What Was City Life Like in the Middle Ages?

[@chichodormi4732]

How people who were dumping their waste on the streets were also able to design and build those cathedrals is so bizarre ..

[@marcussinclaire4890]

It really was bizarre. It is strange knowing what we know now and looking back in time.

[@yvonneplant9434]

It is pretty crazy that the skills to create such structures existed even though they lived with so much filtih.

[@CasperLCat]

Architecture is easy. Plumbing is hard. Seriously, services like clean water and sanitation require sources of constant power to move water uphill from rivers and lakes into homes and cities. That really didn’t exist until steam power in the 19th century, and electricity in the 20th.

[@whatdoyoulivefor735]

Plumbers have saved more lives than doctors.

[@nataliagonzalez1698]

Once you realize progress isn’t linear it makes sense

[@roman6135]

Wow! This helps me feel grateful for my clean beatuful apartment, a few blocks from a well stocked market where I can buy anything I want to eat.

[@yvonneplant9434]

Also your water may be safer... there may be lead in it, but you don't have to worry about cholera or typhoid fever.

[@kimberlyperrotis8962]

Curfews were began to reduce the risks of fire in cities, not provide security from crime. The word comes from the French couvre-feu, or “cover fire”. At curfew, all were required to cover their fires, by banking or other methods, to prevent sparks escaping and starting fires. Most European cities were built largely of wood and fires could destroy many stone buildings, too, as there was plenty of wood and other flammables in their construction, including inner walls or paneling, floors, ceilings and roofs, as well as their contents, of course.

[@kdubb4953]

Thank you for that information I appreciate it

[@coconutsmarties]

Wow, you know some stuff alright. Thank you

[@coconutsmarties]

Though having listened to this properly now, he didn't say that this is where the notion of a curfew originated, just that curfews were sometimes used for this purpose. Which I guess is no less true than saying that more recently, curfews were implemented to prevent the spread of covid in some places, etc. So I guess you're both right!

[@Donathon-xt2nl]

Thanks....I learned something new today 😊

[@kdubb4953]

I wish I had someone in my life that could randomly message me interesting facts lol. Learning never gets old.

[@jonnyw82]

It’s strangely comforting to know life has always been terrible

[@nateoliver3285]

You think your life is terrible in 2023? LMAO

[@jeremiahlumpkin7601]

@@nateoliver3285what do you mean? Just curious life can be terrible any time.

[@plantainsweetie]

@@nateoliver3285 why does life cease to be terrible just because we’re in the age of technology? technological and medicinal innovation has bettered society but it has also opened up a world of new issues

[@austyn5004]

@@plantainsweetie running hot water and soap makes our lives lignt years better alone

[@wolfzmusic9706]

​@@austyn5004not everybody in the world has that though

[@Painter75-z5l]

Want a good read? Try “The Time Traveler's Guide to Medieval England: A Handbook for Visitors to the Fourteenth Century”. It’s a history book but written to inform you much like modern travel guide does such as what to wear, healthcare places to stay, things to do.

[@pourquoipas2673]

There is also a series of video "Modern History" all about medieval life. It's really interesting.

[@CaesarRenasci]

Thank you very much.

[@angel8fingers]

Dude! Your videos have really helped my writing! I appreciate y’all! Great content as usual! Keep up the great work!

[@CaesarRenasci]

Start improving your writing by dropping forever the word "dude:" it screams ignorance.

[@angel8fingers]

@@CaesarRenasci your reply screams pettiness!

[@pigeonsareugly]

@@CaesarRenasciit’s a KZbin comment section, it’s not meant to be formal

[@josephwear9572]

9:50 that would be a terrific follow up to this video: guilds. I’ve heard about them in medieval times but never really looked into them.

[@josephwear9572]

Medicine in the Middle Ages would be a terrific topic especially the switch from sorcery to science. It really took hold right around this time frame.

