Beyond the Walls: The Harsh Reality of Medieval Castle Life

The Castle: A Bustling Fortress

While castles were the most fortified strongholds for royalty and nobles in medieval Europe, they were far more than just a home for the elite. These grand structures also served as defensive fortifications, protecting and controlling the surrounding lands. Many of these castles still stand today, a testament to their enduring strength. However, the reality of living within their stone walls was very different from the tales we read or the movies we watch.

When we think of a castle, we usually picture kings and queens. But the vast majority of people who lived in these structures were not royalty. A castle was a tiny village in its own right, home to not only the lord and his family but also a large retinue of soldiers and countless servants needed to manage the estate. The lord and his family often had a huge number of retainers, making for an incredibly crowded living situation.

The Dreaded Dungeon

Every castle had a great hall, a bedroom, a throne room, and a kitchen, but many also had a dungeon. This was the castle's own prison, a place where people who committed crimes against the lord were sent.

Located in the deepest parts of the castle, the dungeon was a truly miserable place. The conditions were unsanitary and brutal. Beyond simply rotting away in a cell, prisoners also faced the possibility of being sent to a torture chamber, which was often located in the dungeon and used at the lord's discretion.

Rats Were Commonplace

Due to the stagnant, dark, and damp conditions, castles were the perfect home for rats and other vermin. While seeing a rat in your home today would be terrifying, it was simply a fact of life in a medieval castle.

That doesn't mean people weren't afraid of them. Rats were not only disliked for their presence but were also feared because they carried dangerous diseases that were rampant in the Middle Ages.

Bathing Was an Open Affair

Unlike commoners living outside the castle walls, those living inside a castle bathed more frequently. However, that doesn’t mean bathing was an easy or enjoyable experience.

It was difficult to get clean water, and servants had to boil the water and carry wooden tubs to the required room. People would reuse the same bathwater, and they would bathe in front of everyone else in the room. Not only was it unsanitary, but it also offered no privacy.

No Sleeping In

With no electricity, the only source of light was fire. This meant that the day was the most productive time, and everyone had to make the most of the sunlight. Therefore, waking up early was the norm.

Most castles had small windows, and work indoors and outdoors began at sunrise. Most people woke up before the sun came up to start a fire, prepare food, and get themselves and their lord ready for the day.

Huddled for Warmth

While the people living in a castle were well-protected from enemies, they were far from warm. Castles were built from stone to keep enemies out, not to keep inhabitants comfortable.

Stone does not insulate well, so castles tended to stay cold. This was a significant issue in cold and rainy regions. The small, minimal windows also let in very little light, and many rooms had no windows at all, making them feel like a freezer.

Say Goodbye to Privacy

While a castle looked like an impenetrable fortress from the outside, the inside was a communal space where the privacy we value today simply didn't exist.

The lord of the castle might have had a private room, but most servants lived their lives surrounded by others, day and night. Bedrooms, bathrooms, and dining halls were all shared. It was nearly impossible to escape from other people.

The Ordeal of Hosting Events

If you think hosting a dinner party or a holiday meal is tough, just imagine throwing a feast in a castle. Unfortunately for the servants, large gatherings and lavish meals were common and required much more work than you might think.

Multiple courses had to be prepared without modern technology and had to be palatable to all the nobles in attendance. This meant the food had to be prepared, cooked, and served at a perfect time. Of course, there were also all the dishes to wash afterward!

Alcohol Was Readily Available

It was common in the Middle Ages to drink alcoholic beverages like beer, mead, wine, and ale with meals. Just like today, the producers of the highest quality alcohol were highly respected.

However, for the lower classes, beer was often consumed because it was safer than the water. While royalty had access to whatever they desired, the lower classes drank what was available to them.

The Seating Rules

The great hall was where most of the castle's inhabitants ate, similar to a school cafeteria. In the medieval era, however, where you sat was determined by your social status.

The lord sat at the head of the table and was served first, receiving the highest quality food. Then, everyone was lined up at the table by rank, with the lowest-status person being served last. But even the last person to be served ate better than people living outside the castle walls.

Uninviting Floors

Keeping a castle clean was a huge task, even without worrying about washing the floors. With so many people moving about every day, all kinds of dirt from outside made its way into the castle. So, cleaning the floors was nearly impossible.

