until the late 19th century! Time periods are a very weird and wonky thing that we honestly would gain a lot to simply explain better to our kids in school

[@joshuastarkloff9602]

Medieval people probably smelt way better then Teenage boys who think axe bodyspray is a shower in a can.

[@dominicksebastien2254]

😂

[@lenaeospeixinhos]

I'm gonna go out on a limb and say medieval teenagers thought two drops of lavender oil on the neck were washes in a bottle 😂

[@carolsimpson4422]

🤣🤣🤣

[@ayjamay]

Axe body spray makes me nauseated thinking about it.

[@CopenhagenDreaming]

I'd forgotten about Axe... After all, the early-to-mid 1990s was a long time ago. Do they still even make it? (I know it was called "Lynx" in the UK, but it was Axe here in Denmark.)

[@mukexal4445]

It's so funny how you said we should bring back apprentices when in Switzerland that is still a huge thing! Like after mandatory school, you can either continue school or do an apprenticeship and both are held to the same standard while in the U.S. that doesn't even exist. That truly is crazy to me!

[@Pollicina_db]

Yeah, that's why electricitians, builders etc. can get very rich in the USA, nobody knows what to to themselves and no one want to know.

[@charlie-is-thinking]

Right? Like here in Australia, you can choose to not continue on to year 11 and 12 and do an apprenticeship instead.

[@anniem251]

Yeah here in the UK during sixthform college (age 16-18) a lot of people doing vocational courses work under apprenticeships. They pay for your education as long as you work for them when you’ve completed it

[@rumeysaongul4765]

Yeah! Here in Turkey, it's still a big deal as well.

[@tank_brokowski210]

We have that in America it’s just called trade school

[@laurannep9663]

Honestly, as someone who lives in a non-English speaking Northern European country, a lot of these ideas feel really foreign? Like idk if it was just my school and city, but most of these ideas weren't really passed down to me. For example it's kond of hard to believe ppl didn't bathe when there is a Medieval bath house 4 streets from your school and about half the town squares have left overs from old clothes washing stations. And it's also hard to believe all science was bad when you can walk into a museum and see the math and science books of the time, though often geocentric, they were rarely about a flat earth model. Idk I feel like a lot of these ideas come from a lack of actually seeing the left overs of the time?

[@allgodsnomasters2822]

Yup , very American tbh

[@guardianeris]

I blame the french during the enlightment, and the british and americans during the victorian era for all this history revisionism.

[@Nepetita69696]

@@allgodsnomasters2822 This

[@Nepetita69696]

@@guardianeris Also this

[@BigBadWolframio]

@Digicraftmon the Crystal Gem yes, of course, there are TONS. Mediterranean here, it's hard to go somewhere where you don't stumble with Roman, Medieval (Christian, Muslim, Jewish) or Renaissance buildings. Ancient bathouses still stand (and some are still used to this day), aqueducts, and all manner of utensils.

[@Eniphesoj90]

I laughed when you talked about Paris' "evil odor" that never really went away. I live in Paris and let's be real... The metro smells like piss, there is pollution everywhere and the rat population is about twice as big as the human population. So yeah.

[@PSL_Lover2024]

Everyone I knew really loved Paris that traveled there but I didn't like it. I saw it how you described it. Thank you.

[@phoebeel]

@@PSL_Lover2024 same. Especially all the dog pop everywhere. It's a decent city but not what people think of when they hear about this epos "Paris" it just doesn't exist. Only in films.

[@LautaroArgentino]

Isn't that pretty much any big city?

[@mx_moi1964]

@@LautaroArgentino not Tokyo

[@samuraijackoff5354]

@@mx_moi1964 Tokyo is pretty stinky too. Especially the streets during certain times of days.

[@claireseelig3347]

another fun medieval (Christian) peasant fact: they weren't totally overworked and miserable. due to the church's calendar and the sheer number of feast days, they had a LOT of days off. yes, it has always been a part of the Catholic philosophy to fast and "deny the body" to gain more self-control and thus grow in virtue, but that fasting is also balanced out by feasting and resting when it came time to do so!

[@austinfernando8406]

yep (david graeber pionts this out in 'bullshit jobs' might be interesting to read if you haven't already) days off were phased out as capitalism got rolling (around the 17th century so not medieval) y'know if the employees aren't working the employer aren't making money, but in feudalism you worked and made stuff and sold it and then paid tribute/taxes to your lord and whatever the lord didn't want you got to keep so it was _less_ the case that time is money

[@TheSleepyowlet]

Well, the _men_ had days off. Women's work like cooking, cleaning, weaving, taking care of children, and tending to the animals (feeding and milking)? All day every day.

[@victor382]

@@TheSleepyowlet you are ignorant

[@Herr_Flick_of_ze_Gestapo]

@@TheSleepyowlet men cooked, they cleaned, emptied out cesspits, weaving was largely a mans job. tending to animals dpended on what animals. herding sheep or pigs or cows and milking was mansjob. feeding chickens, ducks and goose and picking eggs was womens job. On feast days (of which there were MANY) cleaning weaving or any other work was not allowed. only the bare necessary jobs like feeding stock and milking would have been done. but people in medieval era had only very little lifestock., one pig, a goat etc and very rarely a cow etc. mega farms didnt exist. it was all very small scale. People lived up to feast days, both spiritualy by fasting, attending mass, vespers and by preparing for the festivities, like decorations, preparing and baking food etc. You are only spouting your nonsense because of silly neo-feminist bullshit. And you CONVENIENTLY and SNEAKILY seem to forget that actually MAN didnt had off either. it were the MEN who were holding the holy mass. it were MEN that served at the Altar. It were MEN who played the organ. It were men who opperated the organ bellows, it were MEN who rang the church bells, it were MEN who led processions and organised it, it were MEN who had to clean the sanctuary and church after all the hours and hours and hours long services. It were men who had to police all the festivities, it were MEN who had to stand guard to look out for enemies and criminals. It were MEN who where protecting their women. ALL day every day. Your are a misandrist and that is absolutely UNACCEPTABLE!

[@TheSleepyowlet]

@@Herr_Flick_of_ze_Gestapo Thanks for the laugh :D

[@SenorVilla]

For what it's worth, this is gonna help me a lot in describing bathhouses in my d&d games. This is fantastic content, I feel like your channel's gonna blow up any day now.

[@_peepee_]

omg this is a great idea!

[@jamesharms748]

@@_peepee_ yeah they are very rare in any city or town in DnD worlds.

[@_peepee_]

@@jamesharms748 ??

[@toyotasupra97]

Just got this channel in recommended, that time might be now!

[@HecHocceH]

Just remember that in a (typical) D&D world there’s no oppressive Catholic Church. So your bathhouse will not operate exactly like the real ones did.

[@cadencel1582]

I know you said don't talk about the black death, but it did create some interesting attributes to daily rituals. For example, people did stop bathing in water for a while for fear of breathing in the damp air infected with plague, miasma. So, instead, people used clean linen (they did continue to do laundry because one wouldn't be very close nor submerged in the water) to rub themselves down like a dry washcloth, and only wore natural and breathable fibers. Ruth Goodman tested this out a couple of times, and stated that as long as you only wore those aforementioned natural fibers and kept up with laundering garments, you would be essentially smell free. Water can breed the bacteria that causes odor (which we avoid by bathing frequently now), but the linen ritual could avoid that with similar success. Anyway, fantastic video! Funny it's getting recommended now.

[@Duskkit]

Thank you for the information!

[@therealfinnaspring8585]

I've actually had to "sink bathe" or "take a bird bathe" as my mom called it. Just using hot water in a sink with a couple of rags soap and a towel. It does work. Its quick. And for people without access to a shower or tub it will do in a pinch.

[@doubtful_seer]

@@therealfinnaspring8585 I’ve been having to do that. I haven’t been able to have a shower since the beginning of December, so like 6 months ago. I haven’t been able to wash my hair since then, so that has been relying on dry shampoo. But body wash wipes, or just soap, a washcloth, and some cornstarch powder definitely work. I had an aunt who only used sink baths for decades.

[@therealfinnaspring8585]

@@doubtful_seer it is harder to wash your hair in the sink. It can be done obviously but like if you have to bird bathe so to speak you DEF cut down on how often you wash your hair cause its such a hassel. But i mean if you can wear a cap daily and can comb corn starch in your hair you can stretch it out for sure

[@cadencel1582]

@@hi-ve1cw Ofc, the farm series is my go to comfort tv! I also love her books. She’s just an incredible entertainer and so intellectually gifted.

