Information about the completely unwashed Europe in the Middle Ages, fetid streets, dirty bodies, fleas and other "charms" of this kind came mostly from the 19th century. And many scientists of that era agreed and paid tribute to her, although the material itself was hardly studied. As a rule, all conclusions were based on the period of the New Age, when the purity of the body was really not held in high esteem. The speculative constructions without a documentary base and archaeological data led many astray about life and hygiene in the Middle Ages. But, in spite of everything, the thousand-year history of Europe with its ups and downs was able to preserve for posterity a huge aesthetic and cultural heritage.
Myths and Reality
Hygiene in the Middle Ages, as well as everyday life, was unfairly subjected to severe criticism, but the collected material of this period is quite enough to refute all the charges and separate the truth from fiction.
The myths about the cultural degradation of medieval Europe invented by humanists of the Renaissance, further supplemented and disseminated by masters of the pen of the New Time (XVII-XIX centuries), were called upon to form a certain favorable background for future achievements. To a greater extent, these myths were based on fabrications and distortions, as well as on the conclusions of the devastating crisis of the XIV century. Hunger and crop failure, social tension, outbreaks of disease, aggressive and decadent moods in society ...
Epidemics, which doubled and doubled the population of the oblasts, completely destabilized hygiene in medieval Europe and turned it into a flourishing of religious fanaticism, unsanitary conditions and closed city baths. The worst-era assessment of an entire era quickly spread and became the most obvious historical injustice.
Washed or not washed?
Each era in the history of mankind to one degree or another differed in its concepts and criteria for the purity of the physical body. Hygiene in Europe in the Middle Ages, contrary to the prevailing stereotype, was not as terrifying as they like to present. Of course, there could be no talk of modern standards, but people regularly (once a week), one way or another, washed themselves. A daily shower was replaced by a damp cloth.
If you pay attention to works of art, book miniatures and the symbolism of the cities of that time, then the bath-washing traditions of Ancient Rome were successfully inherited by Europeans, which was especially characteristic of the early Middle Ages. During excavations of estates and monasteries, archaeologists discovered special washing tanks and public baths. For home bathing, the role of the bath was played by a huge wooden tub, which, if necessary, was transferred to the right place, usually to the bedroom. The French historian Fernand Braudel also notes that private and public baths with baths, steam rooms and pools were commonplace for citizens. Moreover, these institutions were designed for all classes.
Soap of Europe
The use of soap became widespread in the Middle Ages, whose hygiene is so often condemned. In the IX century, under the hands of Italian alchemists who practiced the manufacture of cleaning compounds, the first analogue of a detergent came out. Then mass production began.
The development of soap making in European countries was based on the presence of a natural resource base. The Marseille soap industry had at its disposal soda and olive oil, which was obtained through the simple pressing of oilseeds. The oil obtained after the third pressing was used to make soap. The soap product from Marseille became a significant commodity of trade by the 10th century, but later it lost the lead to the Venetian soap. In addition to France, soap making in Europe successfully developed in the states of Italy, Spain, in the areas of Greece and Cyprus, where olive trees were cultivated. In Germany, soap factories were founded only by the fourteenth century.
In the XIII century in France and England, soap production began to occupy a very serious niche in the economy. And by the 15th century, Italy began to produce solid lump soap in an industrial way.
Hygiene of women in the Middle Ages
Often the supporters of “dirty Europe” recall Isabella of Castile, the princess who gave the word not to wash or change clothes until victory is won. This is true, she faithfully kept her vow for three years. But it should be noted that this act received a great response in the then society. A lot of noise was made, and in honor of the princess a new color was even brought out, which already suggests that such a phenomenon was not the norm.
Incense oils, body wiping fabrics, hair combs, ear scapulas and small tweezers were daily helpers in the hygiene of women in medieval Europe. The latter attribute is especially clearly mentioned in books of that period as an indispensable participant in the ladies' toilet. In the painting, beautiful female bodies were depicted without extra vegetation, which gives an understanding that hair removal was also carried out in intimate areas. Also, the treatise of the Italian doctor Trotula Sarlenska, dated to the 11th century, contains a prescription for unwanted hairs on the body using arsenic ore, ant eggs and vinegar.
Mentioning feminine hygiene in Europe in the Middle Ages, one cannot help but touch upon such a delicate topic of “special women's days”. In fact, little is known about this, but some findings allow us to draw certain conclusions. Trotula mentions a woman's internal cleansing procedure using cotton, usually before having sex with her husband. But it is doubtful that such material could be used in the form of a tampon. Some researchers suggest that sphagnum moss, which was widely used in medicine as an antiseptic and to stop bleeding in combat injuries, could well be used for laying.
Life and insects
In medieval Europe, life and hygiene, although not so critical, still left much to be desired. Most of the houses had a thick thatched roof, which was the most favorable place for living and breeding of any living creatures, especially mice and insects. During bad weather and cold seasons, they climbed onto the inner surface and, with their presence, made life difficult for residents. The situation was no better with the floor. In prosperous houses, the floor was covered with slate sheets, which became slippery in winter, and to make it easier to move, it was sprinkled with crushed straw. During the winter period, worn and dirty straw was blocked more than once by fresh straw, creating ideal conditions for the development of pathogenic bacteria.
Insects have become a real disaster of this era. In carpets, bed canopies, mattresses and blankets, and even on clothes, there were hordes of bugs and fleas, which, in addition to all the inconvenience, carried a serious threat to health.
It is worth noting that in the early Middle Ages, most of the buildings did not have separate rooms. One room could have several functions at once: kitchen, dining room, bedroom and laundry. There was almost no furniture. A little later, wealthy citizens began to separate the bedchamber from the kitchen and dining room.
