Were People In the Medieval Period Clean or Not?
Dirty bodies, rotting teeth, soiled clothes; if these are the things that come to mind when you think of hygiene in the Middle Ages, think again. Dirt was far from fashionable.
People might not have been slathering hand sanitizer on themselves every five minutes, but they certainly maintained a level of cleanliness. So let’s take a look at some ways Medieval people would have kept themselves fresh and tidy.
First, Adjust Your Idea of Clean
Because although your outer appearance is going to win you an evening with that handsome knight, there’s a cleanliness and beauty that goes even deeper.
The state of one’s soul was of the utmost importance in the Medieval period and it influenced every aspect of life. If a person was Spiritually clean, it was sure to manifest externally in the form of great smells and glowing skin.
Whether you were truly holy or not was irrelevant. A clean body meant a clean soul, and therefore extra social brownie points. Therefore, the desire to trick everyone into believing in your sanctity would have been a strong motivator to keep yourself meticulously clean.
Now for a Bath
Yes, medieval people bathed. In fact, people of the middle ages bathed more than…
