15 Weird but True Facts About the Middle Ages That You Won’t Believe
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The Middle Ages, spanning roughly from the 5th to the 15th century, were a time of remarkable contrasts—where superstition, faith, and innovation intertwined in surprising ways. Often romanticized in stories of knights and castles, this period was filled with strange customs, bizarre beliefs, and practices that seem almost unbelievable today.
Animals were put on trial, and medical treatments defied logic, showing how the medieval world operated under ideas that feel incredibly foreign to modern minds. These weird but true facts reveal just how different—and sometimes downright peculiar—life was during this fascinating era. Read on to discover 15 weird but true facts about the Middle Ages that you won’t believe.
Animals Were Put on Trial
The tradition advanced to the Middle Ages when animals became convicted of crimes and to present-day civil societies. Most animals, such as pigs, for instance, could be brought to trial for something as simple as treading on another person’s crops or even attacking a person.
The courts would have proper trials with lawyers, and if animals were found guilty, they were to be fined or even beheaded. There was more concern for the moral guilt of animals, and these trials were conducted as seriously as with human beings.
People Thought Bats Were Witches in Disguise
In the Middle Ages, many people were scared of bats, mostly because it was believed that witches would turn into bats. The citizens’ beliefs about witches were prejudiced, and they associated their night activities with witchcraft.
Bats, mostly flying at sundown and related to nighttime, were depicted as instruments of witchcraft and the supernatural.
Noblemen Wore Shoes So Long They Had to Be Tied to Their Knees
Fashion in the Middle Ages sometimes took extreme forms. Noblemen often wore shoes with extremely long, pointed toes, known as poulaines. Continuing the tradition of high-spired shoes, Noblemen commonly wore poulaines – boots with excessively long and sharp pointed toes.
The bottom of these shoes was so long that people could tie the excess material around the knees to avoid stumbling. Even the length of the shoes was an emblem of class, whereas upper-class men wore longer shoes, but these shoes were a source of discomfort.
Doctors Wore Beak Masks to Avoid the Plague
During the Black Death, medieval doctors wore bird-like masks with long beaks. It wasn’t just the pretty face behind the personalities; these masks were filled with herbs and flowers to help conceal the stench of the disease-carrying air.
The physicians assumed that the masks shielded them from the plague; however, the origins of the sickness—bacteria, were not recognized in the seventeenth century.
Knights Fought Snails in Manuscript Art
Medieval manuscripts often featured strange illustrations, including knights battling giant snails. There are still many questions regarding such peculiar drawings, but in an attempt to explain them, some historians suggest they depicted life’s difficulties or that the dwarf snails were used as a symbol of cowards.
However weird or morbid those images might seem today, they are easily recognizable throughout numerous manuscripts from the Middle Ages.
People Rarely Took Baths
Sanitation was not preferred in medieval Europe, and everyone did not bathe at all. Some people thought that taking many baths weakened the body and made it susceptible to diseases, while others considered it a sin.
Baths were more popular in earlier centuries in the form of public bathhouses; however, after some time, they were abandoned, causing a lot of filth and foul smell in daily life.
Divorce Was Nearly Impossible for Women
During the Medieval times, marriage was viewed as a sacramental, divine, and in dissolvable state, particularly for women. Married women especially had few rights to leave their husbands, whatever the state of their union was.
However, in instances where these women were abused or abandoned by their husbands, the church and culture were against their freedom to leave the marriage contracts, and thus, women were resigned to living with their husbands for the rest of their lives.
Court Jesters Could Mock the King Without Punishment
The court jester was the only person who could afford to make fun of or laugh at the king. These entertainers had the opportunity to act silly in the royal family’s presence and make jokes, something that would cost the common man his life.
The fool was considered a necessity at the royal court, where they were allowed to crack jokes to help reduce the rather formal nature of the court.
Children Were Treated as Miniature Adults
During the Middle Ages, childhood was not viewed as a distinct phase of life. From childhood, kids were expected to start performing most of the adult activities as soon as they became physically capable.
These included working in factories, learning trades, and, where possible, getting married at such a young age. This means that they did not have the perception of childhood as we have it today in medieval society.
Dancing Was Banned in Some Cities
Certain regions in the Middle Ages banned dancing altogether, viewing it as immoral and sinful. Some religious leaders thought that dancing being engaged in, especially in functions involving both male and female, was a way of provoking sin.
Such restrictions were implemented strictly in some areas, and dance participants were fined or publicly shamed.
Doctors Used Leeches for Almost Everything
Bloodletting, sometimes performed with the assistance of leeches, was probably among the most preferred treatment techniques in the Middle Ages. Many diseases were thought to be brought about by inadequate fluid content in the human body, and doctors thought that taking out blood would help correct this.
These blood-sucking leeches were employed in the treatment of such diseases as headaches, fevers, etc., although leeches were of doubtful utility.
People Feared the Ocean
The medieval Europeans did not know much about the ocean; they considerably dreaded it. Most thought that there existed sea monsters, and if one sailed far, they would fall off the face of the earth.
The marine was considered a large, deep, and unknown world, and few heroes ventured out into it, those who were cornered and, most of the time, driven more by desperation than anything else.
Doctors Diagnosed Illnesses Through Astrology
Medicine in the Middle Ages often relied on astrology for diagnosing and treating illnesses. Doctors would consult the stars and planets to determine the best action for a patient’s health.
This belief that celestial bodies influenced the human body was common, and medical charts often incorporated astrological symbols to guide treatments.
Animals Were Given Holy Burials
Certain animals, especially those with religious significance, were given elaborate burials in the Middle Ages. Cats, often seen as protectors against evil spirits, and animals belonging to monasteries or churches might receive blessings and be buried with honors.
This practice highlighted people’s deep spiritual connection toward animals in medieval society.
Bees Were Used in Medieval Warfare
Medieval Europe used bees as a weapon in warfare. Towers would be filled with bees whose horns, when sounded, caused utter disturbance and confusion within the enemy’s camp or castle walls.
This was a rather successful strategy since aggressors were often powerless against such determined drones. Signs of medieval warfare span a wide array of rather strange and unorthodox approaches, and bees were no exception.
Disclaimer – This list is solely the author’s opinion based on research and publicly available information.
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