Fresh rushes and herbs were scattered on the floors to collect dirt brought in from outside. After removing the old rushes and straw, the floors would be cleaned before more plants were scattered.

Kitchen Fires Were Common

In the Middle Ages, kitchens were built from wood. With something always on the fire, it was common for fires to start.

This could often lead to large-scale fires that would burn down the entire kitchen. Fortunately, the castle itself was built of stone, so only the kitchen would be destroyed. Eventually, kitchens were also built from stone, and hearths were used to control the fire.

An Uncomfortable Bathroom Experience

Today, we can use the restroom in a private room with a door and clean water, but this was not the case in the Middle Ages. The toilet at the time was a long bench with a hole in it.

Like a modern portable toilet, waste would fall into a cesspit, and it would later be removed and dumped into the castle moat. Not only was this disgusting, but there were no private stalls, and it was common to relieve oneself in front of other people.

A Foul-Smelling Castle

With no sewage systems and a general lack of hygiene, castles were not the healthiest of places, and they smelled terrible. Even though a large staff was employed, this didn't mean the castle was kept in a sanitary condition.

The use of clean water was limited, so castles did not meet modern standards of cleanliness. As a result, diseases were common within the castle, and the stench was quite overwhelming.

Clockwise Stairs

Most medieval castles have stairs that are built to spiral clockwise. This wasn't by chance; it was for defensive purposes. During an attack, a clockwise staircase makes it difficult for an enemy to use a sword in their right hand as they ascend.

Since most people wore their swords on their right, this made it difficult for them to fight. On the other hand, the defenders of the castle had the advantage of being able to swing their weapons freely as they descended the stairs.

A Chapel Was a Must

While castles had many different amenities, a chapel was a necessity. However, only the lord and his family were allowed to attend mass there.

In some cases, the chapel was the only place in the castle, besides the great hall, that was distinct from the other areas. Although many people still attend religious ceremonies today, people in the Middle Ages could do so without even leaving their homes.

The Other People to Serve

Maintaining a castle was not easy, which is why a large number of people lived inside. However, the work was clearly divided. The vast majority of people lived there to serve the lord and his family.

Their job was to keep the lives of the lord and his family comfortable and to perform the daily chores they needed. On the other hand, the lord himself could focus on political issues and making decisions about his territory.

The Lord's "Solar"

While most of the people living in a castle shared everything, the lord had it differently.

While he was not always in the castle, when he was, he lived in a room called the solar. The solar was usually located at the top of a tower and was one of the few places where a person could get some privacy.

The Lord's Feast

While a king had his own castle, the lords who lived in them also lived a life of luxury. This was especially true when it came to food. Meals consisted of multiple courses with rare meats like peacock, dolphin, and swan.

Much of the food was eaten on a plate known as a trencher, which was a hollowed-out piece of bread that was filled with the meat that was served. Nobles didn't eat many vegetables, so it was common for them to have health problems.

Mercenaries When Needed

A castle was only as good as the mercenaries protecting it. However, the number of mercenaries defending a castle depended on the situation.

During peacetime, a few dozen knights were enough to operate the drawbridge and perform other simple tasks. However, during times of war, the castle was guarded by as many mercenaries as could fit inside.

Don't Swim in the Moat

The purpose of a moat surrounding a castle was to protect it from enemies. It was also a place to dispose of waste. Many medieval castles were designed so that all human waste would flow into the surrounding moat. This was known as a garderobe.

The sewage system extended to the castle wall and was dumped into the moat. So if you were to swim in the moat, you would be in for a very unpleasant experience.

Hygiene Was a Challenge

While spoons and knives existed, forks did not. So, it is believed that the lower classes ate with their hands. While this may not sound like a big deal today, the hands of people at the time were not very clean.

Today, we wash our hands with soap and water frequently, but this was not common practice then. People would not wash their hands after using the bathroom or touching animals. As a result, it was not uncommon for people to get sick from eating with their hands.

Surgery Without Sterilization

While medicine and surgery were somewhat practiced, the concept of bacteria and microorganisms did not yet exist, and it was not uncommon for patients to die during surgery.

Sterilization is one of the most important aspects of modern surgery, but at the time, doctors would not wash their hands or surgical instruments before an operation. It wasn't until the mid-1800s that a Hungarian doctor named Ignaz Semmelweis announced that "clean hands and tools can reduce the possibility of infection."