[@Murnauk]

I remember during medieval literature classes at uni our professor talked about how a lot of ideas and attitudes medieval people had towards art and literature (esp the idea of authorship) was almost post-modern.

[@mybalcony4066]

Elaborate please 👀

[@TheLadyPlantagenet]

@@mybalcony4066 the lampooning of the 15th century and cynicism

[@Murnauk]

​@@mybalcony4066 It has been some time, so I apologize to any medieval studies academics but for one the enlightement period put a lot of emphasis on the author as this singular genius while a lot of medieval literature either doesn't even have a named author or most literature was an adaption of a previously written story (usually in another language). Everytime a manuscript was copied, the person who wrote it down changed some thing, added something etc. and thus the text constantly changed. A lot of medieval lit studies were previously about "finding the original" or trying to somehow distill it by combing all the different versions we have of the text, which is a very modern way of looking at it. Thinking that literature is sth that is owned by an author instead of the people telling, re-telling and listening/reading to the story. Esp. since almost all of medieval literature was read out loud to an audience. This way of looking at literature (or art in general) came about again in essays like "Death of the Author". Also in the case of fine art specifically: The video talks about realism not being the goal with medieval art (or a lot of non-european art before and since) is also sth that was basically rediscovered in europe with the advent of photography. And even now you still see a lot of people thinking sth can't be "real art" if it's abstract or stylized bc "anyone could do that".

[@edisonlima4647]

@@MurnaukThanks for sharing, I was super curious after your comment!

[@reaverkai]

I love your pfp, do you know the name of the painting or author?

[@divine-intervention-7777]

My mom actually started brushing her teeth with olive oil and salt for god knows what reason AND THE DENTIST KEEPS COMPLIMENTING HER on the TREMENDOUS IMPROVEMENT of her dental health, so even when the brushing with salt method sounds primitive it apparently works quite well

[@therealfinnaspring8585]

I heard of brushing with salt but not olive oil huh interesting

[@divine-intervention-7777]

@@therealfinnaspring8585 Yeah she uses the olive oil to make it this kind of paste... I tried it once but I cannot stand the taste/feeling of so much salt + olive oil haha

[@carolsimpson4422]

I tried a natural brand toothpaste that contains coconut oil and now I'm addicted. My teeth are so white now, and gum health has vastly improved.

[@Hannah-tp3fl]

@@carolsimpson4422 what brand?

[@enasbitch6988]

Meta moment; Huh…when wholistic methods work.

[@cleverpaws9035]

Of course Baby Jesus had an adult's face. As the son of God, during his time on Earth he represented the "ideal human", and as such he could not have been a "normal" toddler that still needed to develop. Their logic was different to ours, but that doesn't mean there was no logic to it.

[@Herr_Flick_of_ze_Gestapo]

thanks for this. you seem to have studied Christian iconography and iconology very well and properly. i wish more people did that... especially people who are considered medivalists or experts. There is an insane lack of knowledge on Christianity these days. ... its mindboggling and very troublesome.

[@LynnAgain83]

Yeah, this "you MUST accept that, conform, and tolerate us even though we don't respect you or your beliefs!". It's funny how ppl will "talk that progressive talk" about biases yet, do they not see they're being the very same way?! 🤦🏼‍♀️ As a Christian, I know there are ppl who are just AWFUL but guess what? There are shitty ppl everywhere who think what they're pinpointing out is the certitude of all certitudes! Funny how we keep running in circles, chasing our tales. Muslim, Judaism, Buddhism, etc aren't always kind, loving, patient and tolerant.. Cuz we are ALL humans!!!!! Ah well...

[@TheSorrel]

I thought the Dark Ages where a time within the Middle Ages that was barely documented. So they're "dark" because we can't "see" them.

[@brutus3631]

yup that's what my history teachers always said too

[@mistyfying7729]

@@hi-ve1cw So they didn't coin the term to "make themselves feel better"? This video does seem pretty biased, lol.

[@mistyfying7729]

@@hi-ve1cw I can agree with that. I still think this video misrepresents people of the Renaissance and serves to over-correct in terms of how advanced/educated/clean people of the Dark Ages were.

[@milipin7113]

@@hi-ve1cw It's definitely not only a product of the enlightenment, but it would be correct to say that a lot of myths about the middle ages came to be a thing during the enlightenment era and even after. Like, many "medieval torture" devices were invented by the Victorians, to give an example

[@yoghurtmaster1688]

*laughs in islamic golden age and eastern roman empire*

[@MrJuanito931228]

Couldn't draw? How about all those beautifully manuscript illustrations, Mosaics, and stained glass? Art didn't vanish with the Roman empire. It was modified, changed, and became beautiful.

[@DramaGeek1225]

I took an art history class focused on Rome as part of my medieval studies BA. I remember that the professor showed us an image of a statue from near the end of the Roman empire that used the stylized proportions seen in medieval art. Medieval styles came out of changes that were already taking place in the earlier period.

[@MicahMicahel]

yes. the drawings were stylized. Totally different than not knowing how to draw. There's kind of a house style for medieval art but there's still some interesting individual styles within the styles and styles that were of certain areas

[@arandomgreekfrombactria6302]

Look up Constantinople and the Roman Empire literally didn't vanish completely until 1453

[@Herr_Flick_of_ze_Gestapo]

When the roman empire collapsed (western empire i mean) nothing much changed actually. most "romans" were born where they lived. and they didnt suddonly fanished into thin air and no one "went back to rome" or something stupid like that. they had families, which were often mixed, saxon, frisian, flemish, scandinavian, celtic etc. Nothing much changed. bathing culture didnt changed, food culture didnt changed. Romans already converted to Christianity. People just carried on. For some reasons idiots tend to think that after the collapse they suddonly magically dissapeared .... or they went back (to wherever tht may be)

[@adrasthe314]

@@DramaGeek1225 More than just stylised, the proportions like, they all have symbolical meaning! It's honestly fascinating

[@hadar675]

As an art studant i would also like to add- like you said in the beggining, the middevil times spens through 1000 of years. Thats a very long time. Art changed throughout that times and there were times when art was lil bit more relistic. There were "little renaissances " all through out the middle ages.

[@adrasthe314]

*screams in south-french 12th-13th century*

[@panqueque445]

"Did they only eat bad food?" If a medieval peasant saw a big mac he'd be calling our food garbage.

[@mayonnaise2396]

Yeah, but the Big Mac isn’t really what most of our food is like. That’s a bit of a false comparison. Tacos? Pizza? Pasta? Crepes? It’s a little bit more complicated than we here in America eat the McDonald.

[@panqueque445]

@@mayonnaise2396 It's the same thing with medieval food. They did eat bad, crappy food, but that wasn't their entire diet. People just assume the middle ages was a hellscape where people ate dirt stew and stale bread. That assumption is the same as a medieval man assuming all we eat today is shitty mcdonalds burgers.

[@georgethompson1460]

Pizzas where made all the way back to the early middle ages, although they where made more like pies or cakes than modern pizzas.

[@mayonnaise2396]

@@panqueque445 yeah, but I wasn’t arguing that medieval food was bad.

[@MrCmon113]

Bullshit. Nothing wrong with a big mac and a medieval peasant would not be indoctrinated in your particular branch of superstition about food.

[@emilythomas4684]

Castille soap is still made with lye. Soap by it's very definition is a chemical reaction between an alcoline (lye) and a fat (tallow in cheap bars, plant oils such as olive in high end bars). Castille soap is just made with olive oil any lye, and can be less drying than a tallow bar, which is why it seems milder. -Source: 11 years in the soapmaking industry

[@The.Killer985]

I love your profile picture

[@bayleesmith2803]

She did say it was olive oil and lye. Not trying to come off as mean just wanted to let you know in case you misunderstood

[@faeriesmak]

Nice. Thanks for the info.

[@daganlove8536]

This channel feels like ask a mortician and strange aeons had a baby. And I'm 1000% here for it. Please take this as a compliment!

[@sawyermcdonell7915]

this deserves so many more views omg

[@adonaiyah2196]

1:49 did she say even the Christians If that was any other religion she would've been cancelled on the spot this is terrible

[@sleepyclowns]

@@adonaiyah2196 yeah anyways I KNOW!! I love these videos, so much thought put into them

[@dracu9833]

no, if more people know this I can't go "well actually" at them

[@ninia4316]

@@adonaiyah2196 no, they said "even christians" because as stated in the video, christians suggested not taking baths in luxury and/or with the intention of pleasure, as it was considered as overindulgence, therefore, a sin. 😐😐 pay attention before you comment shit like this

[@CriminalFriday]

I really love that one Tumblr post about how Medieval people almost definitely had their own inside jokes the way we do today, which was accompanied by an illustration of two figures exchanging words about a monk with a ladder and laughing about it.

