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An armored knight on a lumbering steed, toiling serfs, tied to the lands of their lord, cloistered monks and nuns, lost in prayer, and don’t forget the scenery: high-walled castles, great gothic churches, farms, farms, and more farms. We all know the kind of things we’d find during the Medieval Age. But what actually was the Medieval Age? Join us here at MedievalMadness to find out...
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Honestly, Vikings were pretty much the same as any other medieval people – they were farmers and handymen most of the time. Most Vikings lived on a farmstead and they would have had to have been able to grow crops, tend livestock, and create all the tools they’d need to maintain their homes and animals. But that’s not all. Vikings were versatile and able to turn their hands to anything they wanted to. Things started to change as Viking settlements became larger – if you lived in a smal...
What would the Medievals want with a burnt owl, a chopped-up cat, or dove faeces? How do you help a bald man with gout? Or a woman with ‘blocked menses?’ If they weren’t too complicated, most medicines in the Middle Ages were homemade. Many were quite practical, and most of the ingredients make sense to us because they are still recognisable today. Others are just downright freaky…
It was a spectacular win for the young English King Henry V on St. Crispin’s Day 1415. And everybody loves to see a win for the underdog, a victory for the common soldier over the well-armed knight. It felt like every moment of the Hundred Years War had been leading up to this point. A pivotal battle that would change the course of European warfare forever and saw the French army lose to an English army that was less than half its size. But war is, and was a dangerous and violent affair, so t...
Being a criminal in the modern age really doesn’t have quite the same thrill anymore – you get caught by the police, tried, and then sent to prison for a certain amount of time. The Vikings on the other hand... Well, they knew what to do with a criminal. Viking society didn’t have political or criminal institutions in the same way as we do now – but they did have a complex web of honour and justice that ran throughout their entire society and laid the foundations of their legal system. Taking...
Alberico was many things, a friend and patron to troubadours, an Occitan poet, a mercenary, and a Podesta. But being politically allied to his notoriously cruel brother Ecelino didn’t help Alberico when he was eventually captured by Papal troops. What was Alberico so guilty of that had caused him to be hated in the Italian city of Treviso? The Middle Ages were violent, pitiless, and revenge-driven times. So today we continue our ‘Day In The Life’ series and travel back in time to see what lif...
During the Middle Ages, ale was the most popular drink in England, and Medieval taverns, inns, and alehouses held a very important role in society, providing drink, food, and lodging to weary travellers, pilgrims, and even occasionally royalty. When we think of the Medieval tavern we imagine dark and smelly places with huge wooden tables and benches, places of gambling, violence, and shady business deals. But what were pubs really like in the Middle Ages? Let’s travel back in time for some le...
Vikings loved their kids, relying on their offspring to support them in their old age and carry on the family name. In Njal’s Saga we see how Njall chooses to die rather than live without his sons, showing how deeply important children were to Viking families. Although what was it like to be a child in the Viking era? Was it a carefree time of exploration and learning to fight and pillage, or did Viking children need to grow up before their time? Was it even a probability that they’d live to ...
Many people look at the Middle Ages through romantic eyes. They think about “armoured knights on lumbering steeds”, beautiful damsels in pointy hats, dragons, chivalry, and courtly love. Nothing could be further from the truth. For most people, the Middle Ages were dirty, difficult, and really dangerous. Let’s find out now why it was unlikely that you could stay alive and prosper and why you were likely to die quite quickly during that time. Welcome to Medieval Madness.
At what age was someone considered to be ‘old’ in the Middle Ages? Did greying hair automatically guarantee respect from the younger generation? Were Medievals afraid of becoming old, with all its infirmities, or were they happy to live to such a great age when death was everywhere? Now, let’s travel back in time and discuss cougars, flying monks, fat children, and their urine. Welcome to Medieval Madness.
Viking religious beliefs are still somewhat of a mystery. The pantheon of Norse gods that we know today come from a variety of different stories and people could choose to worship them in many different ways. Viking beliefs are often called “paganism”, but this was the name given to their religion by the later Christians. They believed that everything had a soul, even inanimate objects. They believed in magic and had some elements of shamanism in their religion. Just like the Vikings themsel...