[@saragrant9749]

Medicine went from sorcery and alchemy to science in the late 180’0s- not during the Middle Ages though. The miasma theory, blood letting, belief in humoral balance, etc. didn’t go away until well into the time of Queen Victoria. It was actually during the last of the major cholera outbreaks that someone put the link between dirty water and the disease together- thus beginning a more modern understanding of disease. Bacteria was discovered in the 1880’s, and the move towards modern medicine began.

[@roman6135]

They burned the herbalist and healers!

[@jimmylim5015]

Whatever happened that we lost the power of sorcery and magic?

[@jessaustin7830]

It wasn't really considered 'sorcery' though. Alchemists were Christian's and while a lot of their theories were related to the law of nature, the belief was that nature was created by a Christian god. Sunflowers, for example, were called such because the flowers were orange-like the sun and followed the sun across the sky. They didn't understand photosynthesis at the time, but saw the relationship between flower and solar energy. Alchemists were trying to understand the myseries of the divine (God) which was, to their understanding, revealing itself in the natural world

[@umbertotine410]

​@@roman6135No.

[@Rydonattelo]

The lack of advertising on this channel is fantastic. See being able to put a video on and know it wont be constantly disrupted by ads, it really makes a difference being able for something to run from start to finish. Take note KZbin.

[@seangilchrist3102]

you have sparked an interest in this era that i didn't know i had. I've always wandered though how did people keep track of who was who and how much money they had in the bank. Who could be trusted not to just steal your wealth? how did the entire country keep seemingly steady enough in the conditions and lack of tech they had with out collapse or god awful corruption?

[@blackkakari]

@seangilchrist3102 People had hiding places in their homes for money.

[@seangilchrist3102]

@@blackkakari they only had 2 rooms lol id find it in seconds haha

[@blackkakari]

@@seangilchrist3102 Yeah, probably. They often buried it.

[@myriamickx7969]

You will be surprised to learn that the first banks and letters of credit were created in medieval times, by Lombards and Jews mostly.

[@pourquoipas2673]

​@@myriamickx7969the Knights Templar operated a banking system also during the time of the crusade.

[@nbenefiel]

I have read thousands of village court rolls. All over Britain, serfs were moving all over the place buying and selling land.

[@ktom5262]

LOL, what nonsense. Serfs by definition could NOT buy or sell the land they worked and lived on. The land belonged to the "noble" landowner, be it a church official or some other privileged, wealthy twat.

[@adpink3069]

I love this channel. Amazing job!! Thank you.❤

[@khukri_wielderxxx1962]

I'd imagine it was chaotic (at times), the place for business, also people walking about with various level of hygiene standards, and there was often a weird smell in the air. Much like today.

[@rogerbartlet5720]

Everything smelled like s**t.

[@coconutsmarties]

I see you've taken the tube before

[@khukri_wielderxxx1962]

@@coconutsmarties Yup 👍

[@thenathanimal2909]

When I visited London it smelled like human waste at the Camden Lock...so yeah a much smaller San Francisco lol

[@lyndawilliams4570]

Don’t forget the animals and poop everywhere. Let’s be honest - people had no deodorant or our hygiene standard but they were surrounded by smelly things 24 hours a day so I can see how they got used to it. There’s no excuse now but extreme poverty and mental illness

[@hennyschneiderbauer855]

I grew up in Germany and every Saturday we had to sweep the streets in front of our house , if not there was peer pressure and fines

[@ctgman]

That is interesting and admirable. I believe you! My grandfather, who immigrated to the U.S. from Italy when he was a boy, grew up in a poor NYC tenement in the 1920s. I remember he once told me a story about how a family of German immigrants washed the steps to their building with soap and water. The point of his story was that no matter how poor many immigrants were, they still had pride (the good kind). This is a contrast to what goes on in the American inner-city today.

[@lars4261]

Dangerously based.

[@smackindabox]

That’s noble… in the US there’s trash everywhere. Mattresses on the side of the road and dumped in alleys and empty lots. There’s trash everywhere.

