Why You Wouldn't Survive In Medieval time

Summary

This script transports viewers to a medieval village, where life as a villein is fraught with hardship. From the perils of childbirth and the specter of war to the toil of daily labor and the ever-present threat of disease, it paints a stark picture of medieval existence. The narrative follows a peasant family through the trials of poor harvests, leading to destitution and eventual conscription into a war with uncertain prospects. It's a vivid portrayal of the harsh realities and limited freedoms of life in the Middle Ages.

Takeaways

• 🏰 If you were to time travel to a Medieval village, you would likely be a villein, a peasant without land ownership but not a slave.
• 👶 High infant and child mortality rates meant that many people in the Middle Ages experienced grief as a common part of life.
• 🤰 Women faced significant risks, including a one in ten chance of dying during childbirth.
• 🗡 Men were more likely to die violently, with compulsory military service and a society where carrying weapons was common.
• 🏡 Villeins lived in small thatched-roof houses with a garden plot, and their villages were spaced out to avoid the close quarters of cities.
• 🌾 Agriculture was the mainstay of life, with peasants growing crops like barley or wheat and working their lord's land during peak seasons.
• 🍲 Diets were mostly meatless, with salted meat in winter and a reliance on staple crops, and famine could lead to desperate times.
• 🌧️ Weather played a crucial role in the success of harvests, and poor weather could lead to disastrous outcomes for peasants.
• 🏰 In times of hardship, peasants might seek help from their lords, who could offer protection and a role in the upcoming war efforts.
• 🛡️ Army life provided food and a sense of purpose, but battles were brutal and survival was uncertain.
• 🏙️ Town life was not necessarily better, with poor sanitation, disease, and the constant struggle for survival.

Q & A

What is the social status of a villein in a Medieval village?

A villein in a Medieval village is not a slave but also not entirely free. They do not own their own land and their social rank is inherited from their parents.

How does the term 'villein' relate to the modern term 'villain'?

The term 'villein' is related to the modern term 'villain', indicating that there were Medieval prejudices against those on the lower rungs of the social ladder.

What was the average life expectancy like during the Middle Ages?

The average life expectancy during the Middle Ages was low due to high infant and childhood mortality rates.

What was the typical family structure like for a young adult in the Middle Ages?

A young adult in the Middle Ages was likely married with children by their early twenties, but they would also have experienced the grief of losing children due to high mortality rates.

What was the risk of death for women during childbirth in the Middle Ages?

Women in the Middle Ages faced a one in ten chance of dying during childbirth.

What were the living conditions like for villeins in a Medieval village?

Villeins lived in small, thatched-roof houses with a defined household garden plot. Their houses were prone to fires and were not closely packed like in cities or towns.

What type of work was expected from villeins in terms of farming?

Villeins were expected to work on their leased land, growing crops like barley or wheat. They also had to work on their lord's land during peak planting and harvest seasons.

What were the consequences of a bad harvest for a villein?

A bad harvest could lead to disaster for a villein, as they still had to pay rent to the lord of the manor regardless of the harvest's success, leaving them with little to no food for the winter.

What were the challenges faced by villeins when they moved to a town?

Villeins faced challenges such as being an easy target for highwaymen, having no tradeable goods, and the risk of disease due to poor sanitation in the town.

What was the role of the lord in the villein's life during times of war?

During times of war, the lord could call upon villeins for military service. Villeins could also seek the lord's help in times of desperation, as they were needed as able-bodied men for the war effort.

What was the experience like for a villein on the Medieval battlefield?

A villein on the Medieval battlefield would be part of the light infantry with minimal armor, armed with a spear and a wicker shield. They would face significant danger and have a grim outlook for survival.

Outlines

00:00

🏰 Life as a Medieval Villein

This paragraph introduces the harsh realities of life as a medieval villein, a peasant who did not own land but was not a slave either. It paints a picture of a society with a rigid social structure where villein status was inherited. The script discusses the high mortality rates for both children and women, the latter particularly during childbirth. It also touches on the expectation of military service and the violent nature of society, where even petty theft could be punished by execution. The living conditions are described, with peasants residing in thatched-roof houses within villages, farming the land, and enduring hard labor during planting and harvest seasons. The lord of the manor's control over the peasants' lives, including the taxes on their yield and the requirement to work on his land, is highlighted, along with the few benefits they might enjoy, such as feasts hosted by the lord.

