What Impact Did Weather Have on Medieval Life?

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  • Опубликовано: 29 окт 2024
  • The recent Siberian weather entering the UK has Jason pondering how shifts in weather and the changing of the seasons must have impacted the daily lives of medieval people.
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Комментарии • 84

  • @grinnylein
    @grinnylein 4 года назад +46

    It is not a medieval story, but later, but my family are farmers for a long time and the story is that when winter was longer and storage were nearly up, the would stop feeding the cows as much as they need only as much as to survive and only keep feeding the horse.
    So when spring finally arrives with the new grass it didn't matter if the cows are too weak to even stand up, the horse would pull the out into the grass were they could eat what they could reach until they are strong enough to stand again. Long winter meant tough and cruel calls had to be made

    • @ModernKnight
      @ModernKnight  4 года назад +18

      fascinating story and one that makes a lot of sense under difficult circumstances.

    • @pradyumn2692
      @pradyumn2692 Год назад +1

      But why prioritize horse over cows ? Cows would produce milk whereas horse is a draft animal, which could be replaced by manual labour or tractors.

    • @grinnylein
      @grinnylein Год назад +5

      @@pradyumn2692 obviously that was in a time before tractors. And why prioritize horse over cow? not sure. Maybe because cows are better at bouncing back from it because they are better able to process their food or maybe a closer personal connection to the horse or maybe the horse is better trained and more difficult to replace.

  • @ethancordray8006
    @ethancordray8006 5 лет назад +91

    You may be deliberately avoiding topics like this, but Medieval religion also had a very strong impact on people's eating patterns. The traditional Christian seasons of fasting and feasting would greatly change what sorts of foods people would consume. We might nowadays think of those traditions as being very strict and ascetic, with very long fasting periods like Lent, but we tend to forget the great many feast days throughout the year, which were very often celebrated with large communal meals. Some had special seasonal celebratory foods associated with them, such as the pancakes of Shrove Tuesday (to eat up all the delicious butter, eggs and fat before the beginning of Lent). In many respects, the seasonal patterns of religious celebration and the seasons of agricultural production were inextricably intertwined.

    • @ramennight
      @ramennight 5 лет назад +3

      is there any place you know of thats good to learn about those things?

    • @ethancordray8006
      @ethancordray8006 5 лет назад +5

      @@ramennight Sure! Here are some places to start:
      worldhistory.us/medieval-history/the-cycle-of-the-medieval-year-the-medieval-church-calendar.php - a discussion of the overall church calendar of fasting and feasting.
      www.thefinertimes.com/Middle-Ages/food-in-the-middle-ages.html - this includes a discussion of fasting practices, as well as popular ideas for circumventing the restrictions (people being people, in all times and places!).
      digitalcommons.odu.edu/worldlanguages_pubs/8/ - here's an academic article that discusses things in more depth, focusing on Spanish sources.

    • @Hamsterdam91
      @Hamsterdam91 5 лет назад +13

      @@ethancordray8006 the reason eggs are such a big thing during Easter is that people had a lot of eggs they couldn't eat during lent.

    • @InnannasRainbow
      @InnannasRainbow 5 лет назад +7

      @@Hamsterdam91 Eggs are a symbol of fertility as are rabbits (hares). It is said the goddess Ostara had a pet raven and every spring time, the raven would turn itself into a rabbit and lay colored eggs for children to find.

    • @RodFleming-World
      @RodFleming-World 4 года назад +3

      @@Hamsterdam91 er, no. It reflects pre-Christian belief, specifically in the Goddess

  • @Gandalf-The-Green
    @Gandalf-The-Green 6 лет назад +46

    They called this time between February and April the Hunger Gap. Food Stores almost empty, but nothing fresh to harvest yet.

    • @grinnylein
      @grinnylein 4 года назад +4

      And hard work must be done to ensure that new food grows

    • @idleofwight
      @idleofwight 3 года назад +5

      Sounds like another reason for fasting during Lent.

