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Transcript
0:00 [Music]
0:01 as I sit here with three electric
0:03 blankets wrapped around me powered on
0:05 full my bottom half and a foot spa
0:07 filled with boiling water and my hair on
0:09 fire in an attempt to keep warm I'm
0:11 wondering how did people live or even
0:13 die during the harshest months of the
0:15 year in the Middle Ages how did they
0:17 stay warm what did they eat how did they
0:19 keep themselves entertained in an age
0:21 before modern day luxuries like double
0:23 glazing God of War Ragnarok and Netflix
0:26 the onset of the little ice age between
0:28 1300 until about 1870 meant that the
0:32 long dark winters of the late Middle
0:33 Ages were colder and more dangerous with
0:36 starvation and death from illness always
0:38 threatening to strike winter was a
0:41 frightening time welcome to Medieval
0:43 Madness
0:49 foreign
0:57 most peasant houses were badly insulated
0:59 and would be full of cold droughts made
1:02 from wood wattle and daub European
1:04 houses were often built on top of Earth
1:06 Mounds which helped to keep them warm a
1:08 fire which provided heat as well as a
1:10 place for cooking was often Central to
1:12 the home with ventilation holes in the
1:13 roof rather than a central chimney which
1:15 would lose too much heat and leave the
1:17 house open to the elements of course
1:20 this meant that the peasants would reek
1:21 of smoke as soot would quickly
1:23 accumulate especially during the winter
1:25 months sometimes there would be a second
1:27 floor which would be reached by a ladder
1:29 and would be used for storage tables and
1:32 beds would be in the main area around
1:33 the fire there might be an adjacent area
1:35 where livestock could be kept the
1:38 Vikings of Scandinavia built long narrow
1:40 fire pits in their long houses these
1:42 fires were lined with stones which
1:44 absorbed heat from the flames and
1:46 allowed it to be distributed throughout
1:47 the building Viking long houses had
1:50 integrated buyers where cattle would be
1:52 sheltered during the colder months not
1:54 only were cows chickens and pigs kept as
1:56 a source of food and roma materials but
1:58 also as a source of heat using animals
2:00 for their additional body heat had its
2:02 drawbacks though it meant that life
2:04 indoors was crowded stinky and noisy but
2:07 at least you wouldn't freeze to death if
2:09 you were spooning a pig with a decent
2:10 fire blazing some Marvin Gaye playing in
2:12 the background a couple nice bottles of
2:14 Chateau Cheval Blanc you get the picture
2:16 in houses which used portable braziers
2:19 safety was quite a problem and many
2:21 houses burned down because of
2:23 carelessness Stone buildings are
2:25 notoriously cold and glass windows were
2:27 only for the elite in the winter months
2:29 of the 1230s London's Palace of
2:31 Westminster was glazed so that the
2:33 chamber may not be so windy as it used
2:35 to be it did not solve the problem of
2:37 coldness but at least it stopped any icy
2:39 winds from blowing through the building
2:40 and in southern France on the island of
2:43 magilon the cathedral windows were
2:45 sealed with plaster during the colder
2:46 months poorer people could only try and
2:49 cover their wall openings with paper or
2:50 foliage to prevent drafts
2:55 clothing
2:57 a combination of both insulation and
2:59 radiation were the best ways of keeping
3:01 warm and this was done by being near to
3:04 a heat source and keeping the warmth
3:05 trapped near to the body with thick
3:07 clothing layering was the easiest way of
3:09 achieving this linen undergarments would
3:11 be worn beneath wool and outer clothing
3:13 wool was hot heavy and very itchy so the
3:16 linen would act as a barrier between the
3:18 wool and the skin it was also so much
3:20 easier to wash and dry linen clothes
3:22 Outdoor Clothing such as boots Woolen
3:25 gloves scarves and cloaks would be worn
3:27 indoors in the coldest months between
3:29 the smoke sweat and animals Indoor
3:32 Winter living for the medievals must
3:33 have been a particularly pungent time
3:35 when Out of Doors fully more affluent a
3:38 metal hand warmer could be obtained
3:40 priests might use these as their hands
3:42 would become numb during long sermons in
3:44 a freezing cold Church the thought that