[@CaesarRenasci]

The Geeman people are amazing in their cleanliness, honesty, and work ethics.

[@startledmilk6670]

@@smackindaboxwhat are you talking about? Where in the fuck do you live that this is the case?

[@maxdout564]

So awesome they kept the records of these murders from so long ago. I'd like to hear more

[@AIBETTSYIA75]

Just come to Norfolk, not much has changed

[@coconutsmarties]

Even since the pedestrianisation of Norwich city centre??

[@thegodofsoapkekcario1970]

The people haven’t changed since the Neolithic.

[@masterbaiter7537]

Probably the muslims

[@kimberlyperrotis8962]

They didn’t make and ship clothing, those lowland cities spun, often dyed, and wove and shipped bolts of cloth made from English wool. It was always locally made into clothing at its destination, in Europe, or farther (some wool was used for a few non-clothing applications, as well, like cushioning, but mostly local materials like straw were used, good, imported wool cloth was expensive). Pre-made clothing is a modern thing, not a medieval one.

[@SleepyFl0wer]

Ohh shit since you were there tell us more about what you did back in that time? I’m excited to learn about this one 😊😊😊

[@alexandracenuse9419]

Girl you've left 3 comments correcting this man, I have a pet peeve for misinformation as well, but you could've at least put it all in one comment istg

[@alexandracenuse9419]

All you've done is boost his algorithm with your 3 comments

[@plantainsweetie]

why is everyone pissed off that she’s pointing out misinformation and providing us with more accurate information? what’s wrong with accuracy? aren’t you guys interested in learning about history? people are so petty 😂

[@KD400_]

U should make a channel lady. We can all learn from u.

[@BradenBest1]

I'm so glad I found this channel

[@Doctor-vn8es]

So the collecting of rubbish was more frequent in the middle ages than the local councils can manage today.

[@pooryorick831]

The thing that hits me about city life in the middle ages is the smell. I can smell it from here 600 years later. It must have been staggering. Human shit. Animal shit. Offal, smoke, body odor, halitosis, vomit, no sanitation, death and disease everywhere, the stench would make us sick immediately. It makes me gag to think about. Whenever I watch a documentary or a period piece, or read a historical novel, that is what I think about. The smell. It's one thing that cannot be reproduced. For most of history, that is probably a good thing.

[@Vagabond_Etranger]

Paris. You can still smell the stench to this very day. The last time I was there in 1998. Reeked of urine.

[@armancast]

@@Vagabond_Etranger bestie, ALL BIG CITIES SMELL LIKE THAT, from paris to new york they all smell like that. and besides, why are you giving an opinion that was 26 years ago? cities change yk LOL, yes some metro stations stink, but its nothing different from any other major city in the world

[@Vagabond_Etranger]

@@armancast Not Tokyo. You obviously have NEVER been to Japan. Watch some videos or go there. Their filthy streets is cleaner than your house.

[@edholohan]

Paris smells like that now!

[@Cheddarsoup]

Love your videos man

[@jamestarrou3685]

the medieval really went through a sanitation renaissance with their body waste changes. Sounds like seeing people squatting in public was a normal occurrence up until then.

[@blynch2117]

I love these videos.... You are appreciated 👍👍

[@anniethemese1215]

What a great channel. Thanks. ✌❤🇨🇦

[@shanarniatrice2560]

WOW! I did not know anything about this this is so interesting🤔

[@LindaMerchant-bq2hp]

I love those❤medieval murals of town and rural life of the middle ages

[@Judykag]

I wish these videos were twice as long ❤❤❤❤

[@truthseeker8615]

Just binge watch the channel , I did that over like 3 days and was obsessed

[@frankiegray2070]

I always hated history in school, never had any interest in the medevil era But thus channel I find really engaging and I never thought I would become so obsessed with it Thank you 😁

[@janiscrammond7046]