[@auroraasleep]

A very interesting thing I learned a few years ago about "medieval literacy" is that a person (England/France) was only considered "legally literate" if they could read, write, and speak Latin. Local dialects didn't count. So a significant number of folks were perfectly literate by today's standards back then, and a whole lot of us now would be considered illiterate by their standards. That's not saying everyone knew how to read and write, but the percentages are off due to the definition of the terms at the different times. I learned this while reading about the legal codes and how there was a sort of "get out of jail free" card for people who were considered 'literate' so more well-to-do families sprung for Latin teachers for their kids.

My great-grandparents "bathed" using a cloth and perfumed oil (no idea what type of oil), I never thought this practice was so old. Their reason for this is when they were my age and younger, there were no piped water where they lived, so bringing it home to warm it up was too much trouble, just like the middle ages ppl. weird how many simple things we taken for granted

[@OnlyMusic16]

Suchhhhh an awesome video!! The Middles Ages are so totally misunderstood, and people seem to forget that humans in the past were the same as humans now. It’s amazing that a generation that could build massive cathedrals could be considered “less developed”, not to even mention the rest of the non-European world that was THRIVING during this era!

[@Amy_the_Lizard]

In addition to turkeys being native to new world, turkeys big enough to create those gigantic turkey legs didn't exist yet as they're the relatively recent result of selective breeding. And are also all from dude turkeys, as they're larger than the lady turkeys.

[@andromedaspark2241]

Not sure if I'm more amused by "dude turkeys" or "lady turkeys". Birds like this should wear swanky clothes. Turkey in a tiara. Skater dude turkeys.

[@Marialla.]

What about capons? Castrated roosters can grow almost as large as a turkey, and that was pretty common once upon a time.

[@Amy_the_Lizard]

@@Marialla. Those were actually pretty difficult to make, as you actually have to cut in between the rooster's ribs to get to the testicles, as they're internal and inside the roosters ribcage. They're also located next to a major artery, which will cause the chicken to rapidly bleed out if cut. In the medieval era, your options for anesthesia were highly limited, dangerous, and not as effective as modern ones (basically you had drinking alcohol, opium, mandrake root, and a few other very poisonous plants,) and they would've rarely if ever been used on livestock. This means the chicken would be awake for the procedure and likely to struggle, increasing the odds of the artery being cut by accident. The lack of modern antibiotics and sterol equipment would have also made it much more likely for the wound to get infected. As a result, they were actually still pretty uncommon and very expensive in the medieval era as well. They just seem common by comparison because the AG industry collectively decided that the practice was cruel, so almost no one produces them anymore.

[@Marialla.]

@@Amy_the_Lizard I did not know any of that! Still, if we're talking about the royal table it makes sense it would be available.

[@Herr_Flick_of_ze_Gestapo]

@@Amy_the_Lizard even tho a luxury ... they werent all that uncommon. they were even used as a mean of payment .... there are loads of administration documents on medieval chapters were canons were payed in a certain amount of capons..... indicating they were not that uncommon as you suggested. They didnt had any problem to drug a chicken for several minutes (because thats about all it takes... its a very quick procedure) it indeed comes with many dangers .... however a skilled caponer could caponize several cockerels in an hour. modern era caponers with modern equipment could caponize about one chicken a minute. Caponers often traveled from place to place. it was a very skilled specialised job. that is why capons were considered luxury. However they were not pretty uncommon. as evidence shows.

[@CucumbersSC]

Those cloth baths really do get the job done :) Living without running water for a summer made me appreciate the old fashioned way of managing hygiene tbh.

[@isisbueno4289]

Love the video and the fact that you put your sources on it! I'm a History teacher and I'll definaly will use some things that you said in my classes!

[@KazRowe]

Thank you! :)

[@lyrigageforge3259]

@@KazRowe Thought to point out that Finnish people even in medieval times would have their own Saunas for the family, to bathe in. Traditionally, in Finland, you would literally build a sauna before even building your house to live in. And you could go far back into times before medieval or iron age and find that back then people practically lived in buildings built like sauna's having similar heating method for the home. Meaning that our people really did bathe. And so at medieval times, they could bathe when ever they wanted or had time to do so - often few times a week at the least. (Oh and women would give birth in sauna, something to do with it being cleanest place in a home.) This feature about our culture was literally written about by various monks or commented on even in for example some German source. That isn't even so amazing a thing, given that Sauna is the only Finnish word adopted to other languages such as English and today UNESCO protected cultural inheritance. So much so that there is archaeological evidence for Sauna like structures as far back as 9000 years. Yea no mistakes in number of zeros there.

[@trixibelle480]

I did a Middle Ages module at my university too and when discussing how children were thought of in Medieval English and Irish culture, they were perceived to be “tiny humans” so just smaller versions of adults. So many paintings portray them as tiny angry men to convey that.

[@jadebastos4367]

Maybe the myth of anti-scientific beliefs in medieval ages also has to do with the Descartes' scientific method being created way later, which has become the basis of modern science. If the medieval science was different, many people could as well think it was invalid, therefore inexistent. And then it suddenly popped out of nowhere and was pushed by individual geniuses against all medieval darkness. Also... this may contribute to the idea that Europians evolved through the ages very fast after this age and immediatly solved all the problems by being inherently superior to people in other continents. That fueled a lot of apology for imperialism, cause they had the argument of having "the burden of the white men" (oops, I don't know how anglofonic people describe this, but traduced the term that we use in Brazilian Portuguese "fardo do homem branco") and therefore needed to share their amazing insights with other cultures and ultimadly dominate in a paternalistic way. And we know how that went and it's still going on. Even when people mock medieval ages just for the funsies, it reignites this idea and it's just so uncomfortable after you've seen the conexions it makes...

[@zen_ccg]

Speaking as a white Australian woman, I'd agree with you. We don't use the same term, but for those of us with a more modern/non-coloniser understanding of history, white men decided to launch migration and colonisation in order to bring their form of "enlightenment" to the the "poor suffering locals". It's the same vein that Rowe talks about in the video about Christian notions about not wanting to fraternise with other groups, since if you actually spent time with them you'd actually know they had good ideas and logical thought. I feel it's a hubris, that these people believed they were so much better and had such a better form of understanding, that they forcibly took over (and stole from) the people around them. It likely comes from the same cultural beliefs that lead to Enlightenment and Victorian Revisionist ideals of "being better than our ancestors" and wanting to travel in a linear line from the past. We have never had a straight line progression, human understanding and tastes are cyclical. It is arrogance to the truth of history to believe otherwise

[@ThunderStruck15]

There’s a lot of assumptions that hinge on the idea that these ideas and happenings were purposefully driven with an eye to an end. I find it very hard to believe that.

[@lydialuton4402]

in English the phrase is "the white man's burden" so pretty much the same thing

[@thethirdsicily4802]

The White Man's Burden is the correct term for English-speaking people, so you're good.

[@jadebastos4367]

@@JM-tj5qm The evolutionary view of fast development in Europe is an anachronic argument. It wasn't thought about in the Middle Ages, only in the Modern Era, and my point is literally how biased it is for framing this period as worse than it was so the shift towards supposed progress sounds more tryumphant. Consider that other nations kept ways of living that Europeans saw as similar to their own in the Middle Ages and you'll notice that is part of why they thought of them as underdevelopted and uncapable of growing in the same pace of their own. It gives them the paternalistic view of someone who sees others as children struggling to learn what they already know. Obviously, it all pours down to trying to justify colonization and imperialism with a viable ideology. The pipeline that you described of " we mock them" therefore "it reinforces their superiority" is exactly what they did in their own histories so the social evolutionary theories would thrive. "So much time being miserable" (and they weren't as much, this image of filth, famine and violence was accentuated by what I'm talking about), as you say, don't matter if they still feel like they achieved a comfortable way of life faster than other nations.

[@herkles5416]

When you mention the fall of the roman Empire, you should have mentioned that this is the fall of the western roman empire. The eastern roman empire, also called the Byzantine empire, didn't fall till 1453. It was also part of the Christian world, being Christian; the notion of the Catholic and Orthodox churches being separate wasn't a thing that was solidified till near the end of the the middle ages, this is especially true in the early middle ages.

