MIDDLE AGES FABLES

EVERYBODY HAD A THATCHED ROOF

This one could almost pass for true. In fact, even castles had

thatched roofs. Come to think of it, some houses in England still have

thatched roofs today! Why? Because they worked. Thatched roofs

weren’t the leaky pile of straw you think they were.

THERE WAS NO FOOD AND EVERYBODY WAS STARVING

Of course there were famines, droughts, etc. but once again, we have

those today. In fact, one could argue that more people die of hunger

today than they did back then, thanks to the simple fact that there

are more of us. Hunger has always been with us, but so has

prosperity and injustice.

THE DEATH PENALTY WAS COMMON

Looks like not much has changed. Between the United States, China,

North Korea, and Iran the death penalty is still employed quite often

today. Okay, so it is true that most of the world has abolished it

but to think that the Middle Ages were unique in their application

of executions would be wrong. The method of execution was

typically far less humane, no myth there.

THE CHURCH STAMPED OUT ALL KNOWLEDGE

Not really, all the institutions of higher learning were almost

exclusively started by the Church.

KNIGHTS WERE SUPER CHIVALROUS AND VALIANT

While not all knights were created equal, as a whole they definitely

didn’t live up to their chivalrous legacy. Nobles even had to enact

an actual “code of chivalry” in the 13th century to keep their knights

from acting like drunken college kids when they weren’t out fighting.

PEOPLE DIED WHEN THEY WERE 35

It is certainly true that life expectancy was lower. But remember

that 30-35 was only an average. High infant mortality twisted things a

bit and if someone could reach their 20th birthday they actually

had a pretty good chance of reaching 50.

VIKINGS WORE HORNED HELMETS

They didn’t. The horns were the product of a 19th century

Scandinavian artists just adding some flair to their masterpieces.

PRIMAE NOCTIS

Primae Noctis is the idea that lords would have the right to sleep

with any peasant wife on the first night after her wedding

(like in Braveheart). However, there is not a single solid piece of

evidence documenting the historicity of this idea.