A lot of Medieval cities were similar to ours today in that they had governing bodies, educational structures, bankers, lawyers, hospitals, merchants, and an exchange of goods and services, as well as some extraordinary cathedrals that are still standing today. Though the Medievals themselves were unsure about the advantages of their cities. The English chronicler and monk Richard Devizes wrote about London in the 1190s and said, “Whatever evil or malicious thing that can be found in any part...
Most people know what it means when someone is described as a conman. It’s short for confidence man: what we would know today as a scammer. People who use deceit, cleverness and lies for their own ends. The scam is usually about greed and is a way of defrauding someone to get their money. Although we associate scams today with phones and modern technology they have been around for hundreds of years. Let's travel back in time to the Middle Ages and hear about some of those swindlers. There we ...
Eirikr raudi Thorvaldsson was an interesting character to say the least, and could easily claim to be the most famous Viking of all time. Born in approximately 950AD in Norway and dying at only 53 years old, Erik lived life in the fast lane. Exiled twice and renowned for his temper, Erik embodies the hot-blooded Viking to the full. We know about his deeds (and misdeeds) from the Saga of Erik the Red and also the Saga of the Greenlanders. Welcome to the Viking vault.
There are many famous mysteries from the Middle Ages that have kept us guessing. Such as the fate of King Edward II and the princes in the Tower, or the meaning of the Voynich Manuscript. Today we thought we would take you on a journey back to the Middle Ages to discover some more puzzles that have stumped the curious for centuries. Welcome to Medieval Madness.
It’s been called the most mysterious manuscript in the world and for centuries researchers, historians and linguists have all failed to decipher the puzzling drawings of plants, astrological symbols and bare-naked ladies. It’s a book that no one can read and has no title. In 1962, American cryptanalyst and author Elizabeth Smith Friedman felt that trying to decipher the manuscript was “doomed to utter frustration”. So just what is the Voynich Manuscript, and would the information contained in...
Worship of the saints was a central belief of the medieval church. But not all saints had equal importance. The appeal of some was universal and they were revered right across Christendom. Usually established very early on they were often figures from the Bible such as Saint John the Baptist or Saint Paul who were martyred during Roman rule. But at the opposite end of the scale were also the little-known saints connected to local cults. Let us travel back in time and take a look at some saint...
Dive into the fascinating world of Richard III, the last Plantagenet King of England, in this captivating documentary here on MedievalMadness. We'll explore his life, reign, and the controversies that surrounded him, from his rise to power to his untimely death at the Battle of Bosworth Field. Discover the truth behind the myths and legends that have shaped his legacy, and learn about the recent archaeological discoveries that have shed new light on this enigmatic figure. Join us as we unrave...
It has been argued that during the Middle Ages, up to 85% of the population were peasants. Their working day was long, hard, and extremely difficult. For some their day of backbreaking labour could begin as early as three o’clock in the morning during the summer. If you were lucky or unlucky enough (depending on your point of view) to avoid the high rate of infant mortality and the constant threat of deadly disease then as a medieval peasant farmer you had an exhausting, cruel, and short life...
It was supposed to be an end to the Danish Civil War and a celebration of peace. But by the third day of revelries one of the three men who were fighting for the throne was dead, another wounded and the third was being blamed. So what really happened in the Danish capital of Roskilde on August 9th, 1157? Was it an acceptable preventative strike or just good old, premeditated murder? Let’s travel back in time now to the middle of the 12th century in Scandinavia and find out about Danish politi...
Throughout human history one thing has remained constant, namely the enjoyment of having sex, but by the late Middle Ages both gonorrhoea and syphilis were widespread. Although the poor could only make do with superstition and herbal remedies, the rich could rely on their expensive physicians. Without antibiotics though the success of any treatment was mostly based on luck. Especially when you consider that one popular medication, for those who could afford it, was mercury ointment, which we ...
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