3:46 the Blessed Sacrament might be dropped
3:48 during communion was scandalous so a
3:50 decorative hand warmer would be used
3:52 made from metal the hinged Bowl was
3:54 perforated and filled with hot charcoal
3:56 which would allow the heat to escape and
3:58 warm the hands without burning them
3:59 bricks and stones would also be heated
4:01 in the fire and then wrapped in cloth to
4:03 be taken to bed as a kind of medieval
4:05 hot water bottle for those who were
4:07 wealthy enough their winter clothing
4:08 would be fur lined and even peasants
4:10 might use rabbit and lambskins for the
4:12 same purpose certainly not as glamorous
4:15 as I mean but just as effective in
4:17 keeping out the cold
4:18 of course permission from the Lord would
4:20 be needed to catch any game these
4:22 Sanctuary laws of 1363 made it illegal
4:24 for anyone other than the wives and
4:26 Daughters of land-owning peasants and
4:28 craftspeople to wear Fox lamb rabbit or
4:31 cat fur
4:33 weather
4:36 it wasn't just those in the north that
4:38 suffered from the cold in some instances
4:40 the weather on Mainland Europe could be
4:42 particularly brutal during the winter of
4:45 1363 to 64 most major rivers and lakes
4:48 froze over between December and March at
4:51 Mains in Germany the Rhine was frozen
4:53 for 70 days this allowed the town of
4:55 cologne which was further Downstream to
4:57 hold a market on the icy River the town
4:59 of fosseis and Belgium was covered in
5:01 snow for over three months and even in
5:03 southern Europe the Venetian Lagoon the
5:06 Atlantic ocean near to Bordeaux and
5:07 France and the Estuary of their own were
5:09 frozen during February of 1352 the
5:13 Florentine area of Italy was covered in
5:15 a snow blanket for over a month and in
5:17 1359 quote the snow Rose across central
5:21 Italy to an extraordinary height so to
5:24 lighten up the roofs the snow was thrown
5:27 into the streets and some of the towns
5:29 were blocked with inhabitants trapped
5:30 for several days in their homes bologna
5:33 saw drifts of up to 18 feet and in
5:35 Medina they were even higher the winter
5:38 of 1389 saw dramatic impressive
5:41 snowfalls in the lazer region of
5:43 Southern France a Chronicle from the
5:45 city of Montpellier recorded quote
5:48 these snowfalls were so great that they
5:50 destroyed many farmsteads
5:52 many died because their houses fell down
5:55 on them other people died of cold others
5:58 of hunger
5:59 because people had run out of provisions
6:03 this sort of weather was normal in
6:05 Scandinavian countries and would not
6:07 have hampered travel and communication
6:09 as it did further south the Vikings used
6:11 various types of skis for hunting and
6:13 transport in other parts of Europe
6:15 peasants were more likely to have boots
6:17 and slays pulled by horse which meant
6:19 that long distance travel was not an
6:21 option in bad weather isolated and
6:23 mountainous areas such as those in
6:25 Lozier were unlikely to survive during
6:27 the harshest Winters
6:31 food
6:33 in farming communities the work was
6:35 endless and there was always something
6:37 that needed to be done hey lots of
6:39 preparation and hard work was needed to
6:41 survive a medieval winter the Gathering
6:43 of firewood might go on from as early as
6:45 spring and through the summer when it
6:47 would be collected bundled and stored
6:50 any food that was harvested in the
6:52 Autumn would need to be preserved in
6:53 some way to last over the winter months
6:55 pickling smoking drying and brining were
6:59 often used as ways to make meat and
7:00 other produce stay fresh for as long as
7:02 possible grains cereals and pulses would
7:05 be dried out and stored in either
7:07 ceramic or clay pots so that they could
7:08 be put into potted stews and soups later
7:11 ground up grain could also be added to
7:13 Breads and biscuits fresh fruits and
7:15 berries would be particularly hard to
7:17 find over the winter months so they had
7:19 to be preserved by air drying or
7:21 pickling in the summer goats cows and
7:24 chickens would provide fresh milk and
7:25 eggs dairy products being an essential
7:28 part of the diet milk could be made in
7:30 into butter cheese or yogurt in
7:33 Scandinavia a sort of sour milk cheese
7:35 called skya was eaten in huge quantities
7:37 after the milk had been curdled and
7:39 strained to make cheese whey is left