No Shaving for Peasant Men

While some peasants had the opportunity to wash their hair relatively frequently, shaving was not a high priority on the list of hygiene habits. Mirrors at the time were made of dark glass or polished metal, so shaving was difficult even if you wanted to.

Most people had to rely on a barber to do the job for them. However, since this cost money, most men chose not to shave at all.

Unclean Beds

Unless you were a member of the nobility, your bed was made of straw. While this makes sense, the straw was rarely changed. These beds were also used by people who worked outdoors all day and rarely bathed.

These beds were a breeding ground for fleas and lice. However, people did try to prevent this by mixing herbs and flowers into the straw.

A Strange Cure for Baldness

Male pattern baldness is not a new problem. Men have been concerned about it for a long time. In the Middle Ages, a cure existed, provided you were brave enough to try it.

According to a medical book written in the 17th century, mixing chicken and pigeon droppings with ash and lye and applying it to your head would cure baldness. It's unknown how many people actually tried this method, but it's safe to say it didn't work.

No Escaping Lice

Rich and poor people alike were plagued by lice, and there was no way to escape them. Some wealthy people would even shave their heads completely and wear wigs just to get some relief.

This proved to be useless, however, as wigs were made of real hair and were just as susceptible to infestation as natural hair. People with bad infestations were so self-conscious that they couldn't even take their hats off for fear of lice falling into their food.

The Thames Was a Cesspool

Medieval Europe was a much smellier place than you can imagine. The Thames River in England was particularly bad because it was a natural sewer where people literally dumped everything.

One bridge became popular with butchers for dumping rotting meat and animal parts and was called "Butcher Bridge." It was always covered in dried blood and rotten meat. In 1369, it was made illegal to dump waste there, but the smell remained for a long time afterward.

Widespread Epidemics and Diseases

Given that people in the Middle Ages had no understanding of how hygiene affected their health, it's not surprising that epidemics were rampant. Living in an unclean environment, people were constantly at risk of disease due to poor cooking and preservation methods.

One of the most severe diseases was the Black Death, which occurred from 1347 to 1351 and killed a large portion of the European population. Of course, this was only one example of the diseases caused by poor hygiene, misguided medical practices, and low living standards.

Thank a Dentist!

Modern toothbrushes didn't appear until the 19th century, so people had no one to rely on for their oral and dental health. It is said that medieval people would rinse their mouths with water and rub their teeth with a rag for basic cleaning.

It was also common to chew mint and other herbs to mask bad breath. Nevertheless, if a person got a cavity, they had to have the tooth pulled without anesthesia. You would not want to get a cavity if you lived during this time.

A Terrifying Way to Relieve Pressure

People living in the Middle Ages had no knowledge of medicine as we know it. So when it came to mental issues, the treatment was quite terrible. Trepanning was a surgery performed to "cure" mental health issues, migraines, and epilepsy.

A hole was drilled into the skull, exposing the outer membrane of the brain. It was believed that this would relieve pressure inside the brain and cure the patient. Not surprisingly, in the unsanitary conditions of the Middle Ages, opening the brain often led to death.

Rushes as Carpets

As we've already discussed, the floors at the time were very unsanitary. To clean up the dirt, soil, and other things brought in from outside, many common people would scatter rushes on the floors of their homes. Rushes, a type of aquatic plant, were dried and used as a movable carpet.

This might not sound like a bad idea, but in reality, the rushes were not changed very often. This meant that the floors were covered in dog feces, dirt, and other waste, making the rushes a breeding ground for disease and unwanted creatures.

Bathing Didn't Make You Clean

In the Middle Ages, bathing was a practice reserved for the wealthy, and even then, it wasn't done as frequently as it is today. Even if you didn't live a luxurious life in a castle, you might have the opportunity to bathe occasionally. However, it was not a pleasant experience.

When the poor bathed, the water was often reused, and several people would use the same tub and water. Given the sanitary conditions at the time, it might have been cleaner not to bathe at all.

Public Places Were Very Public

While not everyone had a toilet in or near their home, public facilities were available throughout the city. Of course, these public toilets were not very well-maintained, and they are something a person today would want to run away from.

Not only could you get sick from a public toilet, but there was also no privacy. Many toilets were a style of bench with a hole over a cesspit, and people would relieve themselves in front of other people.