City life in the middle ages - Medieval Madness

Summary

The video script delves into the intricacies of medieval city life, contrasting it with the common misconceptions perpetuated by modern media. It highlights the unique social structures and the stark differences between urban and rural living conditions. The importance of markets as the economic backbone is underscored, with a focus on the central role of education in cities, which was primarily provided by the church. The script also addresses the challenges of hygiene and waste management, and the social divide between the city dwellers and the rural population. Furthermore, it explores the political dynamics within city councils, emphasizing the influence of wealth and nobility. The video provides a nuanced perspective on the pursuit of professions, the struggle for independence from feudal lords, and the varying opportunities for social mobility. It concludes by inviting viewers to engage with further questions about the Middle Ages.

Takeaways

• 🏰 Life in medieval times was vastly different from today, with unique social structures and living conditions.
• 🏙️ Cities developed near important landmarks like bishop's seats, castles, or monasteries, especially near rivers or trade routes.
• 🛣️ Trade routes were scarce in the early Middle Ages, with only Roman roads existing, but later a network developed to facilitate city trade.
• 🛍️ Markets were central to the medieval economy, serving as hubs for merchants, artisans, and townspeople to buy and sell goods.
• 📚 Education was more accessible in cities, with basic literacy and numeracy being common among townspeople for trading purposes.
• 👔 Most townspeople were craftsmen or merchants, buying and selling goods like cloth and tools in the markets.
• 🐈 Poor waste management led to unsanitary conditions, with feces and waste often thrown into streets or rivers, and citizens keeping cats to combat rats.
• 👕 Townspeople typically owned very few clothes, which were rarely washed, contributing to the city's unpleasant smell.
• 📚 Wealthy children had better educational opportunities, often learning to read and write in Latin through the church or monasteries.
• 🏛️ City councils, composed of elected townspeople, managed permits, taxes, and sought to gain independence from the king or religious leaders.
• 🤝 Becoming a member of the city council was easier for nobles or wealthy merchants, reflecting the influence of social status in politics.

Q & A

What were the main differences between life in medieval cities and life today?

Life in medieval cities was significantly different from today, especially in terms of technology, social structures, and living conditions. There were no modern conveniences like the internet, and social status was often determined by one's profession and whether they lived in a city or under a feudal lord in the countryside.

How did the geographical location of landmarks influence the development of medieval cities?

The development of medieval cities was greatly influenced by their proximity to important landmarks such as a bishop's see, a castle, or a monastery. If these landmarks were near a river, ocean, or existing trade route, it significantly increased the chances of urban development due to the convenience for trade and travel.

Why were markets so central to the medieval economy?

Markets were the backbone of the medieval economy because they served as the primary location for trade and commerce. They were essential for traveling merchants, artisans, and townspeople to buy and sell goods like cloth, tools, and food.

What was the typical profession of townspeople in a medieval city?

Most townspeople were craftsmen, such as tailors, locksmiths, and tanners, or they were merchants who bought goods from craftsmen to sell them at a profit in the markets.

Why was education more accessible in medieval cities compared to rural areas?

Education was more accessible in cities due to better opportunities for learning. It was common for townspeople to have at least basic literacy and numeracy skills, which were important for trading and commerce.

How did the poor waste management practices in medieval cities affect the living conditions?

Poor waste management led to unsanitary conditions, as feces and waste were often thrown into the streets or rivers. This, combined with the limited and infrequently washed clothing of townspeople, resulted in a generally foul smell and the prevalence of rats, which were a constant plague.

Why were cats popular among medieval city dwellers?

Cats were popular because they were used to control the rat population, which was a significant problem due to poor waste management practices.

What role did the city council play in the governance of a medieval city?

The city council was an elected committee of townspeople responsible for various administrative tasks, including granting permits, overseeing tax collections, and attempting to gain more independence from the King or religious leaders.

What were the typical sources of education during the medieval period?

The main sources of education were the churches and monasteries, where it was possible to learn to read and write in Latin and have access to the church's libraries.

How did wealth and social status influence the chances of becoming a member of the city council?

Being noble or a wealthy merchant was extremely important for becoming a member of the city council, as it was easier to get elected if you had the right connections and resources.

What were some of the struggles that medieval city councils faced in their attempts to gain independence?

City councils faced challenges such as negotiating with or resisting the influence of religious leaders like archbishops, and in some cases, they even had to wage wars against feudal lords or the King to gain more autonomy.

What was the general perception of rural inhabitants by townspeople and vice versa?

There was a mutual disapproval between townspeople and rural inhabitants. Rural inhabitants were perceived as uneducated, while townspeople were seen as arrogant, largely due to the better educational opportunities available in cities.

Outlines

00:00

🏰 Daily Life in Medieval Cities

This paragraph delves into the daily life and societal structure of medieval times, contrasting it with modern life. It highlights the differences in social structures, living conditions, and the distinction between city dwellers and rural populations under feudal rule. The focus is on central European cities during the high and late middle ages, noting the development of cities around landmarks like bishop's seats, castles, or monasteries, and the importance of trade routes and markets. The paragraph also touches on the disdain between townspeople and rural inhabitants, the prevalence of education in cities, and the common professions of the time. It humorously addresses the unrealistic nature of certain medieval professions, such as dragonslayers, and concludes with a description of the unsanitary conditions of the time, including poor waste management and the prevalence of rats and cats.