Always look forward to your videos

[@Jackson-ot3zc]

Came for the fleet foxes cover, stayed for the dope content

[@claudiaccaa9712]

Cologne Cathedral was "completed" in 1880, not the 16. century. 😎 I'm from Cologne, and here we have a saying that, if the Cathedral (der Kölner Dom) is ever really completed, the world will end. And actually there is constantly work being done on it. Has been so since its so-called completion. :)

[@hennyschneiderbauer855]

And also checking daily to make sure the Dom is still there 😂

[@soulvelocity4247]

love the artwork to the thumbnail, Fleet Foxes used it for an album cover.

[@rae.from.poland]

i immediately recognized it

[@AudieHolland]

Medieval cities got a bad repuation in the history books. Of course, they were dirty but at least city populations were much smaller than in modern times. London, in 1858, had almost 3 million inhabitants and that was when the Big Stink occurred. As during the Middle Ages, the Thames was used as an open sewer but with this many people, it became such a crisis that it led to the construction of the first modern sewers.

[@shauncameron8390]

Yet they every bit as overcrowded.

[@AudieHolland]

@@shauncameron8390We don't know that. It's not just a matter of cramming as much people into tiny houses/apartments. You also require an efficient large scale logistics to keep everyone fed. The major cities like Rome and London would be able to do that, which is why they were so large. But by far most medieval cities were not larger than a big village today. Just look at the historical centers of old cities. In some cases you may still see and old city gate or remnants of a moat, sometimes they built a road in that place but you can tell because the buildings don't look nearly as old beyond that zone.

[@VomicaEmanio]

3:02 I think you really overstated the population of New York. Can't tell if you said 19 million or 90 million, but both are way too high

[@mariagordanier3404]

Less than 8 million in New York City. The entire metropolitan area has 19 mill.

[@Livinginneworleansla]

Love the fleet fox album cover photo, also love the content! 🦊

[@thenathanimal2909]

Big cities don't seem to be good for humanity. Packing humans in so close ignores human nature.

[@hmmmmm64]

I love your channel!

[@navelaviator18]

So if you're a serf, go to a city, sign your name, then sneak out of the city. The bailiff or steward then spends all their time in the city looking for you even though you're not there.

[@Novusod]

Only problem is most serfs couldn't sign their own name because they were illiterate.

[@navelaviator18]

@@Novusod yes, I'm sure that's true but the narrator mentions that that's how some runaway serfs got caught... by signing their name when entering a city. I was basing my comment on that.

[@lilbullet158]

Very informative

[@MusicMike512]

I wonder how people in the year 2500 will describe us today.

[@Jay-Leigh]

So interesting thank you so much.

[@sarah3796]

Haha the guy falling out of the window 🤦‍♀️😅

[@thenovelcrown]

I could watch these all day lol! 😅

[@NPC-0013]

I really really love these lil documentaries about life in these times!!! So I have started to slowly buy n collect gold. I started at 1 gram about 3 months ago. Now have 8 grams gold and 1 ounce silver with two lil extra bars one 5gram one 10gram. So one and a half ounces of silver and only 8 grams gold. What would this be worth in these times please? Can I buy a loaf of bread or a house? Maybe a horse? It would be super cool to know please mate

[@nataliapanfichi9933]

Great video.

[@angelwings1979]

The raw wool would be processed and made into fabric not into clothing. Premade clothes weren’t a thing until the 1800s.

[@dannythekid14]

So most individuals made their own clothes?

[@Seuspesos]

I cant tell if that's the fleet foxes album cover as the thumbnail 😂

[@spaceman9396]

Pretty funny to see a fleet Foxes album cover as a thumbnail lol

[@Joanna7428]

Lifes always been a crapper

[@Norm-ih2rq]

Can you do a video about medieval apartment hunting?