[@arandomgreekfrombactria6302]

This comment right here, that and the preservation of the oldest Greek and Roman texts with Roman Law, Architecture, Science, Culture etc, hell even the Throne Room od the Baselius in the 9th century had a literal mechanical sort of garden with singing birds and lions and a lift for the throne itself meant to impress ambassadors for example. The Eastern Roman Empire is a HUGE overlooked part of the Middle ages up at least until 1204 when it ceased it be a Major Power

[@Herr_Flick_of_ze_Gestapo]

thanks for this. a lot of so called medieval experts are totally blind and void of knowledge on Christian history. I have even come across medieval historians who are not even aware that there is such a thing as the Orthodox Church. its mindboggling. I must correct you in one thing ..... you said it was ALSO part of the Christian world .... in fact it was the center of the Christian world. And it also must be mentioned that in the west and especially the british isles converted to Christianity MUCH earlier than often suggested. They totally seem to ignore the Holy Apostle Aristobulos who was the first British Bishop.

[@LynnAgain83]

THIS! Thank you 🙏🏼 ✨📖 I think some of these so-called" Medieval and progressive experts" hate Christianity so much they choose ignorance for fear of.. the alternative 🤷‍♀️ Strange.

[@lazycatjansen9442]

One of the first history videos I’ve sen that lists their sources. This means I can watch these relay the info to my PhD mom who specializes in the Middle Ages, and not have her go “What are the sources?”. You’ve earned a new sub

[@gr33ngirlsea]

Yess!! I love using informative videos as resources, but I can't look into certain subjects further without their sources!!

[@marthalewenstein1412]

Hildegard von Bingen ❤️ also as a history major I appreciate what you are doing here. Everytime someone makes fun of the midieval times I used to lecture them, now I can refer the to your video

[@DramaGeek1225]

As a medieval studies major, I'm right there with you. I can often be found shouting "They weren't the dark ages!" 😂

[@cayreet5992]

Apprenticeships are still a thing in Europe - it's still a requirement for most craftspeople here in Germany, for instance. You do get paid, but much less than a regular employee, and you go to a specific school to learn the theory while the craftsperson you're the apprentice of teaches you the practical side. After three years, you take your exam and can then work in the field.

[@cometgravity]

this was really cool and educational! taking a couple classes focused heavily on the middle ages (especially their art) this semester and it's always great to supplement that knowledge

[@chuckles5689]

One thing you need to mention about bathhouses is that the Christians were equally religious as the Jews and the Muslims. The Jews and the Muslims generally didn't want to bathe with the Christians in the first place for the same reasons the Christians didn't want to bathe with the Jews and Muslims. The Christians were not uniquely oppressive compared to the Muslims, Muslims existed in Christian lands such as the Byzantine Empire and in southern Italy where they were often treated well, participated in battles, and had their own cities. The Normans even extended their control into Africa for a short while and during that time they were tolerant of the local Muslims and essentially let them do their own thing unhindered (except they safeguarded the status of Christians who were previously persecuted). With the exception of isolated atrocities (such as the capture of Jerusalem in the First Crusade), the crusaders were remarkably tolerant of their Muslim population and generally treated well - this isn't out of some benevolence, the crusaders being oppressive tyrants on the huge Muslim majority would be unbelievably stupid and would destabilize the realm. (Keep in mind that the crusaders were generally fighting neighboring Islamic realms or themselves, I have not found any sources of them actually fighting a guerrilla war against their Islamic population, while their Islamic subjects would be more than capable of preforming if they were treated poorly enough). The Muslims were not uniquely benevolent and tolerant compared to the Christians based on religious principle. There were simply far more Christians living under Islamic rule than there were Muslims living under Christian role. There was also a wide degree of variation between them, from the very tolerant Abbasids to the almost ISIS-like Almohads who saw the "tolerance" of Christians as second-class citizens (as was the general trend for Muslim realms at the time) as being not Islamic enough. They forced Christians and Jews to convert or die on a large scale. Even those who converted were treated as second-class citizens and inferior to "true" Muslims. The Jews were, of course, in no position to be oppressive towards others and as such, they generally kept a very insular isolated culture, often living as perpetual foreigners in their lands. While the persecution of Jews obviously had a large impact on this, one should not discount the role of Jewish culture itself in isolating them from the rest of society.

[@claireseelig3347]

completely agreed. painting the catholic church as the Only Big Bad Guy lacks... a lot of very important nuance...

[@covereddonuts1279]

I honestly think the fact that Catholicism is seen as the big bad guy is because our country ( the United States specifically) is mostly focused on Christianity and Catholicism. And considering that most people descend from people who were forced into Catholicism or Christianity through slavery and death. So once you learn about it, and learn about your cultural religions being demonized by the church, you’d think Christianity is evil too. And like not to say that other religions haven’t got their terrible and insidious ways but like when’s the last time people learned about Muslim and Jewish history in public school? If you have a problem with it you might need to take it up with the curriculum in schools and the overall hold Christianity has on American culture.

[@damienspencer2088]

My dad would always remind me as a kid (usually referring to ancient people) that those humans had the exact same brains as we do and they were just as smart.

[@AnaLeeBR]

why did this video make me so emotional. like i'm legit about to cry. idk just thinking that these people lived and were alive and felt and loved and laughed and danced like us even though we're separated by centuries, by time and space, but we can still connect with them, even for a second, by learning about their lives and customs and stories. i think i need to take my meds.

[@Wika-jt1rg]

My high school history teacher once said something that is stuck in my head till this day, it really gave me a new perspective. She said that we often think about middle ages as "dark times". Even the name is nothing specific for that era, like it was just few centuries between ancient times and modern times when nothing important was happening (apart from wars, plagues and poverty). But what middle ages people did really well was preserving the knowledge. Can you imagine? All of the art, science, history from ancient times they preserved without computers, servers that can store huge amounts of information. It's a big accomplishment. If not the people who were rewriting the books and storing works of art it would all be gone and later the big expansion of science and civilization wouldn't be possibile. Plus educated people in middle ages were really good with the philosophy and debating. My teacher was laughting that if we were to have a discussion with someone who was educated in middle ages we would definitely lose lol Like yeah, sure we know how to use a smartphone or what wifi is, but can we really understand how they work or how to explain them?

[@tanchella]

In the book written by a former ortodox christian nun from Russia, she writes, that only one roll of toilet paper was provided for a whole of a month. This is 2010s not medieval ages!

[@ayjamay]

I got nauseated just thinking about men I’ve passed that bathed in that shit.

[@tecumsehcristero]

@@ayjamay what did they bath in exactly? Your comment makes no sense

[@ayjamay]

@@tecumsehcristero axe body spray.

[@ayjamay]

@@tecumsehcristero I’m an idiot on commented on the wrong thread apparently.

[@Zaika_plays]

Title? I’m former Orthodox and would love to check it out.

[@TheGloriousLobsterEmperor]

We always tend to forget that people in the past were, in fact, people too. Maybe it's our brains not fully comprehending the sheer scale of time, but every one of us had an ancestor 1000 years ago who lived, breathed, played and felt boredom just like us. The best way I like to do this is to remind myself of a young Russian boy who lived around the early 1200s named Onfim. His schoolwork was preserved and we can today see not just written work, but drawings of him and others engaging in battles, and a note to what might have been a classmate or friend. Onfim lived and died long before any of us, but he was a person too. Even earlier, we have evidence of people with disabilities showing signs of being cared for *from the neolithic era.* In a time when man was thought to be his most "savage", we see genuine compassion from them as well. They were people too. We have ancestors going back to the time of Roman, the time of Sumeria, the *time before history.* All composed of people, just like us.

[@Peregrin3]

It is always nice to see videos correcting lies about the middle ages so thank you for doing so, unfortunately, you also reinforced some other myths about the middle ages. First is the Idea that the Church didn't want people of different faiths to mingle in bathhouses because they feared the mixing of Ideas, this is an oversimplification, as these same people would trade in the marketplace which was the most common way of sharing new ideas at the time, it is why the middle east was the hub of learning for a time because of the trade routes that came from Europe, Asia and Africa all passed through the area, this was later surpassed by universities started by the Catholic Church which is one of the reasons that led to the decline of the Middle East. Also, the Jews and the Muslims were just as opposed to bathing with Christians as Christians were. Second is the reason the church frowned on bathhouses, it wasn't just because they didn't approve of sex which in itself is another oversimplification, It wasn't the fact that people were having sex that worried the Church, it was the kind of sex that was being practiced, as a general rule you didn't go to the bathhouses to have sex with your wife or husband, almost all sex in the bathhouses was Fornication, which is sex before you are married, adultery, prostitution, and homosexuality, which are all outside of marriage and or considered sinful behavior, the idea that the church was anti-sex is an exaggeration, the idea you should only have sex to procreate was not a fixed doctrine of the church, some clergy may have believed and taught it but it was not universal and had its roots in Gnosticism which was condemned as a heresy, In Gnosticism, the physical body was considered evil and only the spirit was good and physical actions like sex were considered evil, which is why Gnostics did not believe Jesus was God because they believed God would never take on evil flesh. Also, one of the reasons the Catholic Church condemned the Cathar's was because they were teaching this belief that that flesh is evil. Just a few things to consider.🙂

[@i.cs.z]

And there is the thing abouth the hygene of the bathouses. Even in the roman era, there were people critiquing it, and frankly I can't imagine a warm, wet place what has hundreds of people in it to be really sanitary.