    • @Ea-Nasir_Copper_Co
      @Ea-Nasir_Copper_Co 2 года назад +4

      @@idleofwight It's probably why the Lenten fast (and possibly the Advent fast) arose in the first place.
      There's no strictly theological reason why Christians should abstain from most animal products for over a month in the spring; if fasting were set out in divine law, the Catholic Church couldn’t dispense from canon law and allow the sick, nursing mothers, young children, etc. to eat meat and/or drink milk, as it does. But in pre-modern times the chickens wouldn’t have been laying, the cows wouldn’t have been giving milk (or if they were, they would have been feeding their calves with it), and what was left over from winter would have been sparse. Most people in pre-modern times would have had to fast anyway; why not make a virtue out of necessity?
      There's even a theory out there that the Lenten fast was intended to prevent kings and great lords from frittering away the last bits of the autumn harvest on lavish religious feasts. The restrictions might have served to stretch out the food stores for everyone.

    • @dragonfell5078
      @dragonfell5078 Год назад

      @@Ea-Nasir_Copper_Co That's so interesting!

  • @jordanslater-cuthbertson4183
    @jordanslater-cuthbertson4183 5 лет назад +12

    Thought-provoking as always.

  • @Jo-xf4nt
    @Jo-xf4nt 4 года назад +6

    Thank you, I believe you are right about so much of your analysis and I like the way you think. Folks that say peasant farmers must have had times of hectic activity and long periods of boredom, have never lived on a farm. There is always something to do on the farm, as you already know. Folks today are so spoiled, they have no clue. Probably the only down time was Sundays, (after you'd fed up, milked if you had the means to even own a cow, hitched up the wagon, again if you had one) when you'd go to church and perhaps had taken a picnic lunch to stay and associate with others. Otherwise, as a rule, your family is all you saw for the week. By accident found your videos and enjoy them very much. I'm glad you're feeding the birds, we have that in common.

  • @kg4021
    @kg4021 6 лет назад +61

    I live in USA and I store food as well in case I'm laid off or bills overwhelm me... I'll still have food to eat.

    • @vanivanov9571
      @vanivanov9571 5 лет назад +3

      Wish more people saved money. Most people are in debt, and can't afford to live without payday loans or the like....

    • @zorra578
      @zorra578 5 лет назад +1

      @@vanivanov9571 Saving food is easier than saving money in this economy, sadly. This is a good idea, though. Sad our country is so shit it has come to this.

    • @Pottan23
      @Pottan23 5 лет назад +1

      having a bunch of MRE's for this very reason

    • @lvd8122
      @lvd8122 5 лет назад +4

      Omg, that's just fucking dumb. You live in one of the worlds wealthiest country's per capita and have to be afraid of not having stuff to eat? I mean, very basic state insurance to not starve and have somewhere to livd doesn't really cost anything...

    • @ShiddabrikGaming0
      @ShiddabrikGaming0 5 лет назад +7

      @@vanivanov9571 can't save when your entire paycheck goes to bills.

  • @cannett8966
    @cannett8966 6 лет назад +30

    Just started watching your channel. Having grown up on an isolated farm, I know well how tough it can be. For those people it would be terrifying. C from the little haunted cottage in Ireland 👻👻👻🏡🏡🏡🍀🍀🍀 P. S. I still horde food. Just think how scared they would have been.

    • @asuka813
      @asuka813 5 лет назад +5

      Same, grew up on an isolated mountain farm in the states, and still live in an isolated area and have a good supply of food. I call it 'stocking up', hoarding to me implies taking more than I need out of fear. The thing is in the winter I actually do need that much food and it's just a fact that there are going to be delays, vehicle problems, unexpected weather, etc.

    • @Bobany
      @Bobany 4 года назад

      @@asuka813 What kind of food do you store/did you store?