05:03

🌾 The Struggles of Peasant Farming and the Consequences

This section delves into the challenges faced by peasants in the medieval period, particularly focusing on the difficulties brought about by failed harvests due to adverse weather conditions. The summary outlines the process of using a scythe for harvesting and the dire implications of a poor harvest, leading to food scarcity and the potential starvation of family members. The narrative describes the living conditions in a single-room house with a dirt floor and the necessity of slaughtering livestock for sustenance. As the situation worsens, the family's struggle with disease and the decision to migrate to a town in search of a better life is depicted. The harsh reality of being paupers in town, the lack of work, and the outbreak of epidemics further exacerbate their plight. The desperate measures taken by the protagonist to provide for the family, including seeking help from the lord and joining the army, are detailed, culminating in the grim anticipation of battle and the likelihood of death.

10:03

⚔️ The Harsh Reality of Medieval Warfare

The final paragraph shifts the focus to the brutal reality of medieval warfare as experienced by a peasant conscripted into the army. It describes the rudimentary equipment provided to the recruits, the meager yet surprisingly satisfying meals they receive, and the sense of camaraderie among the soldiers. The anticipation of battle is palpable as the script sets the scene for a large-scale conflict with a formidable enemy. The chaos of the battlefield, the hail of arrows, and the desperate charge of the infantry are vividly portrayed, leading to an inevitable and grim conclusion for the protagonist. The paragraph ends with a prompt for viewers to consider their own interest in experiencing medieval life or other historical periods, inviting engagement through comments.

Keywords

💡Medieval village

A 'Medieval village' refers to a rural community that existed during the Middle Ages, a period in European history spanning from the 5th to the 15th century. In the video's narrative, the Medieval village is the setting where the protagonist finds themselves upon waking up through a time portal. The village represents a society with a distinct social structure, economic practices, and daily life challenges that are central to the video's theme of exploring life in the Middle Ages.

💡Villein

A 'villein' was a type of peasant in Medieval Europe who was legally bound to a lord's land and owed certain labor services. In the script, the protagonist is identified as a villein, which means they do not own their land and are subject to the lord's authority. This concept is crucial to understanding the protagonist's social status and the constraints on their life, as it shapes their living conditions and obligations.

💡Life expectancy

The term 'life expectancy' denotes the average number of years a person is expected to live, which is a key indicator of the health and well-being of a population. In the video, it is mentioned that many people died in infancy and childhood during the Middle Ages, leading to a low average life expectancy. This highlights the harsh living conditions and the high mortality rates that were prevalent during this period.

💡Mortality rate

The 'mortality rate' is the proportion of deaths in a population over a specific period of time. In the script, the mortality rate for children in their first year of life is described as one out of every six, emphasizing the precarious nature of life during the Middle Ages. This statistic underscores the challenges faced by families and the high risk of losing children at a young age.

💡Military service

'Military service' refers to the compulsory enlistment of individuals into the armed forces. In the video, it is mentioned that men could be called upon by the lord of the manor for military service, which was a common practice during the Middle Ages. This concept is integral to the video's theme as it illustrates the risks and responsibilities that men faced, including the likelihood of engaging in warfare.

💡Thatch-roof house

A 'thatch-roof house' is a type of dwelling with a roof made from plant materials such as straw, reeds, or heather. In the script, the protagonist lives in a small thatched-roof house, which is indicative of the common architectural style of peasant homes during the Middle Ages. The thatched roof, however, is also described as a fire hazard, reflecting the precarious living conditions of the time.

💡Feudal system

The 'feudal system' was a social, political, and economic structure in Medieval Europe that involved the exchange of land for service and allegiance. The video script touches upon this system by describing the villein's obligations to work on their lord's land and the lord's power to tax the yield from the villein's land. This system forms the backbone of the social hierarchy and the economic relationships depicted in the video.