[@y1inae160]

Thank you for your "voice"! Glad people would be able to access multifaceted perspectives within one comment section.☺

[@thethirdsicily4802]

One other thing I found was that the Church forbid autopsies, I have found one or two websites claiming it, and many more denouncing such a claim (and the ones I found that did also completely misrepresented a belief of the Church, Khan Academy stated that the Church believed in the gnostic heresy that the human body was inherently sinful) at worst it was discouraged by clergy members.

[@johnmazzel2898]

Honestly, I think my problem with a lot medievalism is that it strikes me as kind of dehumanizing towards the people of the Middle Ages

[@Herr_Flick_of_ze_Gestapo]

one of the most dehumanizing things i think is the idea that medieval people tortured people left and right. There are even countless "medieval" torture museums. full of all kinds of torture devices which no one in medieval era had never seen because they were made in the 18 and 19th century. the most retarded thing are iron maidens. 99% of people genuinely believe medieval people used them non stop. .... while in fact it was invented in the victorian era and just for show/effect purpose. Torture in medieval era was extremely rare. just as death penalties. "witch burnings" wasnt even a thing at all. this is a protestant 18th century practise. But for some sinister reason our medieval catholic ancestors are being blamed for it. Its nasty and moronic.

[@semoremo9548]

@@Herr_Flick_of_ze_Gestapo That's probably because most people have no idea of in which years a lot of historical stuff happened, so joined with every other thing that created our bad perception of how the middle ages actually were, their logic probably was "shitty old historical event that sounds wild in modern standards? Throw it in the middle ages, why not?"

[@gaywizard2000]

Well yes. We do not discover humanism until the Renaissance and even then it takes until the middle of the 20th century to almost realize. And American women just lost bodily autonomy in the abortion ruling so its a fragile state!

[@MrCmon113]

People in the middle ages were still dumb as fuck. Just not in the ways polularly portrayed in TV series.

[@MrCmon113]

@@Herr_Flick_of_ze_Gestapo Torture was "extremely rare" where exactly? The entirety of Western Europe boomed with the slave trade of pretty Slavic women throughout what we consider the early middle ages.

[@MarioRossiAncora]

I didn't know that there was a myth about bad cooking. Super weird: here in Italy we still cook and celebrate dishes that are known to be derived from the Middle Ages. Granted, they have changed and evolved in time, but everything does. Also, there are some schools that teach you medieval cooking. And the dishes are different but delicious.

[@cynhanrahan4012]

Brava! Very well done. Thank you. Apprenticeship - oh hell yes. My own grandson was saved from direction into the military by the US educational system by his other grandmother's family being iron workers. She got him an apprenticeship. Saved him from Afghanistan. I will be forever grateful. That said, when I was in high school, we had class direction toward trades, not just college. Why have we stopped this?

[@NaviciaAbbot]

Because we've been pushing IT and STEM like it's the only thing that matters since the 80s and 90s, probably due to the Cold War. Never died since.

[@jadeschaffer5463]

Love how you humanized these people- my history classes were always filled with jokes centered around disgust of the Middle Ages GAH IM OBSESSED W UR VIDEOS

[@miseralisyeeeh2834]

When it comes to drawings, I never considered middle ages artists bad at drawing because I grew up around churches with restored art from these times- wich all had different styles, yet looked absolutly awesome and made me wanting to visit as many churches as possible for sience purposes.

[@izzybeth]

as someone who spent way too much time on medieval studies in university: I approve this message

[@Wildflower687]

As a person of Puerto Rican/Taino descent, I would love for you to do a video on Columbus. Sadly, most Americans have no idea that it was the Caribbean and the Arawak/Taino people whom Columbus was in contact with, not the indigenous North American people. So many misconceptions about who he was, what he did and who he impacted.

[@mfr7918]

To add on the drawing part I just finished an assignment for an Art class where we read about all the different optic tools painters who did more realistic paintings used.. it was never about skill but mostly about the new technology available and whether you wanted to use it or were even able to get it. You can see paintings that were only a few years apart be drastically different because of this.

[@PlantagenetRose]

Someone: “they just weren’t good at art” Me: **gently raises The Book of Kells**

[@theaj7866]

The Book of Kells is so beautiful I sometimes can not believe it is real. This is a great example of stunning medieval art! 😍 Me: *gently raising the codex manesse as well*

[@LordZeebee]

The modern equivalent to the medieval style of art is basically just drawing in an anime style. Imagine a thousand years from now some future civilization discovers today's people's DeviantArt My Hero Academia shipping page going "wtf, this barely even looks human did they just forget how to draw???"

[@mysteriousfun4759]

My nuanced yearning for our dapper host to cover indigenous native American history remains unconsolidated, yet I remain hopeful.

[@mysteriousfun4759]

@@hi-ve1cw She might find links to the Victorian era as she uncovers secrets of trades past between the continents

[@doubtful_seer]

"Sit in their filth for days on end" I haven’t been able to take a shower or wash my hair since the beginning of December (it’s June now). I’m chronically ill and disabled and don’t have anyone who can really help me. The last time I tried I fell, got sick in the shower, had to stay in there all day because the shower literally took a full day and caused pain and a flare of my illnesses that lasted for about three weeks after. I haven’t been able to handle it since then. I use soapy cloths or hospital bath wipes when I feel able, but I can’t really do anything about my hair other than dry shampoo. Next time you come across someone who doesn’t smell entirely fresh, you all might want take a moment and think about why they may be in that situation. It’s very rarely by choice and it hurts knowing people already think we’re gross and lazy when we would love to change it if we could. I’m homebound anyway, but this is definitely a reason why the one time I’m able to get out of the house each month (for something that isn’t a doctor appointment) to pick up my prescriptions, I refuse to get out of the car and go in anywhere. It’s been several years since I’ve been able to go somewhere just for enjoyment or for something that wasn’t a doctor appointment, surgery, or pharmacy, or be around someone who isn’t my mother or a medical practitioner. I ended my 20’s last month having not seen many to any friends at all for the majority of my 20’s. And I’ll probably spend my 30’s even more isolated because I’m aware no one wants to be near me and my not very fresh disgusting cripple sick body.

[@Iamthatis137]

I bet you don’t stink. And I took it to mean she was actually making the point that sometimes people just stink and get over it. I don’t really spend a lot of time outside my own house. So, I’ll admit that I don’t shower that often. I use deodorant daily and I wash my hair and face when I get greasy. And toilet wipes are amazing! I shower when I get “ripe” and when I’m about to go socialize with new people or just when I feel like it. That’s called depression. (*nervous chuckle) I just usually don’t feel like going through the whole thing and for some reason, it stresses me out. So I felt a little called out when she said that too. But it is what it is and I read my own interpretation into it. The point through the whole video is medieval societies were not THAT different from modern ones. I’m really sorry for your situation, but I second everything the other commenter said. Most of my friendships and socialization are long distance and/or take place online/ over the phone... and it’s awesome! As for not wanting to go into the pharmacy, just do it! If you want to. You are there to get your medication! I understand self-consciousness and I say we both need to care less about what other people think! Be you! Be proud! Be your glorious messy human self!

[@XxNachtalbxX]

I'm really sorry about your situation and and sure you are not disgusting. There's a plethora of reasons why people might not shower and that's okay. I'm hoping things get better for you and that the friends you do have sticking around are people who can appreciate you for who you are ❤

[@MissRedZelda]

I'm very sorry to hear this, but I'm pretty sure Kaz is talking about people who choose to not wash by choice. Ie, edgy teenage boys who think Lynx body spray is a shower.