[@brianmoore493]

Please replace the background music with "if I was a young warthog" thanks😊

[@norml.hugh-mann]

So.... little bit better than today

[@lorealiiiii]

better now then back then by a king shot as much as now does suck

[@lorealiiiii]

long*

[@madisonleeds3898]

Who else thought this was a Fleet Foxes video

[@heyjoe9267]

You didn’t mention that serfs were required to work fewer days to fulfill the landowners needs than modern people are to pay their taxes. The landowner was also required to feed his serfs and look out for their welfare. In many ways they were treated far better than many of us are.

[@Ares-dn3qp]

I don’t know why this myth is still being pushed.

[@drungeltunks3720]

😂 this is Facebook levels of research.😅😅😅

[@manicstatic370]

They didn’t care for them you’re insane

[@teal_m_101]

They also had to work for themselves. Feudal corvee is not the same as paid labour.

[@kevinmckinney3785]

Nice, cute mouse at 3:40 instead of the notorious plaque invested Black Rat with its fleas.

[@ravensthatflywiththenightm7319]

Subscribed.

[@sarah3796]

I love your videos.

[@SmithMrCorona]

NYC has about 8 million people, not 19.

[@ricks5756]

Fun fact: in medieval times, there were no standards of measurement * AND * almost the entirety of the mason's guild was illiterate ... yet they managed to build large intricately detailed cathedrals, many of which are still standing today.

[@HumansAreShitFactories]

That’s really fun, almost as fun as getting noshed off.

[@tenfold7493]

When an 8 year old could buy a bottle of morphine from a chemist 😂

[@pourquoipas2673]

I saw a documentary on "Modern History TV" about the urine and excrements. Urine was saved and collected to use in tanning leather among other things. Solid waste was also collected and disposed of in pits outside the city. There were special people who did this. The areas/streets where they performed their trade was often named after these kinds of refuse. It is said that there was also a "shit street". I urge you to watch that channel. Very informative and interesting. I think it's on Utube.

[@tbogan5]

I'm curious how you concluded that because London, Ghent and Bruges were in a close trade relationship therefore they had similar populations? I don't quite see the connection between trade relationship and city population. Could you let me know what your pattern of thinking was for that?

[@papabird4425]

Back then, if you had a trade relationship, you had to have equal population. If a man died in London, they had to kill one in Bruges.

[@_synchrophasotron]

​@@papabird4425source? Really nonsense

[@papabird4425]

@delilah4637 you're asking for a source on something that everyone knows but you? Grow up dude. Touch grass

[@_synchrophasotron]

@papabird4425 ah, I thought you were being serious, never mind

[@pourquoipas2673]

​@@papabird4425you're funny. I like your sense of humor.

[@2cool4school1]

thanks gang

[@joeywall4657]

I'm sure it's just as awesome as it sounds.

[@Nishk118]

A life free from social media fakeness 💀💪

[@fraseraitken1837]

good content but a ridiculous amount of adverts

[@augustuslxiii]

0:25 "You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy."

[@lipingrahman6648]

Still holds true to this day.

[@RpgCrow]

Im gonna go out on a limb and say the 50s to the 2000s Was probably the best time to be alive. Sure our lives arnt as hard as these people. But it feels like we exited our golden age and are in the middle of a downward spiral thsts only getting worse.

[@SubjectiveFunny]

I would rather live in mediaeval, London than modern London today. This city has more in common with Persia than it does with mediaeval London.

[@nickevershedmusic8927]

How do we apparently know so much about so long ago?! Where is the main proof and evidence coming from?

[@BezoomyKoshka-ip4dz]

Written history, archeology, literature and plays of the time. Things like that

[@fluffyg3137]

Nyc has 8 million as of 2021.....

[@roberterwine7650]

I wonder just how many and how big were the flies ?