05:03

👑 The Role of the City Council and Social Mobility

The second paragraph discusses the role of the city council in medieval society and the opportunities for social mobility. It explains that wealth and nobility were key to becoming a council member, but also that commoners could rise to wealth. The council's responsibilities included granting permits and overseeing tax collections, and they often sought to increase the city's independence from the king or religious leaders. This sometimes involved drastic measures like expelling a bishop or waging war against feudal lords. The paragraph concludes by acknowledging the complexity of medieval city life and inviting viewers to engage with the content by asking questions or reaching out on social media.

Keywords

💡Medieval Times

The Medieval Times refers to the period in European history that lasted from the 5th to the 15th century, characterized by feudalism, chivalry, and the dominance of the Catholic Church. In the video, this era is explored to understand the social structures and living conditions of the time, contrasting them with modern life.

💡Social Structures

Social Structures in the video refer to the organization of society during the medieval period, which included a hierarchy of feudal lords, knights, and commoners. The script discusses the differences between city dwellers and those living under feudal rule, highlighting the disparities in freedom and opportunity.

💡Feudal System

The Feudal System was a social and economic system prevalent in medieval Europe, where land was exchanged for military service and labor. The script mentions how this system influenced the lives of those living in the countryside, often requiring them to give a portion of their belongings to their feudal lord.

💡Urban Development

Urban Development in the context of the video describes the growth and establishment of cities, often near important landmarks like bishop's seats, castles, or monasteries. The script emphasizes the role of trade routes and water bodies in facilitating this development, drawing parallels to modern strategy games like Age of Empires.

💡Markets

Markets were central to the medieval economy, serving as hubs for merchants, artisans, and townspeople to buy and sell goods. The video describes markets as being typically located near churches and the importance of these spaces for trade and social interaction, including the sale of agricultural products by rural inhabitants.

💡Craftsmen

Craftsmen were skilled workers in various trades such as tailoring, locksmithing, and tanning. The script highlights the role of craftsmen in the city's economy, producing goods that were sold in the markets by merchants for profit, and their importance in the social fabric of medieval cities.

💡Waste Management

Waste Management in the video refers to the handling of waste in medieval cities, which was often poor, with feces and waste being thrown into streets or rivers. This practice contributed to unsanitary conditions and the prevalence of rats, illustrating the challenges faced by townspeople in maintaining cleanliness.

💡City Council

The City Council was a governing body in medieval cities, consisting of elected townspeople. The script discusses the council's responsibilities, such as granting permits and overseeing tax collections, and its efforts to gain independence from the King or religious leaders, which was a significant aspect of urban politics.

💡Education

Education in the video is depicted as a privilege largely reserved for the children of wealthy merchants or noblemen, with the church and monasteries serving as the main providers of education. Basic literacy and numeracy were common among townspeople, which was crucial for trade and commerce.

💡Hygiene

Hygiene in the medieval context is contrasted with modern standards, with the video noting the limited washing of clothing and the presence of waste in the streets contributing to poor sanitation. The script also mentions that the wealthy had better access to hygiene, reflecting social disparities.

💡Independence Movements

Independence Movements in the video refer to the efforts by medieval cities to gain more autonomy from the control of kings, feudal lords, or religious authorities. These movements sometimes involved dramatic actions like expelling a bishop from the city or waging wars, which could result in significant changes to the city's governance and prosperity.

Highlights

Life in medieval times was vastly different from today, particularly in terms of technology, social structures, and living conditions.

Medieval cities varied greatly and shared different characteristics, with central European cities during the high and late middle ages as a focus.

Cities often developed around important landmarks like bishop's seats, castles, or monasteries, especially near rivers or trade routes.

The development of a road system in continental Europe was primarily driven by trade between cities.

Markets were central to the medieval economy, serving as hubs for merchants, artisans, and townspeople to buy and sell goods.

Education in cities was more accessible, with basic literacy and numeracy being common among townspeople for trading purposes.

Craftsmen and merchants were the predominant professions in medieval cities, with goods being sold for profit in the markets.

Hygiene and waste management were significant issues in medieval cities, with feces and waste often disposed of in streets or rivers.

Wealthy individuals had better access to education and higher standards of living compared to commoners.

Churches and monasteries were the main providers of education, teaching reading, writing, and Latin, and providing access to libraries.

Becoming a member of the city council was influenced by wealth and social status, with nobles and wealthy merchants having an advantage.

The city council had various responsibilities, including granting permits and overseeing tax collections.

Cities sought to gain independence from the King or religious leaders, sometimes leading to conflicts and wars.

The outcomes of these conflicts could significantly change a city's status, for better or worse.