[@milascave2]

OMG! I hope your situation has improved since you have posted this. But if you have not learned this yet: there are organizations like "In-home support services" and within that is an organization called "Homebridge," which is what I recommend. If you are low-income and disabled, they will send somebody to your house to help you with things like bathing, cleaning, errands, and etc. You may have to experiment to get a good person. But there is no reason for you to live as you do. The point of those organizations is to keep elderly and disabled low-income people out of nursing homes for as long as possible. Good luck!

[@heather2778]

You should look into getting a home health aid that can come a few times a week to help you bathe and even pick up the house a bit for you. I’m not sure where you live, but even state-provided insurance will usually cover the costs for this, as it’s much cheaper than a skilled nursing facility

[@aydon1276]

It pisses me off when people think that everyone in The Middle Ages was a dirty bastard. People think I'm Albert Einstein when I explain to them that people back then also had standards for cleanliness. It's as if people think that bathhouses dissappeared between the Holy Roman Empire and the Renaissence. Thanks for clearing the huge one up!

[@forickgrimaldus8301]

Also a Flat Earther is probably dumber than the average Peasant anyway so who cares about their opinions lol

[@patrickbuerke1390]

A question: What exactly do you mean by 'between the Holy Roman Empire and the Renaissance'? The Holy Roman Empire lasted from (depending on your preferred dating) around 800 (if you hold the Carolingian view; one could also argue the HRE starts somewhere around the late 1100s, with ?Manfred or Conrad.) to the early 19th century, when Napoleon dissolved it. The Renaissance starts (again, depending on your preferred period) sometime between the thirteenth and fifteenth century. As such, the HRE coexisted with, indeed, outlasted the Renaissance.

[@communistsharks6889]

If you want a really good documentary to watch about the Tudor period (right before the renaissance in Britain), I recommend Tudor Monastery Farm. It’s fascinating and eye opening.

[@MrMadPenny3000]

Paris's evil odor never went away - yup 😂😂 they don't tell you about that in the travel ads. Loving your channel gonna go and binge 🥰🥰 thank you!

[@gwydionvennema9863]

One thing I’d like to add in support is that there is strong continuity between late Roman Imperial and early Medieval art because it’s a shared symbolic language. When the Tetrachy was formed, the emperors commissioned a whole bunch of stylized art to be erected all over the Empire showing them with the same face or with one face for the emperors and one for the Caesars. Sometimes it would just be a stand alone with the same stylized face, rather than a portrait of any particular one of the four. There a big one with four identical faces on one head all looking out in different directions. Did artists all over the Empire suddenly forget how to sculpt realistic faces at once? No. This art was intended to symbolize that the four of them were basically one, that the empire was still whole even though administration had been divided into big regional districts. The four men making up the Tetrarchy were effectively one authority and one will. Call it symbolism or propaganda, but it was on purpose. So Christians looked at this Imperial art symbolizing that a bunch of different dudes are functionally the same dude and thought something like, “We are all one in Christ,” so they borrowed that symbolism. They’d do statues and reliefs with the same stylized face on all the figures, male or female. Eventually the Empire fell, but people kept liking the idea so those stylized identical faces turn up in a lot of Romanesque religious structures. People also got to liking the stylized look just generally as she points out above. Don’t get me wrong, late Romans did keep doing individualized statue portraiture and you can also find plenty of Romanesque early medieval art with multiple figures with different faces despite being heavily stylized and on the same relief carving and some more realistic figures, it’s just there was a powerful symbolic message in having, say a piece of art where the saints and the ordinary people have the same face, or Jesus and the people around him all have the same face. There are all sorts of theological messages you could send to people visually in contexts where hardly anyone in that church was literate , and it could be very moving for the people contemplating the art. Tastes change over time. The bit in the video about the shift from extremely realistic to abstract modern art is very apt. Art has a visual language that can be culturally determined. (Ex: the eyes in anime are different relative sizes and shapes to convey things about the character to viewers.) Romanesque art has a context. One thousand years of medieval art was made by a variety of cultures in a variety of contexts to do different things. Context very much matters.

[@MrCmon113]

Lol. In your mind everyone just decided to draw in a crappy, comical and crude way for 300+ years for religious and cultural reasons? No, they fucking sucked, just admit it.

[@LynnAgain83]

Beautifully said!! 🙏🏼

[@ihh2921]

Imagine what medieval people would think of this vid, like some future society would educate about the most basic things we do now, like how to buy groceries or what a school test is. Strange stuff

[@budgetlifter]

Mfs out here judging Medieval Art saying it looks dumb while we literally live in an era with this super ugly, overly simplistic art style every company uses

[@iwakuralain1459]

Man, do I hate the corporate artstyle

[@SS-yl5wo]

Hell yeah, most “modern art” sucks, it’s just random paint on a blank canvas. Nowadays, art is just about money

[@thekingshussar1808]

Hating on medieval art that bad is pretty dense when you consider that it is the western copy of the Byzantine art style.

[@Herr_Flick_of_ze_Gestapo]

a banana stuck to a wall with a piece of dckttape ... and an over pretentious blue-haired non binary gallery holder doing a typical lame gibberish talk that usually begins with: "what the artist is trying to evoke here is...."

[@MrCmon113]

We live in an era with hundreds if not thousands of art styles that are prettier and harder to achieve than anything that I've seen from the middle ages. Half of the uneraged girls I know are better artists than the people making the most famous than tapestries back then.

[@tessyb8]

Usually (in Britain at least) the term "the dark ages" refers to the early medieval period c 410 - 1066, its a bullshit term stemming from having so few surviving written sources, as well as all the saxon and viking incursions. P.s. loving the bede mention

[@chrisball3778]

Paper wasn't readily available in most of Europe during the Medieval era. Most books were made from vellum (highly processed animal skins) which was very expensive, which would have made practicing drawing quite tricky for aspiring artists. This video is right to reject the term 'dark ages', but it was a little unusual to see 'renaissance' used in the same breath. Again, this isn't a very popular term with historians these days as a) it refers to the 'rebirth' of civilisation after the non-existent 'dark ages' and b) it's very difficult to define and supposedly happened in different places hundreds of years apart. Generally modern historians instead distinguish between the Medieval era and the Early Modern era, which began around 1500, with the expansion of global trade and European imperialism around that time. Good video, though.

[@bboops23]

Another historian I watched showed a great video of the kind of haircare routine a medieval woman may follow and it was fascinating because it very much worked off this idea that you want your hair clean, but you may not have access to water to do this. Or you may not have regular access to water. It was essentially a method that involved regular brushing/combing with a fine tooth wooden comb and she was impressed by how little her head itched and how little hair came out in the daily brushing. She said that if she ever had no access to water/hot water then doing this would be a great alternative to keep her hair clean. They also had a version of dry shampoo that she made and they used various oils for conditioning. It was a really good deep dive into the hair care of a different time period

[@cevatippenet5033]

As someone who grew up orthodox, i can confirm that the man-baby Jesus thing appers in most orthodox iconography

[@Herr_Flick_of_ze_Gestapo]

anyone who never researched Orthodox Iconography and Iconology will NEVER EVER understand medieval art and society

[@rylands4289]

I love that this isnt like a watchmojo video, you literally debunk by educating us

[@rachel19984]

When you started coughing I genuinely thought you were going to say the plague ahah

[@alicegallagher9291]

I really like how you talk about these topics with a lot of empathy. It’s easy for us to detach ourselves from eras that seem so different from our own, and forget about our shared humanity and experiences. Great vid!

[@suchnothing]

I experienced the point about art and drawing at my local museum last week. They have a huge exhibit on ancient Egypt and their collection spans several hundred years of Egyptian history. When you think of Egyptian art, you think of those highly stylized hyroglyphs and statues, but the exhibit also had animal figurines that were almost perfect stone reproductions of animals. Shows that the art we think of as Egyptian was very much a style choice, and not a matter of their artistic perception or ability.

[@clarandie]

this was another really interesting video!! especially about the art styles - also that comment was insane....

[@rodrigogalrao3924]

Listening to the bathing part while in the shower was quite the immersive experience

[@BlueSpams]

Wow, it’s almost like art styles and trends change over time 🙃 Great video btw! This helps with me setting up a medieval setting in my own writing. ☺️ I am curious though, did they have a better understanding of psychology than we usually think they do?

[@Arcane_Archer]

Another thing that contributed to weird medieval art of animals specifically - most people only saw the animals that were around where they lived. Stuff like giraffes were probably based on descriptions of descriptions like a game of telephone!