💡Harvest

A 'harvest' is the process or period of gathering crops at the end of the growing season. The video script discusses the importance of the harvest for the villein's survival, as it provides food for the winter. However, the script also highlights the vulnerability of the harvest to weather conditions, such as late spring and heavy rains, which can lead to a meager harvest and subsequent food scarcity.

💡Epidemic

An 'epidemic' is a widespread outbreak of a disease that affects many people at the same time. In the video, an epidemic breaks out in the town, which is a consequence of poor sanitation and the influx of germs through long-distance trade. This term is significant in the script as it illustrates the health risks and the lack of medical knowledge and infrastructure during the Middle Ages.

💡Guilds

A 'guild' in the Middle Ages was an association of craftsmen or merchants who often controlled the trade and standards in a particular craft or product. The script mentions that even if the protagonist knew a skilled craft, they could not afford to pay to join the guilds. This reflects the economic barriers and the social structure that limited social mobility and opportunities for individuals outside the guild system.

💡Battle

A 'battle' is a violent engagement between military forces. The video script concludes with the protagonist joining an army and participating in a battle, which is a stark depiction of the harsh realities of war during the Middle Ages. The battle scene encapsulates the themes of survival, desperation, and the grim fate that could befall individuals during times of conflict.

Highlights

Waking up in a Medieval village as a villein with no land ownership.

Villeins are not slaves but have limited freedom and inherited social rank.

High infant and child mortality rates in the Middle Ages.

Marriage and childbirth are common by the age of 20 for women.

One in six children died in their first year of life.

Women faced a 10% chance of dying in childbirth.

A surplus of men due to higher female mortality rates.

Compulsory military service and high likelihood of war.

Violence was common, with frequent public executions.

Villeins lived in villages with small, thatched-roof houses.

Fields were divided into strips for different peasant households.

Women were responsible for household tasks and child care.

Peasants had to work on their lord's land during peak seasons.

Religious feasts provided some benefits for villeins.

Meatless diets were common due to religious fasting and limited resources.

Poor harvests led to food scarcity and economic hardship.

Desperation drove some villeins to leave their manors in search of better conditions.

Travel to towns was risky and often resulted in theft and loss of possessions.

Life in towns was harsh, with high rates of disease and poor sanitation.

Epidemics were common due to unsanitary conditions and trade routes.

Desperate peasants turned to begging and manual labor for survival.

Joining the army provided food and a chance for villeins to escape poverty.

Battlefield conditions were harsh, with high risks of death for light infantry.

Transcripts

Chances are slim that you’ll wake up tomorrow having slipped through a time portal and find

yourself now living in a Medieval village.

But if that does happen, here are some of the things you can expect.

First off, it’s hard being a peasant.

Fortunately, you happen not to be a slave, because that status doesn’t factor into

Medieval society.

So you won’t be sold from owner to owner.

Unfortunately, you’re not exactly free, either.

Your social rank as villein means that you don’t own your own land.

For the sake of context, we’ll say you arrive complete with a backstory.

Villein is an inherited designation, meaning your parents were villeins, as well.

The word is definitely related to the modern term “villain,” which tells you something

about Medieval prejudices about the lower rungs on the social ladder.

Many more people died in infancy and childhood in the Middle Ages, leading to a low average

life expectancy.

But even if you’re in your teens or early twenties--and not a monk or a nun--you’re

probably married.

If you’re a woman, by age 20, you’ll likely have given birth to at least a few children,

although they may not all still be with you.

The mortality rate for children in the first year of life is one out of every six.

If you’ve given birth four times--not inconceivable, considering age 14 was fine for marriage--it’s

likely that at least one child was either stillborn or died very young.

Both parents would come to know grief as an integral part of everyday life.

But women also faced a strong likelihood of dying in childbirth.

There was a one in ten chance of death every time a woman went into labor.

As a result, among young adults, there are more men than women.

Men, on the other hand, are more likely to die a violent death.

Military service is compulsory if the lord of the manor for your village calls on you.

And, depending on where you live, war is probable in your lifetime.

If you’re in Britain or France, the Hundred Years War is getting rolling.

But even outside formal combat, society is violent.

Every man carries a sword, or at least a knife.

Executions are frequent and public, as is the display of the despatched criminals’

heads and other body parts.

