What Was City Life Like in the Middle Ages?

A lot of Medieval cities were similar to ours today in that they had governing bodies, educational structures, bankers, lawyers, hospitals, merchants, and an exchange of goods and services, as well as some extraordinary cathedrals that are still standing today. Though the Medievals themselves were unsure about the advantages of their cities. The English chronicler and monk Richard Devizes wrote about London in the 1190s and said, “Whatever evil or malicious thing that can be found in any part of the world, you will find it in that one city”. So what was life like for these Medieval Metropolitans? Let’s travel back in time and find out.

00:00 Introduction
00:49 City life
01:35 Safety
02:53 Crowded
04:27 Stinky
06:33 Violent
08:44 Business and Culture

Narrated by James Wade
Written by Lisa E Rawcliffe
Edited by Jamit Productions

Thank you for watching.

Copyright © 2023 Top5s All rights reserved. In this video, we've compiled information from a variety of sources, including documentaries, books, and websites, all with the aim of providing an engaging viewing experience. While we strive to ensure accuracy, we acknowledge that there may be variations in the authenticity of the content. We encourage viewers to delve deeper and conduct their own research to corroborate the information presented.

[jonnyw]

It’s strangely comforting to know life has always been terrible

[kimberlyperrotis]

Curfews were began to reduce the risks of fire in cities, not provide security from crime. The word comes from the French couvre-feu, or “cover fire”. At curfew, all were required to cover their fires, by banking or other methods, to prevent sparks escaping and starting fires. Most European cities were built largely of wood and fires could destroy many stone buildings, too, as there was plenty of wood and other flammables in their construction, including inner walls or paneling, floors, ceilings and roofs, as well as their contents, of course.

[roman]

Wow!
This helps me feel grateful for my clean beatuful apartment, a few blocks from a well stocked market where I can buy anything I want to eat.

[khukri_wielderxxx]

I'd imagine it was chaotic (at times), the place for business, also people walking about with various level of hygiene standards, and there was often a weird smell in the air.

Much like today.

[hennyschneiderbauer]

I grew up in Germany and every Saturday we had to sweep the streets in front of our house, if not there was peer pressure and fines

[josephwear]

Medicine in the Middle Ages would be a terrific topic especially the switch from sorcery to science. It really took hold right around this time frame.

[angelfingers]

Dude! Your videos have really helped my writing! I appreciate y’all!
Great content as usual! Keep up the great work!

[seangilchrist]

you have sparked an interest in this era that i didn't know i had. I've always wandered though how did people keep track of who was who and how much money they had in the bank. Who could be trusted not to just steal your wealth? how did the entire country keep seemingly steady enough in the conditions and lack of tech they had with out collapse or god awful corruption?

[bujuich]

Want a good read? Try “The Time Traveler's Guide to Medieval England: A Handbook for Visitors to the Fourteenth Century”. It’s a history book but written to inform you much like modern travel guide does such as what to wear, healthcare places to stay, things to do.

[bobrobertson]

I do like the honesty of the reality of everyday life in the past. Brilliant piece of work. Well done. 👏👍

[Doctor-vnes]

So the collecting of rubbish was more frequent in the middle ages than the local councils can manage today.

[nbenefiel]

I have read thousands of village court rolls. All over Britain, serfs were moving all over the place buying and selling land.

[kimberlyperrotis]

They didn’t make and ship clothing, those lowland cities spun, often dyed, and wove and shipped bolts of cloth made from English wool. It was always locally made into clothing at its destination, in Europe, or farther (some wool was used for a few non-clothing applications, as well, like cushioning, but mostly local materials like straw were used, good, imported wool cloth was expensive). Pre-made clothing is a modern thing, not a medieval one.

[maxdout]

So awesome they kept the records of these murders from so long ago. I'd like to hear more

[Rydonattelo]

The lack of advertising on this channel is fantastic. See being able to put a video on and know it wont be constantly disrupted by ads, it really makes a difference being able for something to run from start to finish. Take note YouTube.

[AIBETTSYIA]

Just come to Norfolk, not much has changed

[josephwear]

9:50 that would be a terrific follow up to this video: guilds. I’ve heard about them in medieval times but never really looked into them.

[jamestarrou]

the medieval really went through a sanitation renaissance with their body waste changes. Sounds like seeing people squatting in public was a normal occurrence up until then.

[adpink]

I love this channel. Amazing job!! Thank you.❤

[Judykag]

I wish these videos were twice as long ❤❤❤❤