A Time of 'Incredible Violence': Historian Gives Readers Glimpse of Medieval Life

A Time of 'Incredible Violence':Historian Gives Readers Glimpse of Medieval Life

In the book The Time Traveler's Guide to Medieval England, Mortimer explains what travelers would expect if they were catapultedback to the Middle Ages in a time machine. Instead of writing about famous battles, kings and wars, he describes how it smelled in the narrow alleyways, what kinds of meals the people cooked in their crooked houses, and how they washed their backsides.SPIEGEL:Readers of your book about the Middle Ages could be forgiven for coming away with rather starry-eyed images of the period you describe: The loudest noise to be heard was the chiming of the church bells, and stopping for a chat on market day was a firmly observed ritual. Was all well with the world then?

Mortimer:Well, it was also a time of death, disease, suffering and incredible violence. Both of us would probably be dead by now -- half the population didn't live past the age of 21.

SPIEGEL:You give us an enormous amount of everyday detail about the Middle Ages. But why exactly do I need to know what kind of toilet paper a particular earl used?

Mortimer:It's about gaining an understanding of what the human race is actually like. I believe we can gain a much deeper understanding by looking back in time. Humans are unbelievably adaptable. As a group, we contended with the plague in the 14th century and with the terrible flu in the 16th century. We're extraordinarily creative, even under enormous pressure.

SPIEGEL:Still, humans themselves caused many of these crises, for example, with poor hygiene.

Mortimer:Absolutely. There was real filth and stench in the streets until less than 200 years ago. But people then were fussier than we imagine today. Bad breath was considered embarrassing beyond description, and 16th century people combated it with toothpowder or licorice lozenges.

SPIEGEL:Among the barbarous medieval behavior you describe were young men who banded together and committed terrible crimes. In comparison, today's young men are as docile as lambs.

Mortimer:The excessive violence was partly a product of the fact that adults in those days drank alcohol constantly. It was considered the only way to ingest liquids without poisoning oneself. And because of these marauding (out of control) drunks, it was quite dangerous to be out alone. Women, in particular, almost never traveled on their own.

SPIEGEL:In their physical strength, as well, medieval men cut terrifying figures.

Mortimer:Men in those days were very strong -- as long as they got enough to eat. They may not have been bodybuilders, but they did hard physical labor out in the fields every day. Even young boys were good with weapons, such as the longbow, and were expected to play an active role in defending their communities. Many took part in life-or-death fights from a young age. Future knights received training from the age of six or seven. Jousting served both as sport, and as training for war, in which the aim was to unseat the opponent and break his neck.

SPIEGEL:How healthily did people eat in those days?

Mortimer:The majority of people were busy just trying to find enough to eat. They took whatever was available locally and didn't have the luxury of being choosy. Only vegetables were truly unpopular because they were believed to be poisonous.

SPIEGEL:What would be a typical meal?

Mortimer:First of all, there were just two mealtimes, not three. Boiled ham, beans and rye bread would be quite a decent meal for a farming family. But people were very resourceful in the kitchen, and they liked to combine savory and sweet foods. Fish in a cinnamon-sugar crust would be nothing out of the ordinary for a medieval dinner.

SPIEGEL:But at least they didn't suffer the effects of environmental pollution.

Mortimer:That is a great fallacy! The water was extremely polluted. Slaughterhouse waste and human feces ran directly into the rivers. River water wasn't considered fit to drink. Rainwater was believed to have the best quality, and this is what people used to dilute their wine and brew their beer. Drinking the water straight was unthinkable.

SPIEGEL:Would people from that time period get along better in our time than we might in theirs?

Mortimer:Absolutely not. People in the Middle Ages were utterly unfamiliar with change. They had no sense of what another time might be like. When they thought of the ancient Romans, they imagined them in medieval clothes. They would be completely at a loss here and wonder: "Where are we? This can't be the Earth!"

SPIEGEL:You deplore boring, tedious historical writing. Why, in your opinion, do many of your colleagues fail to bring the history they tell to life?

Mortimer: Historical figures are people as well, and I need to find a way to empathize with them if I'm to understand their actions. A lot of horrible things happened in the Middle Ages. The most significant parts of my books are the ones that show that people managed to hold onto their humanity and their compassion despite the most appalling circumstances -- and that's something you can observe in any age.