Capital crimes could include what we’d consider petty theft, in addition to more serious offenses.

As you might expect, villeins tend to live in villages.

You have a small, thatched-roof house, in a defined household garden plot.

Scattered in a seemingly random pattern within walking distance are a number of identical-looking

structures, maybe just a few, but perhaps as many as fifty or more.

It’s good that they’re not right up against each other, as they would be in a city or

town.

Thatched houses, which tend to have a wood and mud frame, are fire traps, especially

since there’s often a fire burning inside, particularly in the cold months.

You keep a barrel of water next to the house to collect rainwater for drinking, so you

might be able to deal with a fire in time.

Or maybe not.

But at least your neighbors are safe.

Historian and novelist Ian Mortimer, in The Time Traveler’s Guide to Medieval England,

provides the source for much of these physical descriptions, along with Frances and Joseph

Gies’ Life in a Medieval Village.

Outside the nucleated village, there’s a field of several hundred acres, divided into

strips, each for the use of a different peasant household.

You might be growing barley, or if you can, wheat.

Your kids will help you in the field when they’re a little more grown up, around age

seven.

For now its the husband and wife who sow the soil and reap the grain.

Women will divide their time between endless household tasks like child care, weaving new

clothes--basic wool tunics for everybody, probably with a separate hood--washing, milking

the cow, cooking the food, and brewing the staple beverage.

Plowing with a shared ox is generally going to be male labor, but single peasant women

are known to do it.

Since your land is leased from the lord of the manor, they can choose how much of the

yield from your land to take in taxes.

Another bad deal is that in peak planting and harvest seasons, you have to put three

days a week working your lord’s land, or demesne.

On the plus side, there are plenty of days off from that, since there are slower seasons,

and every religious high holiday is exempted.

For some important feasts, the lord hosts a gathering with all the villeins.

That’s at least one benefit over freeholding.

On the other hand, religious days of fasting from meat are no problem, because your diet

is meatless most days anyway.

You might have salted meat in the wintertime, because you might slaughter one of your animals

before the annual scarcity sets in.

In the summer and fall, the peasants’ pigs can roam the forest, with permission from

the lord, who of course owns that land, too.

So far, so good.

But times are about to get bad, fast.

This year, spring comes late, and it’s especially rainy.

Too much rain will ruin the seed.

But you can’t do anything about that, so you hitch up a pair of horses you share with

other people in the village, and start plowing.

By now, like other farm workers across Europe, you use a heavy plow that’s very efficient

in turning over the soil.

But even with beasts of burden, it’s exhausting labor.

When you become parched, remember not to drink the water.

It’s incredibly contaminated.

If you slip up and forget, you might not just get sick--you could die, since you have no

immunity to the strains of diseases making their way through the humans and animals of

the village.

The flooding from the heavy rain doesn’t help.

And the weather isn’t great in the fall, either.

The grain that did germinate is now being blasted with heavy rains and hail.

The harvest is going to be meager, which is almost a good thing, because it’s also back

breaking toil.

Long ago you learned how to use a scythe.

But of course, a bad harvest is really the beginning of disaster.

You’re probably starting out life with a diet far superior to the other people in the

village, so as the lean days of winter drag on, and your neighbors become dangerously

thin, you’re not in the same immediate danger.

But that’s about to change.

Because the next year’s weather is also terrible.

It’s a repeat of last year, only worse.

Your rent comes due, and it doesn’t matter that your harvest is again meagre.

So now there’s almost nothing left for winter.

Along with everyone in your family--somehow you ended up with a family when you slipped

through the time portal--you live in a single-room house with a dirt floor and a fire pit.

There’s a hole in the thatched roof for smoke ventilation, but it’s still pretty

rough breathing.

Your livestock lives in the house with you, although not for long.

You’ve got a couple of goats, and they’re worth more alive than dead, since they’re

an endless source of dairy products, especially valuable for the children.

Even though the goats aren’t picky eaters, there’s less of everything to feed them.

And there’s less for your family to eat as the winter wears on.

Doing the math, you realize you’ll have to slaughter one of them.

That will provide good food for awhile, since you can salt the meat.

