Category archives: Medieval

Medieval Villages Were Planned, Not Accidental The idyllic image of a medieval English village, with its houses arranged conveniently around a church and plots of arable land stretching out from it like spokes from a wheel, is at least partially a construction of modern archaeologists. Contrary to what we might expect, many such villages were […]

How a Medieval Doctor Diagnosed You Without a Blood Test Long before blood chemistry panels existed, medieval doctors had their own uniquely central diagnostic ritual in which they used the patient’s urine, examined in a special special clear glass container that became such a symbol of the profession that a physician was almost recognizable by […]

Abraham of Bristol and the Price of Being Jewish in Medieval England The story of Abraham of Bristol is one of the most harrowing possible glimpses into what life was like for medieval England’s Jewish community, living precariously at the pleasure of the king’s “protection” which might well be extorted at need. In 1210, King […]

Serfs vs. Peasants: Medieval Rural Class Explained “Serf” and “peasant” are terms that appeared to be interchangeable in numerous fictional contexts, which would have greatly surprised the people living in medieval England, as the difference between the two was significant. First of all, the wealthier serfs could be classified among the better-off peasants, as a […]

Golf and Tennis Were Banned to Save Archery Several sports that have become international institutions and staples were actually banned numerous times from play in England and Scotland, not due to any moral objection but because the kings needed all men able to practice with longbows. Longbow archery was an incredibly useful military ability in […]

How English Lost (and Regained) Its Status The English language almost completely lost its status as a prestigious and powerful language after the year 1066. The process of returning to the position of a language fit for governance and intellectual exchange took about two centuries and is reflected in the current version of the language […]

How Many People Actually Went to Medieval Church? How many people actually turned up to a medieval English parish church on an ordinary Sunday? It’s a genuinely hard question to answer with real precision, but the surviving fragments of evidence — confession fees, communion headcounts, offering-day totals — provide a surprisingly vivid, if patchy, sense […]

What They Wore and What They Ate What people wore and ate is where medieval fiction most often gets it wrong: they all look like they’ve just come off the Renaissance fair’s main street, and everyone eats with a knife, fork, and spoon. Let’s fix both mistakes. Clothing was, first and foremost, a class marker: […]

Why Villeinage Declined Villeinage – the bondage of serfs to the land and their lord – is not easily extinguished. It is convenient to imagine that its passing was instantaneous and terminated abruptly with the ravages of the Black Death. In reality, villeinage was steadily undermined well before 1348 and persisted for another 150 years. […]

Bread, Milk and Cheese on a Peasant’s Table Bread, milk and cheese formed the genuine backbone of a peasant’s diet, and each came with its own set of small, practical problems that a resourceful cook had to solve, day in and day out, with almost no margin for waste. Grain had to be ground into […]