[@Tsotha]

in the mediaeval maps of the world drawn by Europeans which I have seen, giraffes are just drawn as long necked deer and elephants as giant wild boars (because those were the only land mammals with long snouts and tusks a European artist of the time would have been familiar with)

[@diegorincon4673]

When you really think about, they were just like us. Under feudalism, class was seen as ordained to god, so not many questioned it. Race was seen like eye or hair color, so that didn’t matter. At the time, it was discriminatory against religion. Later it was race, with things like Jim Crow laws. We still have segregation. Now it’s by class. Medieval people where just as interesting as we are, and had vivid, emotional, albeit less incidental lives. I will admit that I will get emotional thinking about all those people that died in plagues. They were people, just like all of us. Also because we are currently in a certain _event_ that these people felt.

[@chuckles5689]

The linear view of history poisons all serious historical studies. The moral standards of Western Europe were significantly better in the High/Late Middle ages than in the Age of Discovery for example. Slavery went from being almost nonexistent in Western Europe and being banned by the Papacy to, in the Age of Discovery, becoming a common part of life and being embraced by the Church (still within more humane constrictions than many aristocrats and slave owners would have liked). Europe went from having small plantations dotted around Cyprus and southern Italy, which were operated by hired labor, to having half of the Americas dedicated to the mass-cultivation of goods on plantations at the expense of African slaves.

[@FreshAsianSwagg]

Under supremacy, segregation is still intersectional with class and race. But yes, everything youve said is true. They did live full lives, beautiful lives, as we do today. And one day, maybe despite all the information we have today on ourselves, people will look at us too in a lens similar to those in the dark ages. Humans are obsessed with letting their existence be known. Graffiti, paper drawings, all show this. These people had that as much as we do today.

[@chuckles5689]

@@FreshAsianSwagg You realize that the concept of race as we understand it didn't exist in the Middle Ages, right? There was no such thing as the "white race" for instance. Race was synonymous with how we might understand ethnicity, ie the "French race," the "English race," etc.

[@Herr_Flick_of_ze_Gestapo]

how you mean less incidental lives? medieval people traveled a LOT. perhaps even more so than modern era people. Going on pilgrimage was something EVERYONE wanted to do. it was a huge aspect of medieval society.

[@katie775star]

Kaz: " how are you supposed to woo Kathryn if ur stinky" Me: 👁️👄👁️ but I'm Kathryn....

[@loggingfire1]

M'lady~

[@tarniabook3076]

*Kneels down like a night, proceeds to recite cheesy love verses*

[@fawnieee]

You are obviously the standard as to who gets to woo and who does not based on how we smell. A most important duty, Lady Kathryn.

[@canadiankewldude]

Brilliant presentation, so few actual ground routes truthers like you out there. Might I suggest you do one on when and why they started claiming peasants couldn't read. It seems every pubic documentary says people couldn't read, repeatably. Mind you, it seems education is heading that way now.

[@owellafehr5191]

I was a little leery about this video at first but I'm so glad I ended up watching it. I was worried that it'd fall into the "historical period was actually super advanced and progressive!!!" trap, but your approach was highly nuanced, thoughtful, and informative, so kudos for that. What I appreciated most was how you highlighted the sheer span/range of the era - life in, say, Scandinavia in the 500s would be quite different from Sicily in the 1000s or Byzantium in the early 1400s, despite them all falling under the banner of "Medieval Europe" - and also the humanity of the people - how they were, at the end of the day, human beings not so different from us, who had their own way of doing things and viewing the world around them. Especially liked your acknowledgement of how they were able to create and run a society that functioned for them, even without modern benefits like widespread literacy and advanced science. Also, on another note, I love the music you have in the background! Thanks for linking it in the description!

[@corycianangel6321]

Based on what I've seen on the docuseries, Terry Jones Medieval Lives. one of the reasons people have to know how to read was because they want to understand the law in case of land disputes and stuff.

[@RaysofLight98]

@15:30 I was waiting patiently for this part... Up until recently, the way people were educated, had their academic discoveries published, and had those ideas circulated was up to church sponsorship. The calendar, the idea of heliocentrism, etc. were all present back then.

[@therealfinnaspring8585]

You should play kingdome come deliverance, they put a ton of research into the game and tried to make it extremely accurate to the time period and location I'd be interested to know if you thought it was accurate.

[@edisonlima4647]

I know it would cost a lot and clash with audiences expectations (and tastes), but I would like to watch a good period piece or two in which the interiors of a castle were really as colourfull and furnished as acurately portrayed in Deliverance: Kingdom Come.

[@therealfinnaspring8585]

@@edisonlima4647 i love that game. It really brought the medieval world to life in a way i had never seen

[@pensword14]

The best thing I took from my favorite college professor, a medievalist, was that if priests were complaining about it enough for it to get written down multiple times - it didn't mean people were listening. It meant people were cheerfully ignoring them.

[@nenadmilovanovic5271]

So I live in eastern Europe and here we have still standing Ottoman bathhouses. Christians and Jews were forbidden from entering. Just to exist in the Empire Jews had to pay a "rabbi tax" and Christians payed the "blood tax" (sons to serve as Janissaries). It wasn't just Christians who were awful.

[@pillmuncher67]

Practically all "realistic" perspectival paintings are only really so in the horizontal direction. In the vertical direction "accurate" perspective would look strange. Oh, and realism is only a style like any other. Mark Tansey made fun of it with his grisaille painting The Innocent Eye Test.

[@mybalcony4066]

Are there any examples of realism in a vertical direction?

[@pillmuncher67]

@@mybalcony4066 There are, probably. None come to mind.

[@Herr_Flick_of_ze_Gestapo]

No one who never researched Orthodox Iconography and Iconology will EVER understand medieval art and society. One first has to learn what reverse perspective is and especially why it is a thing.

[@laffyraffy407]

5:20 is basically "tell me you've never taken an art history class without *telling* me you've never taken an art history class."

[@choirguy100]

Great video. I wish it also included a segment on medieval music, which 1) was considered a science and obligatory part of the university curriculum (“the liberal arts”) due its connections to math and astronomy, 2) the basis of current Western music theory/notation are medieval, 3) the Middle Ages saw some of the most intellectually complex music devised in the West, such as mensuration canons and isorhythmic motets; such musical sophistication would not be seen again history until after WW2. Sure, it was an elite form of musical art, probably not what the average peasant would dance to at their wedding, but the same can be said of Beethoven of Brahms.

[@claireseelig3347]

The fun thing about complex medieval music is that since most of it was religious, the average peasant probably *did* have access to it while sitting in church on Sunday (or other feasts).

[@choirguy100]

@@claireseelig3347 Maybe some of it, on special feast days, but there’s also a misconception that all this intellectual musical activity was religious. Some of what I was referring to in my comment came from secular court circles, although the secular/sacred divide was a bit blurry in the fourteenth century, especially if one considers the highly secular music of the papal courts. Those pieces would not have been heard at church by the average person.

[@Herr_Flick_of_ze_Gestapo]

@@claireseelig3347 ALL of it was religious. Even secular dance music and folk songs played at fairs were all based on religion. most of the folk songs were themed on Mary. we must not forget that medieval people were Mary devotees. .... ps it must be sayd that people did NOT sit in church.pews in church is a rather modern invention. standing before the very presence of Christ in the house of God was absolutely not done. If you want to know the fine in depth detail of it you need to look up on the Russian Orthodox Church where there are no pews and people stand for hours on end.

[@Herr_Flick_of_ze_Gestapo]

@@choirguy100 you sayd [but there’s also a misconception that all this intellectual musical activity was religious.] ....... you are wrong. ALL music weather intended for church, intended for a farmers street fair, intended as nursery sonngs etc ... litteraly ALL music was religious. Only a portion of it was liturgical music ... but all the other music was based, and inspired on Christ and Mary or saints. there is no such thing as a difference between religious music and secular music in medieval era. for all music was not secular. Medieval society as such was not secular. Secularity wasnt a thing. its a more modern concept.

[@throwmeaname]

Super glad to stumble on your channel. Great work!

[@GiantPetRat]

Regarding odd Medieval art, could it not also be the case that many of the artists (or monks) who were given the task to draw didn't necessarily posess an innate talent? Kind of like how most middle school essays lowkey suck, while there are maybe one or two standouts? You know, like a law of averages sorta thing.

[@-K_J-]

This was very good! Also the giant turkey legs are my local Ren faire aren't even turkey. They're ham. To say the least I was disappointed.

[@gregorytaylor3146]

"...Position of privilege..." Is a rare piece of honesty given the unbridled arrogance of a lot of modern academia talking about "people who don't know where the sun goes at night." That was refreshing. Thank you.

