Medieval Times Reference Links

[JoeyD473]

Yeah. That's why I love writing fantasy. You can romanticize some of the bad stuff.

For me the scariest parts about medieval times are the lack of hygiene and medicine. Then there's the issue of being born a serf, having to work really hard to survive and then being sent by your lord to be slaughtered on some battlefield.

Normally serfs were not sent to battle during the Middle Ages. That was the job of the Knights. Though Barbaric, Feudalism was very strict about who did what when

[overlordchuck]

I wonder how grittier writing would sell in this genre. Personally, I like my reading to gloss over those nasty bits like getting sick in the winter (no one ever catches a cold), going to the restroom, menstruation, the horrid smell because no one hardly ever bathes, the reek of sewage clogged streets...you know that stuff.

George R.R. Martin. But beyond him, I really don't know any who've done that and actually sold well. Paul Kearney does some grittiness, but he's not exactly a bestseller. I had to get used copies of his books off Amazon because they've been out of print for forever.

Personally, even if you don't focus on the nastier aspects of medieval life in a fantasy, I feel that unless you can write a way to negate some of that stuff, then some mention of it adds that much more to your world.

[Gandwarf]

Normally serfs were not sent to battle during the Middle Ages. That was the job of the Knights. Though Barbaric, Feudalism was very strict about who did what when

Actually, some lords required serfs to fight for them. At least that is what I have learned. Those conflicts tended to be nasty also. They generally came down to knights ignoring each other and slaughtering the peasants.

But maybe my history teachers sucked and this is untrue? I really am not sure. I did see some sources stating some serfs had to fight for their lords however.

[Pilias]

Actually, some lords required serfs to fight for them. At least that is what I have learned. Those conflicts tended to be nasty also. They generally came down to knights ignoring each other and slaughtering the peasants.

But maybe my history teachers sucked and this is untrue? I really am not sure. I did see some sources stating some serfs had to fight for their lords however.

It was relatively uncommon, but it did happen, especially as you got into the middle and late portions of the medieval time.

The fact that a peasant could easily kill a knight without much training at all is one of the reasons the Church outlawed Crossbows.

As you got into the later periods especially you saw much more of a more modern style of warfare where the civilian population was drafted into the army to fight instead of it just being specialists.