10 Disturbing Practices That Were Considered Normal in Medieval England
From taking animals to court and illegal football to brutal shaming parades.
When referring to the Middle Ages in England, one is most likely to think of epic tales with gallant knights riding through the countryside on heroic quests. One may even think of beautiful maids and noble princes. However, the reality of life back then was harsh, with little to no comfort. Women were subordinate to men, children had extremely low survival rates, hygiene was more than just questionable, and life spans were low. There were many aspects of life in Medieval England that are unknown to most people and would be surprising, at the very least, to learn about.
1. Trial by Ordeal
Before England started employing juries to determine the guilt of the accused brought into courts, they turned to literal ‘ordeals’ for those who wanted to prove their innocence. There were two common forms of ordeal — fire and water — and one less common form — combat. God was considered to be the ultimate determiner of the accused’s guilt or innocence.
For ordeal by fire, the accused was required to carry a red-hot, iron bar and walk a distance of 3 meters (9 feet). If their wound healed within the next three days, they were…
