Tag: medieval

Livre du roi Modus et de la reine Ratio, 14th century (Bibliothèque nationale)

Food & ingredients available in Medieval Europe before contact with the Americas

May 10, 2026

It is sometimes difficult to comprehend that many of our most favourite and common foods and spices were not available to ‘the old world’ till after Europeans found their way to the Americas.Yes, once upon a time we somehow managed to survive without potatoes, tomatoes, tobacco and many more delicious things.And yes, till the spice … More Food & ingredients available in Medieval Europe before contact with the Americas

Analysing the Narrenschiff window scene (1494)

September 29, 2025

The image below is often shared as an example of bad medieval hygiene, specifically to support the idea that emptying a chamber pot out of the window was a normal, generally accepted, common and/or regular occurrence in Medieval Europe.But the truth is a little different. First some of the technical details, the image comes from … More Analysing the Narrenschiff window scene (1494)

Book review: ‘Water technology in the Middle Ages’, by Roberta J. Magnusson (2003)

September 21, 2025

This may sound like a boring book but for me, a historian obsessed with debunking the old myth that medieval people were dirty, rarely bathed, etc. it’s quite a fascinating read and I think it has plenty of interesting details in it that most people will find interesting. So as I read the book I … More Book review: ‘Water technology in the Middle Ages’, by Roberta J. Magnusson (2003)

Book review: ‘Community, Urban Health and Environment in the Late Medieval Low Countries’ by Janna Coomans (2021)

August 17, 2025

Medieval Hygiene hasn’t been a serious topic of research for historians till relatively recently, the topic is more related to the daily life of common people, not knights, royals or other famous people, so less interesting for some, but for a long time the old opinions held since Victorian times were just repeated for generations.Luckily … More Book review: ‘Community, Urban Health and Environment in the Late Medieval Low Countries’ by Janna Coomans (2021)

Book review: ‘Urban Women: Life, Love, and Work in the Medieval Low Countries’ by Andrea Bardyn, Chanelle Delameillieure, Jelle Haemers (2019)

August 4, 2025

For a long time historians have been more interested in the stories of royals, nobles, knights and other important and powerful people, than they have been in the lives of the common folk.But I’ve always cared more about what life was like for people like me, not rich, not powerful, not living in palaces, etc. … More Book review: ‘Urban Women: Life, Love, and Work in the Medieval Low Countries’ by Andrea Bardyn, Chanelle Delameillieure, Jelle Haemers (2019)

Book review: ‘The medieval pig’ by Dolly Jørgensen (2024)

August 5, 2024

I love history books that are all about a specific subject, it shows that a historian has become obsessed about one thing and that they’ve likely spend more time than is healthy researching it.Which is of course a good thing because it can result in the ultimate publication on the topic and I think that’s … More Book review: ‘The medieval pig’ by Dolly Jørgensen (2024)

Book review: ‘Het middeleeuwse openbare badhuis’ by Fabiola van Dam (2020)

July 15, 2024

I recently read ‘Het middeleeuwse openbare badhuis’ by Fabiola van Dam, I read it twice. I realise it is not available in English and VERY specific, but it had some interesting stuff in it I want to share with you anyway, so here we go. Oh if you’re a history book publisher, check this book … More Book review: ‘Het middeleeuwse openbare badhuis’ by Fabiola van Dam (2020)