Toilet Theme
It is generally accepted that the concept of “latrine” was completely absent in medieval time, and “affairs” were done where necessary. But this is not at all true. Toilets were found in almost all stone castles and monasteries and were a small extension on the wall that hung over the moat, where sewage flowed down. This architectural element was called a wardrobe.
City toilets were arranged on the principle of a country restroom. The cesspools were regularly cleaned with suction trucks, which at night took out people's livelihoods from the city. Of course, the craft was not entirely prestigious, but very necessary and in demand in the big cities of Europe. People of this specific profession had their own guilds and representations, like other artisans. In some areas, trash cans were referred to as “night masters”.
Beginning in the 13th century, changes have come to the toilet room: windows glaze to avoid drafts, double doors are installed in order to prevent the penetration of odor into residential premises. Around the same period, the first designs for flushing began to be carried out.
The toilet theme well reveals how far from reality myths about hygiene in medieval Europe are. And there is not a single source and archaeological evidence proving the absence of restrooms.
Water supply and sewerage systems
It is a mistake to assume that the attitude to garbage and sewage in the Middle Ages was more loyal than now. The very fact of the existence of cesspools in cities and castles suggests the opposite. Another conversation is that city services did not always cope with maintaining order and cleanliness, for economic and technical reasons of that time.
With the increase in the urban population since about the 11th century, the problem of providing drinking water and removing sewage from the city walls is becoming of paramount importance. Often, human waste products were discharged into the nearest rivers and reservoirs. This led to the fact that it was impossible to drink water from them. Various purification methods were repeatedly practiced, but drinking water continued to be an expensive pleasure. The issue was partially resolved when in Italy, and subsequently in a number of other countries, pumps using wind turbines began to be used.
At the end of the XII century, one of the first gravity water pipelines was erected in Paris, and by 1370 the operation of an underground sewage system in the Montmartre area began. Archaeological finds of gravity lead, wood and ceramic water pipes and sewers have been discovered in cities in Germany, England, Italy, Scandinavia and other countries.
Sanitary Services
Health and hygiene in medieval Europe were constantly guarded by certain crafts, a kind of sanitary services, which contributed to the purity of society.
Surviving sources report that in 1291 alone in Paris more than 500 barbers were recorded, excluding street masters who practice in markets and other places. The barber shop had a characteristic sign: usually a copper or pewter basin, scissors and a comb were hung above the entrance. The list of working tools consisted of a shaving razor, tweezers for removing hair, a comb, scissors, sponges and dressings, as well as bottles of “fragrant water”. The master always had to have hot water available, so a small stove was installed indoors.
Unlike other artisans, the laundresses did not have their own workshop and basically remained single. Wealthy city dwellers at times hired a professional washing machine worker, to whom they gave away their dirty laundry and on already agreed days they received clean laundry. Hotels, inns and prisons for persons of noble origin acquired their laundresses. Wealthy houses also had a permanent staff salary engaged exclusively in washing. The rest of the people, who did not have the opportunity to pay for a professional laundress, had to wash their clothes themselves on the nearest river.
Public baths existed in most cities and were so natural that they were built in almost every medieval quarter. In the testimonies of contemporaries, the work of bathhouses and bath attendants is noted quite often. There are also legal documents that detail their activities and the rules for visiting such establishments. The documents (Saxon Mirror and others) separately mention theft and murder in public soap, which only confirms their wide distribution.
Medicine in the Middle Ages
In medieval Europe, the church played a significant role in medicine. In the VI century, the first hospitals began to function at monasteries to help the weak and crippled, where the monks themselves acted as doctors. But the medical training of God's servants was so small that they lacked basic knowledge of human physiology. Therefore, it is expected that in their treatment the emphasis was placed primarily on the restriction in food, on medicinal herbs and prayers. They were practically powerless in the field of surgery and infectious diseases.
In the X-XI centuries, practical medicine became the quite developed industry in the cities, which was mainly practiced by attendants and barbers. The list of their duties, in addition to the main ones, included: bloodletting, bone reduction, amputation of limbs and a number of other procedures. By the end of the 15th century, workshops for practicing surgeons began to be established from barbers.
The "black death" of the first half of the fourteenth century, brought from the East through Italy, according to some reports, claimed about a third of Europeans. And medicine, with its dubious theories and a set of religious prejudices, deliberately lost in this struggle and was absolutely powerless. Healers could not recognize the disease at an early stage, which led to a significant increase in the number of infected and devastated cities.
Thus, medicine and hygiene in the Middle Ages could not boast of major changes, continuing to be based on the works of Galen and Hippocrates, previously well-edited by the church.
Historical facts
- In the early 1300s, the budget of Paris was regularly replenished with a tax from 29 baths that worked daily except Sunday.
- A great contribution to the development of hygiene in the Middle Ages was made by an outstanding scientist, a doctor of the X-XI centuries Abu Ali Sina, better known as Avicenna. His main works were devoted to issues of everyday life, clothing and nutrition. Avicenna first suggested that the mass spread of ailments occurs through contaminated drinking water and soil.
- Karl the Brave possessed a rare luxury item - a silver bath that accompanied him on the battlefields and travels. After the defeat at Granson (1476), she was discovered in the ducal camp.
- Emptying the night pots from the window directly onto the passers-by was nothing more than a peculiar reaction of the residents of the house to the incessant noise under the windows, disturbing their peace. In other cases, such actions led to trouble from the city authorities and a fine.
- Attitudes towards hygiene in medieval Europe can also be traced by the number of public city toilets. In the city of rains, London, there were 13 restrooms, and a couple of them were placed right on the London bridge connecting the two halves of the city.