7:41 over as a byproduct and is perfect for
7:43 use in pickling a large keg or Cask
7:46 might hold up to 30 liters or 53 pints
7:49 of whey and could easily hold a side of
7:51 beef salted smoked and dried lamb beef
7:54 ham and fish could be kept for an
7:56 extremely long time most people would
7:58 live near to a source of fresh water
8:00 whether that would be a well stream or
8:02 river so its collection shouldn't have
8:04 been a problem in the case of extreme
8:06 weather when people found themselves
8:08 trapped inside then the snow itself
8:09 could be melted and used
8:14 the Great Famine
8:17 of course no one can gather in the crops
8:19 if there is nothing to harvest famines
8:21 in Europe were thought to have occurred
8:22 about once every 20 years the worst of
8:25 these was the Great Famine of
8:27 1315-1317. very heavy rain hit in the
8:30 spring of 1315 causing the crops to fail
8:33 which was only the beginning of the
8:35 misery to come crop yield fell by up to
8:37 a third as it seemed as though the
8:39 Reigns would never end and animals died
8:41 because of starvation and disease the
8:44 catastrophe caused huge levels of
8:46 criminal behavior that included
8:47 infanticide and cannibalism Europe did
8:50 not recover fully until 1322. the famine
8:53 affected up to 30 million people wiping
8:56 out between one and a half to three
8:57 million although the black death in the
8:59 middle of the 14th century was going to
9:01 be more deadly the Great Famine was the
9:04 late Middle Ages worst natural disaster
9:08 entertainment
9:09 [Music]
9:12 after making sure that all maintenance
9:14 work was taken care of and chores were
9:16 done people needed something to do to
9:18 avoid going stir crazy not much
9:20 agricultural work could be done in
9:22 Winter and a lot of time was spent
9:24 indoors medievals might enjoy games in
9:26 the snow though such as sludging and ice
9:28 skating on frozen lakes and rivers using
9:30 horse Shin bones or pieces of polished
9:32 wood escapes later the skates were made
9:34 from Iron in Viking communities snowball
9:37 fights were thought to have been a great
9:38 way for training the children for future
9:40 battles the book of hours from 1460 that
9:44 belonged to the Duchess of burgundy
9:45 shows an illumination of a snowball
9:47 fight with children and adults and there
9:49 are other depictions in frescoes and
9:51 manuscripts indole's time was spent
9:54 spinning wool telling stories or playing
9:56 games board games like chess and
9:58 backgammon were popular as were dice
10:00 games Vikings tended to play board games
10:03 of strategy the inability combined sport
10:06 with the procurement of food with their
10:08 winter boar hunts one of the most highly
10:10 read texts in the high Middle Ages was
10:12 the secretum secretorum the Treatise
10:14 covers many topics from ethics to
10:16 astrology and medicine to Justice it
10:19 states that the dominant humor during
10:21 the winter season was phlegm and its
10:23 harmful effects could be prevented by a
10:25 change of diet hot Meats such as pigeon
10:27 game and mutton and fine red wines are
10:30 recommended whereas bloodletting
10:32 fornication and laxatives should be
10:34 avoided as should any sort of
10:36 overindulgence although it is better to
10:38 overeat in the colder months rather than
10:40 at any other time because the natural
10:41 heat of the body is drawn inwards and
10:43 this results in better digestion good
10:45 knowledge to have in the season that
10:47 includes Christmas for those living in
10:49 the southern regions of Europe which
10:50 experience the warm temperatures and hot
10:52 summers a harsh medieval winter would
10:54 have come as quite a shock those in the
10:56 Northern areas were better experienced
10:58 and equipped to cope with the ice and
11:00 snow with their pelts and ski
11:02 dangers came from starvation as food
11:04 stores would diminish and lower
11:06 temperatures always meant the easiest
11:07 spread of disease as people were crammed
11:09 together indoors stockpiles or
11:11 Provisions would help keep the people
11:13 warm and fed but for the medievals in
11:15 the depths of winter death was never
11:17 very far away
11:19 thank you for watching this episode of
11:20 Medieval Madness do hope you're staying
11:22 warm this winter and we'll see you next