By early spring, some of the children and elderly people in the village start starving

to death.

Your youngest contracts a disease you can’t name, much less treat, and won’t stop coughing.

Until she does.

You’re not feeling so good, either, although you’re not as far gone.

You certainly don’t have a lot of motivation to get to plowing, and there’s no seed to

sow, anyway.

You’ve had to eat the reserve.

Maybe it’s time to consider a career change?

Like some of the other peasants, you pack up what you can cart away and hit the rough,

muddy highway toward the town a few miles over.

It’s an illegal act for a villein to move away from the manor, but you know that if

you can last a year in the town, you’ll be considered free

Unfortunately, you’re an easy target for highwaymen, who relieve you of your worldly

goods.

They’re skilled fighters, perhaps returned Crusaders, and you can draw your sword, but

you’ll be lucky if they even let you run.

You and your family arrive in town, now literally paupers.

And you’re not alone.

The bad harvests have reduced many of the poor to destitution.

Food is expensive at the marketplace, and you have nothing to trade.

Stealing would be a bad move.

It’s punishable by death, delivered the same day you’re caught.

So, like the other poor, you beg, as does the rest of your family.

And, moved by the spirit of charity, some of the middle class merchants and craftspeople

give all of you a little to eat.

Eventually you can get work doing manual labor.

Even if you knew one of the skilled crafts, like blacksmithing, baking, or carpentry,

you can’t afford to pay to join their guilds.

But for very low wages, and a little bit to eat, you can do heavy lifting, moving blocks

for the masons who are working on the town cathedral, or unloading and carrying freight

for the merchants.

But the town has another downside: the sanitation here is even worse than in the village.

There are supposed to be laws for the disposal of waste, but in practice the side streets

are like open sewers, not to mention the prolific animal droppings.

As hunger creeps into the town, disease follows along with it.

There’s a fair amount of long distance trade, and along with spices and silks, germs hop

along for the ride.

An epidemic breaks out, and there’s little anyone can do but shut themselves up in their

houses.

You don’t have a house.

You’re starving, and you’re sick.

Life in the town isn’t really working for you.

Your family, also suffering from the coughing sickness that killed your youngest daughter,

can find care in a hospital run by a monastery and nunnery.

But you’re determined to find a way to provide.

Before another winter hits, you wander back toward your old village, now largely abandoned.

You keep walking, up to the castle where your lord lives.

When he greets you, you fall to your knees and beg for his help.

As it turns out, he can use you.

War is coming, and every able bodied man is needed.

Given the circumstances, you can make the cut.

The morning before dawn, you march out with the other recruits.

There are no uniforms, let alone armor.

When you get to the camp where the knights and their attendants await the order to battle,

you do get a kind of spear with an axe attached, and a shield--a wicker shield, which seems

like a joke.

On a better note, you get fed.

It’s a simple stew, porridge with some vegetables, and--is it?

Some pieces of chicken meat, the best meal you’ve had in months.

There’s more the following day, and the day after that.

Maybe army life won’t be so bad.

Then the battle comes.

You line up with the other light infantry before dawn.

Behind you are rows of archers, and behind them, the armored cavalry.

Maybe a thousand soldiers all told?

The enemy is almost a mirror image of your side, although they seem to have better armor.

And there may be more of them.

Upon the order to fire, volleys of arrows start flying, first from your side.

And then the enemy returns fire.

It’s hard to tell, but it looks like their bows are considerably larger.

Like your comrades, you shield yourself and crouch.

You don’t look, but you can tell from the screams that plenty of people have just been

hit.

When the arrows stop, you rise to your feet and tighten ranks to make up for the gaps

in the line.

Upon command, you begin charging at the enemy, who is charging right back at you.

You scream, and hold your weapon as tight as you can.

You want to hold onto the hope that you’ll survive the day, but even as you collide with

the opposing line, you know you won’t.

Do you think you’d want to try your hand on the Medieval battlefield?

Is there another time in history you’d be more up for visiting?

Let us know what you think in the comments.

Also, be sure to check out our other video “Why Life During The Dark Ages Sucked.”

Thanks for watching, and, as always, don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe.

See you next time!