The video provides a summary of the most important facts about everyday life in medieval cities, offering a glimpse into the past.

The presenter invites viewers to ask questions or engage with them on social media for further discussion on the Middle Ages.

Transcripts

Welcome to Medieval Madness, where we try to shed some light on the dark ages of human

history… Because there are many fascinating things

about the medieval times, aren’t there? Life, well simply was different back then,

not only technologically – I mean try and imagine living without cat videos, duckface

pictures and Pokémon - but it was also different in the matter of social structures, the pursuit

of professions and of course living conditions in general. Many differences can for example

be seen between the mostly free population of cities and those who lived under the rule

of a feudal lord in the country. But what was life in a medieval city like?

Was it all about knights and kings and was the common man but a mere tool of the nobles

as it is mostly portrayed in movies? Let’s take a look!

Side note: The contents of this video do not apply to every single medieval city, obviously.

You won’t be able to find two cities that shared exactly the same characteristics. But

it can be said that the features that are to be mentioned here could have generally

been seen in many cities. We will focus on the average central European

city in the high middle ages and the late middle ages.

Now where and how cities developed had many different origins. So called mother cities

slowly developed over many hundreds of years for example in the vicinity of a bishop’s

see. Other important landmarks such as a castle or a monastery could have caused a city to

emerge in its surroundings as well. Whenever these landmarks were located near a river,

ocean or an already existing trade route, this increased the chances of urban development

massively. Just think about playing Age of Empires or a comparable strategy game – you

usually start your city close to water, right? However trade routes on land were rare during

the early middle ages and in the beginnings of the high middle ages. In continental Europe

the only existing roads were leftovers from the Romans after all and only in the following

centuries a road system was developed. The reason for that – well it was mostly the

trading between cities. Markets were the backbone of the medieval

economy. They were of central importance for travelling merchants, artisans and the townspeople

who bought cloth, tools and of course food, naturally. Markets were mostly located in

the vicinity of a church, either on a square or in the form of a market street and even

for farmers living in the country a city’s market was the opportunity to sell grain,

animals and stuff like that, at least, well, that part of their belongings which they weren’t

forced to hand over to their feudal lord. Townspeople and rural inhabitants usually

disapproved of one another. Rural inhabitants were dumb and townspeople were just arrogant

– at least that’s what they thought of each other. The pretended arrogance was mostly

caused by better education possibilities in the cities. Of course it can’t be compared

to public education systems we have in the industrial countries nowadays but for trading

it was very common for townspeople to have at least basic knowledge like being able to

read and do calculations, something that we take for granted nowadays. Most townspeople

would be craftsmen, like tailors, locksmiths and tanners – or they would be merchants

and buy goods from the craftsmen to sell them on the markets for profit. What kind of profession

would you choose if you had to? Just leave a comment and let us know.

What? What was that? No… See, Spencer…Spencer… Dragonslayer is not a profess... No, just …This

is not up for discussion. No it’s not…Fine…Fine, be a dragonslayer, whatever dude, whatever.

Okay, however. Uhm, back to the serious stuff. Walking around in the streets of a medieval

town would be very different to us than walking through a city nowadays. It kind of stinks

that we can’t simply go back in time and experience it ourselves, but what would stink

even more is probably the city itself. Feces and waste were mostly thrown into the streets

or rivers and most of the townspeople only owned one or maybe two pieces of clothing

– well clothing which they rarely washed, so they stank too. As a result of the bad

- let’s call it – “waste management” rats were a constant plague. To fight them

it was not unusual for citizens to have several cats in the household. So you see… the internet’s

favorite animal was pretty popular back then too… But after all this I don’t wanna

give you the impression that the townspeople approved of the stinking roads and bad general

state of public space. In fact they constantly complained about it to the city’s council

but it remained a lasting problem in most cities.

Hygiene was of course a different topic for children of wealthy merchants or of noblemen.

Also their chances to enjoy a higher education than the common folk were enormously higher.

The main source of education was provided by the churches and monasteries in which it

was possible to learn to read and write in Latin and have access to the church’s libraries.

Being rich sure made things easier, that doesn’t seem to have changed, but it was not impossible

for commoners to emerge and become wealthy too. However being noble or a wealthy merchant

was extremely important in order to become a member of the city council.

This council was a committee of townspeople who were elected in complicated procedures

from among the townspeople, but…well as it is still custom in politics – it’s

easier to get in if you know the right people and have resources. The city council had many

tasks like granting permits, observing tax collections and they also constantly tried

to take steps to gain more independence from the King or the religious leaders like for

example arch bishops who had a great influence on a city’s politics. To gain more independence

sometimes even meant throwing a bishop out of the city and waging war against the feudal

lords or even the King himself. As you might imagine – well -some failed and others succeeded

and the outcome changed the city for the worse or the better.

There’s so much more interesting to tell about medieval cities but this should be enough

to summarize the most important facts of the everyday life in a nutshell.

I do hope you enjoyed this video, if you have a question about the Middle Ages then don’t

hesitate to leave a comment or visit my facebook page and leave a message on my timeline.