Transcript Lifestyle During the Middle Ages

Life During the Middle
Ages
October 10, 2005
A Little History
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The Dark Ages or Medieval
Times
Covered almost 1,000 years of
Western Europe
History clouded by myth &
legends
Ruled by hundreds of
Feudal Lords & Kings
A Little History
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Cities were surrounded by walls
and homes were often castles
There were many wars, battles &
fights among people, cities, etc.
Weapons included swords, axes,
longbows, crossbows, stones and
daggers
Cities & castles were
often looted after battle
A Little History
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People from this era -- knights,
soldiers, peasants & pilgrims
Goods gathered during battle
were often traded and sold
Merchants brought silks, cotton,
spices from around the world
but also brought Black Death
Lifestyle
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People spent time working the
land to grow food for survival
Social activities were important –
fairs, merchants selling goods,
games in the local tavern,
tournaments, weddings
People were superstitious but
merchants brought back
medical & human body
knowledge
Medieval Business &
Commerce
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Cities were paved with stone
roads, & were filled with buildings,
churches & marketplaces
Little room for orchards, fields,
and grazing
Animal traffic made roads
unsanitary
Water supplies limited
Medieval Business &
Commerce
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Market was held 1 x a week in
the town square
Merchants trade also included
protection treaties
Fairs would attract foreign
merchants – last
several days
Holidays & Celebrations
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Celebrations revolved around
feast days or planting &
harvesting of crops
November -- blood month -- feed
was scarce; meat was smoked,
salted & cured for winter
From Christmas to 12th day of
January – vacation, feasts
Plow Monday -- races
Medieval Food – Manor House
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Fowl – geese, chicken, larks,
capons, beef, bacon, lamb
Near water – salmon, herring,
eels and fresh water fish – salted,
smoked or fresh
Milled flour & meals from grain
Dairy products – cheese & milk
Medieval Food – Manor House
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Lacked fruits and vegetables
Since a variety of foods were
not available year-round,
Diet lacked nutrients – A, B, C,
D, and E vitamins and some
minerals
Medieval Food -- Peasants
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Barley & rye breads wheat went to
the market
Drank ale made from barley & water
– flavored with honey
Cabbage, onions, garlic, nuts,
berries, leeks, spinach, parsley were
used to make soup
Raw vegetables were
thought to be unhealthy
Little protein – maybe
peas & beans
Medieval Foods -- Peasants
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Lacked protein, B vitamins,
vitamins A, C, and D and not
high in calories
Ale often made up the calorie
difference
Diets were also low in
fat & high in fiber
Hunger was constant
Medieval Diseases
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Rough wool next to skin caused
skin diseases
Lack of fruits, vegetables &
protein – scurvy, intestinal tract
disorders
Winter – pneumonia
Improper sanitation
– typhoid fever
Medieval Diseases
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Mental illness – injuries during
birth
Leprosy – most feared until the
Black Death – leper colonies
were everywhere
In France – 11th –
13th
centuries over
2,000
leprosy
colonies
Medieval -- Famines
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Lack of food was a constant fear
Never had enough surplus to
develop storage systems
By 1300s adequate supplies
grown under best conditions
Climate grew cooler
and wetter & earlier
storms
1315-1317 decimated
crops
Medieval Famines
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Hoarding preceded famines
Black markets for food sold well
Elderly stopped eating so
younger one could survive
Grimm’s Fairy Tale – Hansel and
Gretel – may have been born
out of the
reality of
these
famines
Medieval -- Famines
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People killed their animals and
ate seed grain for food
Dogs & cats disappeared
Rumors of cannibalism
Black Death eliminated more
people
Created enough
food for survivors
Medieval – Black Death
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1347-1351 -- total nightmare – a time
of horror
Every 4th person would die in three
years or ¼ of the people would die
Black Death brought to Western
Europe along trading routes
– exact location unknown
Cities were worse – narrow
streets, close homes –
transmitted diseases
Medieval – Black Death
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Transmitted by rats and fleas
In larger cities, half the people
died; some up to 90% died
Disease attacked lymph,
respiratory and circulatory
systems – fatal pneumonia
Almost 100% of
infected people
died
Medieval – Black Death
Rhyme:
Ring around the rosie,
A pocketful of posie,
Ashes, Ashes,
All fall down.
Medieval – Black Death
Trying to avoid disease included:
 Drinking fine wine
 Eating the best of meats
 Filling the mind with thought other
than death
 Medical treatment – valerian root,
moonwort, arsenic, brimstone
 Opium given as
anesthetic
 Blood-letting
Medieval vs.
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Protein –
poultry,
seafood, beef,
pork
Poor ate beans
but not
combined with
grains
Today
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Protein –
seafood,
poultry, beef,
pork, milk, dairy
products, soy,
combined
grains & beans.
Manufactured
proteins
Medieval vs.
Today
Starchy Foods
 Wheat, barley,
rye, oats, bread,
porridge
Starchy Foods
 Wheat, barley,
rye, oats,
bread, cereal,
rice, pasta,
cakes, cookies,
pastries
Medieval
vs.
Fruits/Vegetables
 Low availability
 Low food intake
Today
Fruits/Vegetables
 Available but
often not
purchased
 Low food intake
Medieval
Fats
 Peasants -very low –
animal
sources,
some dairy
 Lords/Kings –
very high,
meat, cheese
intake
vs.
Today
Fats
 High –
animal fat,
oil, fried
foods, dairy,
cheese,
trans fatty
acids,
processed
foods
Medieval
Fluid
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Mead
Beer/Ale
Wine
Water w/
honey - poor
sanitation
vs.
Today
Fluid
 Milk
 Coffee/Tea
 Sodas
 Juice
 Water
 Sports
drinks
 Alcohol
Medieval
vs.
Results
 Poor nutritional
status
 Faced
communicable
diseases
 Low chronic
disease
 This combination
resulted in
deaths
Today
Results
 Poor nutritional
status
 Very few
communicable
diseases but bird
flu a threat
 High chronic
disease
 This combination
is projected to
result in deaths
Middle Ages vs. Today
We love our habits more
than our income, often
more than our life.
~ Bertrand Russell
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