11:24 Friday for another episode cheers

Transcript
0:00	[Music]
0:01	as I sit here with three electric
0:03	blankets wrapped around me powered on
0:05	full my bottom half and a foot spa
0:07	filled with boiling water and my hair on
0:09	fire in an attempt to keep warm I'm
0:11	wondering how did people live or even
0:13	die during the harshest months of the
0:15	year in the Middle Ages how did they
0:17	stay warm what did they eat how did they
0:19	keep themselves entertained in an age
0:21	before modern day luxuries like double
0:23	glazing God of War Ragnarok and Netflix
0:26	the onset of the little ice age between
0:28	1300 until about 1870 meant that the
0:32	long dark winters of the late Middle
0:33	Ages were colder and more dangerous with
0:36	starvation and death from illness always
0:38	threatening to strike winter was a
0:41	frightening time welcome to Medieval
0:43	Madness
0:49	foreign
0:57	most peasant houses were badly insulated
0:59	and would be full of cold droughts made
1:02	from wood wattle and daub European
1:04	houses were often built on top of Earth
1:06	Mounds which helped to keep them warm a
1:08	fire which provided heat as well as a
1:10	place for cooking was often Central to
1:12	the home with ventilation holes in the
1:13	roof rather than a central chimney which
1:15	would lose too much heat and leave the
1:17	house open to the elements of course
1:20	this meant that the peasants would reek
1:21	of smoke as soot would quickly
1:23	accumulate especially during the winter
1:25	months sometimes there would be a second
1:27	floor which would be reached by a ladder
1:29	and would be used for storage tables and
1:32	beds would be in the main area around
1:33	the fire there might be an adjacent area
1:35	where livestock could be kept the
1:38	Vikings of Scandinavia built long narrow
1:40	fire pits in their long houses these
1:42	fires were lined with stones which
1:44	absorbed heat from the flames and
1:46	allowed it to be distributed throughout
1:47	the building Viking long houses had
1:50	integrated buyers where cattle would be
1:52	sheltered during the colder months not
1:54	only were cows chickens and pigs kept as
1:56	a source of food and roma materials but
1:58	also as a source of heat using animals
2:00	for their additional body heat had its
2:02	drawbacks though it meant that life
2:04	indoors was crowded stinky and noisy but
2:07	at least you wouldn't freeze to death if
2:09	you were spooning a pig with a decent
2:10	fire blazing some Marvin Gaye playing in
2:12	the background a couple nice bottles of
2:14	Chateau Cheval Blanc you get the picture
2:16	in houses which used portable braziers
2:19	safety was quite a problem and many
2:21	houses burned down because of
2:23	carelessness Stone buildings are
2:25	notoriously cold and glass windows were
2:27	only for the elite in the winter months
2:29	of the 1230s London's Palace of
2:31	Westminster was glazed so that the
2:33	chamber may not be so windy as it used
2:35	to be it did not solve the problem of
2:37	coldness but at least it stopped any icy
2:39	winds from blowing through the building
2:40	and in southern France on the island of
2:43	magilon the cathedral windows were
2:45	sealed with plaster during the colder
2:46	months poorer people could only try and
2:49	cover their wall openings with paper or
2:50	foliage to prevent drafts
2:55	clothing
2:57	a combination of both insulation and
2:59	radiation were the best ways of keeping
3:01	warm and this was done by being near to
3:04	a heat source and keeping the warmth
3:05	trapped near to the body with thick
3:07	clothing layering was the easiest way of
3:09	achieving this linen undergarments would
3:11	be worn beneath wool and outer clothing
3:13	wool was hot heavy and very itchy so the
3:16	linen would act as a barrier between the
3:18	wool and the skin it was also so much
3:20	easier to wash and dry linen clothes
3:22	Outdoor Clothing such as boots Woolen
3:25	gloves scarves and cloaks would be worn
3:27	indoors in the coldest months between
3:29	the smoke sweat and animals Indoor
3:32	Winter living for the medievals must
3:33	have been a particularly pungent time
3:35	when Out of Doors fully more affluent a
3:38	metal hand warmer could be obtained
3:40	priests might use these as their hands
3:42	would become numb during long sermons in
3:44	a freezing cold Church the thought that
3:46	the Blessed Sacrament might be dropped
