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13 Now-You-Know Facts About The Middle Ages They Didn’t Teach At School

They say society has “advanced” since the Middle Ages, but you can’t fart for a living anymore.

13 Now-You-Know Facts About The Middle Ages They Didn’t Teach At School

November 04, 2021

The middle ages get a bad rap. For example, why do we call them the dark ages? Okay, okay so the Roman Empire fell--big whoop! There was plenty of stuff going on. It's easy to make any era look bad in the movies if you film it with a gray filter and splatter all the extras with mud.

The fact is, the middle ages were an interesting historical period that was far more nuanced than most people realize. We bet you didn't know about the rhyming insult battles that used to happen in Scotland and the British Isles? Or the fact that almond milk was a popular delicacy. Not to mention the fact that you could put animals on trial!

Sure, they say the Middle Ages were a dark time of superstition, war, and disease, but at least you could go to a royal court and get paid to fart. Scroll down to get the full story, plus 12 others:

13

In medieval England and Scotland, public insult battles were all the rage. It was called flyting, and it was basically the rap battle of its day people would insult each other in all kinds of funny and clever ways. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Source

12

Almond milk seems like a new hipster thing, but it was big in the Middle Ages. People in medieval Europe considered it a delicacy and way better than milk they used it in fancy meals as much as they used spices. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Source

11

In the Middle Ages, you could truly fart for a living if that's what you wanted. There were farters at royal courts, and it was basically a recognized, uh, entertainment specialty that could potentially pay pretty well. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Source

10

In the Middle Ages, it was a totally normal thing to put animals on trial. the History records horses, goats, pigs, COWS, dogs being put on trial for breaking the law and being treated just like bipedal lawbreakers. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Source

9

Here Be Dragons wasn't actually a regularly used phrase on medieval maps. It's only been recorded one single time, on a 16th-century globe (Hic sunt dracones, in Latin) - that's it. It doesn't seem any other map ever used it. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Source

8

We think of medieval dentistry as crude, but it was surprisingly advanced. Dentists at the time could do things like filling cavities, handling facial fractures, basic teeth whitening, and even spotting oral cancer. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Source

7

One monastic order went on a beer fast during Lent back in the 17th century. They weren't allowed to eat anything solid during Lent, so they figured they'd drink beer since it was basically liquid bread -- that'd be A-OK. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Source

6

Medieval knights had a special dagger they used just for finishing off an enemy. It was called the misericorde (which came from the French word for mercy): a long, thin dagger you could kill a wounded enemy knight with. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Source

5

Signs saying Ye aren't supposed to be pronounced with a why sound. No 42 YE OLDE LONDON No 42 The letter Ye is supposed to be pronounced th, so the proper pronunciation of Ye in, say, Ye Olde is just the. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Source

4

Medieval knights' training regimen could be incredibly physically demanding. One French knight had a regimen that involved things like jumping onto a horse and climbing a ladder on the underside, all in full armor. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Source

3

Medieval plate armor was actually surprisingly comfortable on the inside. the It wasn't just bare metal - it was lined with cloth, both for comfort and to reduce wear and tear, and that significantly contributed to its cost. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Source

2

Medieval knights wearing full armor actually weren't terribly bulky at all. For example, contrary to widespread myth, knights could get on their horse without any help -- they didn't need, say, elaborate cranes or anything. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Source

1

Brits drive on the left because of a tradition from back in the Middle Ages. TI Drive on left Tenez la gauche Links fahren If you rode so that approaching strangers would be to your right, you could easily draw your sword against them (assuming you're right-handed). NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Source

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