    • @asuka813
      @asuka813 4 года назад +3

      @@Bobany A variety of grains, beans, and pseudocereals (a lot of quinoa is grown in my area) potatoes, carrots, beets, turnips (which ever grew well that year) a variety of meats (usually in the freezer, but ideally dehydrated) fruits, vegetables and mushrooms that I dehydrate when in season, many herbs, canned jams, applesauce, etc.

    • @Bobany
      @Bobany 4 года назад

      @@asuka813 Sounds delicious! Thanks for reply!

  • @crazycressy7986
    @crazycressy7986 5 лет назад +3

    I was thinking the same thing while I was out metal detecting for medieval artifacts in the rain ;)

  • @vivianevans8323
    @vivianevans8323 3 года назад +6

    Something often overlooked by us modern people especially when dwelling in towns and cities: medieval people would have been much more aware of which plants are starting to grown - plant which could be eaten. I'm thinking for example of nettles - of which there must haven been quite a few around, not least because nettle fibres were used in cloth making. The spring shoots of nettles are edible and make a fine dish. Their stings vanish with cooking, so no need to be afeared of them. There are also early spring plants such as wild garlic which would be out, providing food for people.
    The care, getting fodder for their animals though was a much more difficult endeavour.

  • @LokiStarOmen
    @LokiStarOmen 5 лет назад +3

    I ADORE food and history so I think you can guess how I feel when those two are put together. I am a pagan and want to do a medieval feast for my family next Christmas and this has given me some amazing ideas!

  • @MichaelaFairy
    @MichaelaFairy 5 лет назад +7

    When there was a bad harvest or crops were ruined because of bad weather the medieval people went hungry, and the pottage pot would include anything they could find, from acorns to leaves. So food preservation was essential, as little food grew in winter.

  • @suzannestauffer7761
    @suzannestauffer7761 5 лет назад +7

    i wonder what part cold weather crops like cabbages and onions played for those spare winters. Those crops can be grown under the snow in cold areas. We use cold frames today, but I've actually grown things under snow cover to insulate.

  • @peterknutsen3070
    @peterknutsen3070 3 года назад +2

    Yeah, that Siberian weather also hit Denmark in Feb/March 2018. It was quite nasty.

  • @lanashipstead1588
    @lanashipstead1588 5 лет назад +2

    Bad weather it’s almost March here in Montana the United States and we are having weather in the -s like today it’s -10 out and it’s beautiful😌...

  • @AnnaAnna-uc2ff
    @AnnaAnna-uc2ff 2 года назад

    Thank you.

  • @nmccutcheon2243
    @nmccutcheon2243 6 лет назад +2

    Just bought a bunch of supplemental food for my birds today. Sunflower seeds, suet blocks, ground feeder seed. Been unseasonably cold here in Atlanta Ga. and it’s only November.

    • @luvinmysailor
      @luvinmysailor 5 лет назад

      I'm currently sick now from the constant rain & cold snaps here. I moved here late October & was surprised by the weather.

  • @nathanhunt9105
    @nathanhunt9105 5 лет назад +9

    We can definitely hear the birds. Lol.

  • @callmeMsT
    @callmeMsT 3 года назад +2

    Gardeners call it "the hunger gap" because there is nothing fresh and now is when stores are going empty.

  • @philipritson8821
    @philipritson8821 6 лет назад +9

    Medieval warming period followed by the little ice age!

  • @23sunderland
    @23sunderland 4 года назад +1

    Bit like me as a roofer constant weather woes

  • @ChrisSunHwa
    @ChrisSunHwa 3 года назад

    I love the sounds of wildlife.

  • @happygardener28
    @happygardener28 5 лет назад +2

    little ice age... much that needs to be learned from the journals and court records of the period

  • @cappew22
    @cappew22 4 года назад +14

    He pointed out the birds chirping, now all I can hear are birds chirping.

  • @xxlCortez
    @xxlCortez 5 лет назад +4

    Winter must have been creepy back then.