3:48	during communion was scandalous so a
3:50	decorative hand warmer would be used
3:52	made from metal the hinged Bowl was
3:54	perforated and filled with hot charcoal
3:56	which would allow the heat to escape and
3:58	warm the hands without burning them
3:59	bricks and stones would also be heated
4:01	in the fire and then wrapped in cloth to
4:03	be taken to bed as a kind of medieval
4:05	hot water bottle for those who were
4:07	wealthy enough their winter clothing
4:08	would be fur lined and even peasants
4:10	might use rabbit and lambskins for the
4:12	same purpose certainly not as glamorous
4:15	as I mean but just as effective in
4:17	keeping out the cold
4:18	of course permission from the Lord would
4:20	be needed to catch any game these
4:22	Sanctuary laws of 1363 made it illegal
4:24	for anyone other than the wives and
4:26	Daughters of land-owning peasants and
4:28	craftspeople to wear Fox lamb rabbit or
4:31	cat fur
4:33	weather
4:36	it wasn't just those in the north that
4:38	suffered from the cold in some instances
4:40	the weather on Mainland Europe could be
4:42	particularly brutal during the winter of
4:45	1363 to 64 most major rivers and lakes
4:48	froze over between December and March at
4:51	Mains in Germany the Rhine was frozen
4:53	for 70 days this allowed the town of
4:55	cologne which was further Downstream to
4:57	hold a market on the icy River the town
4:59	of fosseis and Belgium was covered in
5:01	snow for over three months and even in
5:03	southern Europe the Venetian Lagoon the
5:06	Atlantic ocean near to Bordeaux and
5:07	France and the Estuary of their own were
5:09	frozen during February of 1352 the
5:13	Florentine area of Italy was covered in
5:15	a snow blanket for over a month and in
5:17	1359 quote the snow Rose across central
5:21	Italy to an extraordinary height so to
5:24	lighten up the roofs the snow was thrown
5:27	into the streets and some of the towns
5:29	were blocked with inhabitants trapped
5:30	for several days in their homes bologna
5:33	saw drifts of up to 18 feet and in
5:35	Medina they were even higher the winter
5:38	of 1389 saw dramatic impressive
5:41	snowfalls in the lazer region of
5:43	Southern France a Chronicle from the
5:45	city of Montpellier recorded quote
5:48	these snowfalls were so great that they
5:50	destroyed many farmsteads
5:52	many died because their houses fell down
5:55	on them other people died of cold others
5:58	of hunger
5:59	because people had run out of provisions
6:03	this sort of weather was normal in
6:05	Scandinavian countries and would not
6:07	have hampered travel and communication
6:09	as it did further south the Vikings used
6:11	various types of skis for hunting and
6:13	transport in other parts of Europe
6:15	peasants were more likely to have boots
6:17	and slays pulled by horse which meant
6:19	that long distance travel was not an
6:21	option in bad weather isolated and
6:23	mountainous areas such as those in
6:25	Lozier were unlikely to survive during
6:27	the harshest Winters
6:31	food
6:33	in farming communities the work was
6:35	endless and there was always something
6:37	that needed to be done hey lots of
6:39	preparation and hard work was needed to
6:41	survive a medieval winter the Gathering
6:43	of firewood might go on from as early as
6:45	spring and through the summer when it
6:47	would be collected bundled and stored
6:50	any food that was harvested in the
6:52	Autumn would need to be preserved in
6:53	some way to last over the winter months
6:55	pickling smoking drying and brining were
6:59	often used as ways to make meat and
7:00	other produce stay fresh for as long as
7:02	possible grains cereals and pulses would
7:05	be dried out and stored in either
7:07	ceramic or clay pots so that they could
7:08	be put into potted stews and soups later
7:11	ground up grain could also be added to
7:13	Breads and biscuits fresh fruits and
7:15	berries would be particularly hard to
7:17	find over the winter months so they had
7:19	to be preserved by air drying or
7:21	pickling in the summer goats cows and
7:24	chickens would provide fresh milk and
7:25	eggs dairy products being an essential
7:28	part of the diet milk could be made in
7:30	into butter cheese or yogurt in
7:33	Scandinavia a sort of sour milk cheese
7:35	called skya was eaten in huge quantities
7:37	after the milk had been curdled and
7:39	strained to make cheese whey is left