[@jennym8204]

Kaz's videos are so interesting, and so much work goes into them! Which is why I feel weird with this message. Any idea what lipstick that is? It's exactly the shade I've been looking for.

[@hobihope2981]

Its so weird/interesting how bath houses were a phenomenon across the world, even without communication. I mostly think of Japan where they didn't really have much outside contact til the 17th century, and they've had bath houses all over the place for forever! (And they also had a reason to explain the people who drowned during bathing- obviously they didn't drown, they were just kidnapped by frog-human hybrids with plates on their heads called Kappa!)

[@Herr_Flick_of_ze_Gestapo]

what do you mean with "without communication" you do realise that medieval people traveled a LOT and very far.. right? already WAYYYY before the medieval era there were very well established trading routes. current japanese people are not native to japan but originate from china. just like scottish people are not native to scotland but originate from ireland.

[@AlexanderLittlebears]

@@Herr_Flick_of_ze_Gestapo They didn't go very far, it's that the goods passed through a lot of different hands to travel from China to Europe

[@sannyzi338]

Stumbled over you account the other day and have been watching your videos since then. I love how well researched they are. Thank you very much!

[@thomasecker9405]

As a medieval enthusiast, I liked watching this video. It both informed me of things I didn't know about the medieval period, as well as left me saying yes to the various aspects that I already knew. Here are some of my own highlights from your video, if you want to see them. 1:36 Oh my gosh!! The title of this question had me laughing at its absurdity!!! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 Of COURSE they bathed. Basic hygiene in the Middle Ages, as you pointed out, was far better than the hygiene that was practiced during the Modern Era and the early Industrial Revolution. Granted, there were some issues with it, but it was still far better based on the many documents we have of the thousand year period. 5:42 This is where you're a bit wrong. The actual history of this is a bit more nuanced and fuzzy. Now I'm not denying that there were sources of contention between Arabs, Christians, and Jews during the Middle Ages. The Crusades, Pelagius of Asturias' campaign against the Berbers, and Charles Martel chasing out the Berbers and Islamic Caliphate at the Battle of Tours are prominent examples of this being true. But at the same time, there is clear historical evidence of Jews, Christians, and Muslims living side by side peacefully during the Middle Ages. Such examples include Saladin's rule over Jerusalem during the Third Crusade (where, when he took it, he kept every single mosque, church, and synagogue standing so as not to seem like a monster), El Cid's kingdom of Valencia, and the Spanish Moorish colonies that you semi mention later. 11:52 This is correct, but a key piece of information is missing here. When the Roman Empire fell in 395 AD, the Christian church actually preserved the ancient Greek writings, and actually made copies and translations of the works of Plato, Archimedes, Aristotle, Pythagoras, and others. Eventually, these writings were given to the early Muslims, who grew curious about them, and began to study and refine them, which were then presented back to the Christians when the Moors began to colonize and conquer Spain. Again, mostly accurate, but missing a bit more context... Mostly right so far, miss, and then you end up making this blunder here. 16:30 As mentioned before in my comment on the statement made at 11:52, there is sufficient evidence that the Church still utilized the Greek writings in their education during the Middle Ages. In fact, Thomas Aquinas references Grecian thinkers several times in his masterpiece of philosophy and theology, the Summa Theologica (a wonderful book that I have actually had the pleasure of partially reading. ^-^). These works of past thinkers didn't simply fall out of use during the Middle Ages. 16:39 Another blunder here, as the Renaissance didn't get started until the very late 13th century to early 14th century (unless you count the minor Renaissance during the 12th Century), and a big reason for the Renaissance happening was in the wake of the terror that was the Black Death having not made it past the Italian Alps, and had little to do with the Muslim scholars, and more to do with trying to rebuild civilization. 18:58 Precisely the sentiments of many Christian thinkers and scientists during and after the Middle Ages. As sociologist Rodney Stark notes, "Christian theology was essential for the rise of science." And as historian Tom Holland also notes, "Without Christianity, there would be no science." Granted, as you pointed out, some of the science practiced in the Middle Ages was more than a little questionable (doctors erroneously following Galen's notes on anatomy, when Egyptian anatomical studies of the Bronze Age were far better due to their knowledge of the embalming process, was a good example of this), but it was still far more scientifically minded than what Enlightment scholars and modern New Atheists make it out to be. 21:25 Nothing really to critique here. It was short, sweet, historically accurate, and covers not only written text, but oral history, as well. Well done, and good recovery from the two blunders made in the inset of the topic of Medieval scientific study. 24:16 Again, well done, though a minor nitpick, they also had access to various alcohols like wine, mead, ale, and medicinal spirits. 28:31 Again, same as 24:16, well reasoned, informative, and accurate. Overall, it is well done, and well worth the watch.

[@forickgrimaldus8301]

To add to the Crusader states, they are actually known to be fairly "progressive" for the time especially to the Jews and Eastern Christians, while they were still incredibly bigoted by our standards such as treating Muslims as 2nd citizenry and not allowing them to enter Jerusalem, there is evidence to say that they were more cooperative to them than the rest of Europe.

[@forickgrimaldus8301]

Tom Holland, Historian, Scholar, Spiderman

[@thomasecker9405]

@@forickgrimaldus8301 Really? This is the first time I've heard of this.

[@forickgrimaldus8301]

@@thomasecker9405 thats probably because the Crusader States are more obscure than most medieval kingdoms, and its still being argued just how segregated they were but most people believe that cooperation was more common, mostly because the Crusader States had dealings with the Muslim states. (though there were still injustices like Muslims and Christians being sold to slavery but to be fair thats also common in the Near East at the time.) They even tried to help a Muslim Prince in a Civil War against Saladin so they had a hand in local politics.

[@thomasecker9405]

@@forickgrimaldus8301 Nice to know! Glad you offered your own input alongside my own!

[@With_cheese_mr_squidward]

now that ive found this channel i fully plan on watching every video youve ever done, you cover so many interesting and lesser-explored topics and do so in a humorous and simply entertaining way, youre doing great!! ✨✨✨✨

[@ycylchgames]

I mean, even the ancient Celts had soap, not modern soap but very similar.

[@Hehehebwb]

Just wanted to say that I just found your channel and I literally love your sense of humor. I’m a historian as well and wanted to say that the content and delivery are so fun :)

[@MikaelaCher]

Two bros, chilling in a bath house, having homosexual interactions against the church's wishes!!!

[@forickgrimaldus8301]

Which is probably not the only way they can get away with it as Pivacy was non existent in the Medieval period as in sleeping next to strangers non existent at times.

[@Donteatacowman]

"They didn't bathe as often in water" Oh I know this one, it's because they bathed in beer which killed germs and was more nutritious :) /jk

[@Donteatacowman]

I do wonder specifically re: BO - even though folks bathed (and had other ways of avoiding The Stink, like those washable shoulder pads for the armpits? Right? Swear I'm not making that up) - our modern/western/capitalist idea of body odor needing to be stopped and treated is mostly shaped by that one old ad campaign, right? I've def heard that if you spend some time out camping with someone else (or otherwise in close quarters without deodorant), you get used to BO and don't even really smell it...? Maybe that's a myth. But BO is also influenced by genetics - did that play a role at all? I can't grab sources right now but I'm not trying to do a "gotcha," I'm just asking - maybe I'll look this up myself later because obviously I'm remembering rumors and not historical fact...

[@faithmoir1637]

@@Donteatacowman i definitely think that our modern concept of body odour = bad is different than Ye Olde Times, even more recent times like the 18th/19th centuries. they used perfume and other stuff to make them smell good, but it was more natural, like oil infused with herbs/spices/plants. i also remember reading somewhere that using deodorant has made us smell worse when we go without it?? but i could totally be making that up idk

[@Herr_Flick_of_ze_Gestapo]

actually they DID bathed in water a LOT and very long. sometimes for hours. ANd i spot another myth: "people in medieval era drank beer and wine all the time because water was dangerous" NOTHING about that is true. it is totall myth that has already been debunked countless times. medieval people drank loads of water. springs with crystal clear water were VERY abundant. then they had wells, rivers and unlimited rain water. The myth that they could just drink beer and wine is a modern 20th century invention

[@Herr_Flick_of_ze_Gestapo]

@@hi-ve1cw actually they DID fully submerged in water. medieval people bathed a LOT and very long. there is documental and painting evidence of this a plenty. medieval people bathed just like the romans did. sometimes for many hours on end and sometimes lasting an entire evening. they had meals while bathing and socialized. STOP peddling myths.