[@marionmarcetic7287]

In A Word "Horrible" That's What Life Was Like In The Middle Ages!!! Shalom And Amen!✝️✝️🛐🛐😇🌟🤗🙏🙏🙏🇨🇦🇬🇧🇮🇱♾️🇺🇲🇺🇲🇺🇲🗽🦅❤️❤️❤️‼️

[@geronimorex3608]

Overly England focused. Most important cities of the high Middle Ages were in northern Italy and Flanders. They were production cities. Paris was the largest and a major consumption city. English cities were of little consequence in the 11 and 12 hundreds.

[@suntzu94]

That’s all you find when it’s on medieval topics, it’s like the only place that existed was England. I agree the French and Italians were far more advance than the British peasants

[@Jettypilelegs]

But I think the whole channel is oriented towards English history.

[@Blackbird58]

Reminds me of growing up in Basingstoke.

[@StinkJenson]

New York State has 19 million people. New York City has around 8 million. 3:04

[@MarcUyghur]

New York city metropolitan area including surrounding commuter counties and parts of jersey and CT, 19.77 million

[@slifer0081]

​@@MarcUyghurWhy would you include other states

[@lisadaniels3509]

Very interesting, but you talked so fast that I had to slow the audio down to 0.75

[@ulrikeneumann7495]

🥰 London was, has been and always will be the capital of the universe. Most beautiful town that owns my heart and soul ....

[@edholohan]

Sounds like fun

[@MrMrsteve01]

Using Lords alot should be Principality

[@antonboludo8886]

I suppose the average person lived better in Antiquity than in the Middle Ages.

[@aliakorayem4429]

You should talk about how the Black Death come to an end

[@VultureClone]

Man beats another man to death for mildly inconveniencing him. Ah, so I see things haven't changed since then.

[@halleylow3615]

NYC has about 8 million residents.

[@Kishla-f4o]

History of the world 🌍🌎

[@juniorjames7076]

What did citizens with asthma or allergies do back then??

[@bigimskiweisenheimer8325]

Died

[@shauncameron8390]

They just died.

[@BobQuigley]

Thanks for video! Population of new York city is 8.4 million

[@dylanbaldwin4086]

Please someone help me. There was a book about a boy who was a serf and left his manor. He finds a man and they go to the city. That’s all I can remember. If someone knows please help me out

[@derekforde7164]

Calling your boss a broken down old yokel is a legendary burn.

[@HtttpsPaige]

Im curious how they treated infections

[@lorealiiiii]

i think plague tales deals with this topic pretty well, they pretty much didn’t tell anyone and hid infections until it got out of control

[@anthonyford411]

Cologne cathedral wasn't finished until the nineteenth century.

[@bwing411]

Even city life was extremely boring by our own standards. You’ve experienced more already than most of them would in two lifetimes. We’re lucky.

[@monkeymalletsvideos]

So what has changed?

[@killianhopkins]

The worst bit was all the Skaven, those Gentlerats are always trying to hustle my warpstone...

[@mariavm9178]

New York City does NOT have 19 million people…this video has many inaccuracies.

[@rp6122]

theres not 20 million ppl that live in ny...

[@Pizza4Lunch]

I wonder what things we do now that people are going to look back at 500-1000 years from now and say how gross we were.

[@kellysouter4381]

Our ungodly moral behaviours.

[@brotherowl]

19 million people in New York City? Pretty sure that is a slight overestimation, since it is actually just over 8 million.

[@philmcdonald6088]

the first franciscan house in london was in "stinking lane".

[@RD-ij2sz]

You are living in the most happy era . Thanks to scientist and advancement in medical sciences you are free of endemic diseases like polio , plague , cholera etc which wipped off huge population s . In general there is peace and not many wars that used to kill a lot of people . Again due to advancement in agriculture and irrigation there is sufficient food available and people are now not dying due to famines and starvation . This was the scenario in middle ages which you are now free off .

[@adoe2305]

Yet people are more unhappy as ever.

[@RD-ij2sz]

@@adoe2305 Because you don't know how unhappy people were in the other times .

[@adoe2305]

@@RD-ij2sz suicide rates are higher than ever. That gives some idea.