7:41	over as a byproduct and is perfect for
7:43	use in pickling a large keg or Cask
7:46	might hold up to 30 liters or 53 pints
7:49	of whey and could easily hold a side of
7:51	beef salted smoked and dried lamb beef
7:54	ham and fish could be kept for an
7:56	extremely long time most people would
7:58	live near to a source of fresh water
8:00	whether that would be a well stream or
8:02	river so its collection shouldn't have
8:04	been a problem in the case of extreme
8:06	weather when people found themselves
8:08	trapped inside then the snow itself
8:09	could be melted and used
8:14	the Great Famine
8:17	of course no one can gather in the crops
8:19	if there is nothing to harvest famines
8:21	in Europe were thought to have occurred
8:22	about once every 20 years the worst of
8:25	these was the Great Famine of
8:27	1315-1317. very heavy rain hit in the
8:30	spring of 1315 causing the crops to fail
8:33	which was only the beginning of the
8:35	misery to come crop yield fell by up to
8:37	a third as it seemed as though the
8:39	Reigns would never end and animals died
8:41	because of starvation and disease the
8:44	catastrophe caused huge levels of
8:46	criminal behavior that included
8:47	infanticide and cannibalism Europe did
8:50	not recover fully until 1322. the famine
8:53	affected up to 30 million people wiping
8:56	out between one and a half to three
8:57	million although the black death in the
8:59	middle of the 14th century was going to
9:01	be more deadly the Great Famine was the
9:04	late Middle Ages worst natural disaster
9:08	entertainment
9:09	[Music]
9:12	after making sure that all maintenance
9:14	work was taken care of and chores were
9:16	done people needed something to do to
9:18	avoid going stir crazy not much
9:20	agricultural work could be done in
9:22	Winter and a lot of time was spent
9:24	indoors medievals might enjoy games in
9:26	the snow though such as sludging and ice
9:28	skating on frozen lakes and rivers using
9:30	horse Shin bones or pieces of polished
9:32	wood escapes later the skates were made
9:34	from Iron in Viking communities snowball
9:37	fights were thought to have been a great
9:38	way for training the children for future
9:40	battles the book of hours from 1460 that
9:44	belonged to the Duchess of burgundy
9:45	shows an illumination of a snowball
9:47	fight with children and adults and there
9:49	are other depictions in frescoes and
9:51	manuscripts indole's time was spent
9:54	spinning wool telling stories or playing
9:56	games board games like chess and
9:58	backgammon were popular as were dice
10:00	games Vikings tended to play board games
10:03	of strategy the inability combined sport
10:06	with the procurement of food with their
10:08	winter boar hunts one of the most highly
10:10	read texts in the high Middle Ages was
10:12	the secretum secretorum the Treatise
10:14	covers many topics from ethics to
10:16	astrology and medicine to Justice it
10:19	states that the dominant humor during
10:21	the winter season was phlegm and its
10:23	harmful effects could be prevented by a
10:25	change of diet hot Meats such as pigeon
10:27	game and mutton and fine red wines are
10:30	recommended whereas bloodletting
10:32	fornication and laxatives should be
10:34	avoided as should any sort of
10:36	overindulgence although it is better to
10:38	overeat in the colder months rather than
10:40	at any other time because the natural
10:41	heat of the body is drawn inwards and
10:43	this results in better digestion good
10:45	knowledge to have in the season that
10:47	includes Christmas for those living in
10:49	the southern regions of Europe which
10:50	experience the warm temperatures and hot
10:52	summers a harsh medieval winter would
10:54	have come as quite a shock those in the
10:56	Northern areas were better experienced
10:58	and equipped to cope with the ice and
11:00	snow with their pelts and ski
11:02	dangers came from starvation as food
11:04	stores would diminish and lower
11:06	temperatures always meant the easiest
11:07	spread of disease as people were crammed
11:09	together indoors stockpiles or
11:11	Provisions would help keep the people
11:13	warm and fed but for the medievals in
11:15	the depths of winter death was never
11:17	very far away
11:19	thank you for watching this episode of
11:20	Medieval Madness do hope you're staying
11:22	warm this winter and we'll see you next
11:24	Friday for another episode cheers