    • @grinnylein
      @grinnylein 4 года назад +2

      spring was much worst... no new food yet, but lots of hard work on the fields

  • @ajrwilde14
    @ajrwilde14 6 лет назад +3

    More hedges in olden times for Hawthorne and Rosehips.

  • @daemonharper3928
    @daemonharper3928 Год назад

    Medieval flora and fauna had it infinitely better than their descendants....it's unfortunately not comparable in any way, in the UK we've lost 90% of the animals, birds, insects and plants we used to have.
    It makes me sad - at how much has been lost to me - but how much worse for our children.

  • @boiniq
    @boiniq 6 лет назад +1

    true thats why most of the successful riots are done in spring because thats the time a lot of people had gone hungry and were more willing to risk their lives and likelihood

  • @alexprokhorov407
    @alexprokhorov407 3 года назад

    Next time you think of medieval starvation go no further than Leningrad.

  • @jasonl8326
    @jasonl8326 5 лет назад

    I've read that life for a medieval peasant farmer would be one of periods of hectic activity when bringing in the harvest accompanied by long periods of boredom. I'd imagine they'd try to stay busy and earn additional income doing odd jobs outside of the growing season, but they were probably intermittent.

    • @happygardener28
      @happygardener28 5 лет назад +1

      men repairing or making tools. women and children carding and cleaning fibers to be spun, although winter probably was the weaving time.

    • @davidweihe6052
      @davidweihe6052 5 лет назад +1

      @@happygardener28 Also visiting neighbors and exchanging food, to build up relations for when things get tight because of accidents like a barn rotting and needing replaced, or the rats getting at the stored grain because your cats or terriers died.

  • @liamwhelehan2703
    @liamwhelehan2703 2 года назад

    Wouldn't this have been during the Medieval warm period?... They grew Grapes as far north as Newcastle!

  • @cianfurlong6336
    @cianfurlong6336 5 лет назад +1

    Do more food videos.

  • @The_Champion96
    @The_Champion96 Год назад

    Its for people, not me

  • @grishy8203
    @grishy8203 5 лет назад +10

    1:07 denethor transforms into Satan

    • @Yappy_94
      @Yappy_94 5 лет назад

      lmao i thought i was the only one noticing that, what was going on there? xD sudden satan possession

    • @Alizudo
      @Alizudo 2 года назад

      Huh? I don't see any change

  • @marujitadiaz9019
    @marujitadiaz9019 5 лет назад +1

    Those are sparrows.

  • @Tervicz
    @Tervicz 5 лет назад +5

    And this is where the tradition of fasting comes in...

    • @coyoterx6002
      @coyoterx6002 5 лет назад +1

      Tervicz Fasting has been a tradition since biblical times hence why gluttony is one of the 7 deadly sins.

  • @The_Champion96
    @The_Champion96 Год назад

    What are you trying to say?

  • @13thcentury
    @13thcentury 4 года назад +1

    "... can possibly hear them in the background."
    Dude! You need to speak up, can't hear you over the buggers.

  • @genesisSOC
    @genesisSOC 5 лет назад +1

    Cyclical ketosis. "Starving" wasn't as much of a thing as you think it is. Your body is built to go long periods of time without eating, you start burning ketones (fat) instead of glucose (sugar) which makes you way healthier and live much longer.

    • @feuerrabe
      @feuerrabe 4 года назад +4

      Thinking like that is a modern day luxury in times over overabundance. Looking at 5 or more weeks of no food, with old parents, little children, babies and pregnant women in your family, they must have been terrified of starving.

    • @caitlinallen8400
      @caitlinallen8400 2 года назад +7

      Most of them didn't have extra fat on their bodies to burn

    • @regis9596
      @regis9596 3 месяца назад

      one of the dumbest thing i have ever read

    • @genesisSOC
      @genesisSOC 3 месяца назад

      @@feuerrabe Starvation wasn't nearly as prevalent as jews tell you it is.

    • @genesisSOC
      @genesisSOC 3 месяца назад

      @@caitlinallen8400 You don't need body fat to burn ketones.