I was a teenager in the 1950s. I went to a lot of formal dances and that required wearing something we called a Merry Widow (I think it was a trade name of Warner, but I'm not sure) which was a very long-line bra, under my prom gown. Strapless, or straps, or halter (all were included, it ended about three inches below my waist and went fairly high up my back (or so it seemed). It was the perfect undergarment. This was a surprisingly comfortable garment for all that it was boned and fairly tightly fastened. It enabled me to sit or stand for long periods without discomfort. I'm not sure I could do housework in it, but it wasn't uncomfortable.
I used to be a historical reenactor at a local history museum where I live. We found through practice that corsets provided back support when doing the heavy labor women did before the invention of lightweight synthetics (imagine how much heavier everything was when it had to be made of iron, wood and stone) and modern appliances.
Modern day corsets are used every day. Of course they are usually worn on the outsides of the clothing. Just look at any jobsite that entails the repetitive lifting of objects. Back belts/ waist belts all give the similar support you mention the women experienced with corsets. velcro and spandex/ rubber not quite the fashionable things though.
Re: the marrying age of people in the Middle Ages. When it comes to nobility and royalty, I always looked at it like, these are primarily business transactions to gain political and/or financial benefit. So if you’re a royal or noble man looking around for someone to marry who will bring you those benefits, it behooves you to seal that deal as soon as possible, before anyone else beats you to it. Not so much about choosing a younger lady because she’s “more fertile” as just being the first to sign the marriage contract and get the advantages that come along with it.
As someone who recreationally wears a modern corset, I find it very comfortable. Mainly because it's the right size for me and I don't tightlace. If your corset hurts, the problem is most likely one or more of the following: 1 your corset is the wrong shape or size for your body. 2 you're lacing it too tightly 3 it isn't properly seasoned (ie: worn in. It takes 3-4 weeks of gradually increasing periods of wear and gradually increasing firmness of lacing to properly season a new corset)
One of my favorite videos you have done is the opening of the video about Ann Boleyn having 6 fingers where you teased, "Did Ann Boleyn have 6 fingers? No. " and acted as if that was the end of the video. 😂 This video is going right up there as one of my favorites.❤
I'm fascinated by this notion of torture implements as "deterrents" or propaganda items rather than actual tools. It reminds me of that scene in the TV adaptation of Wolf Hall where the musician is locked in the dark cupboard and his panic overtakes him.
My myth is an observation: Why do so many royal portraits or busts show exotropia, esotropia, or a lazy-eye. Are these true depictions, or just a reoccurring artistic error?
When I was in grade school in the 70's to mid-80's, we passed around the suggestion that "fuck" originated as an abbreviation for an English criminal citation, the citation being "For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge".
Here in America 90-early 2000s) we heard: “Fornication Under Consent of the King.” (To get a legal heir off a mistress id your wife was barren/didn’t have a son) Or “Fornication of Carnal Knowledge.”
Same here. I’m a 72 year old American who heard the same thing, just closer to High School (1966-69 Oh how we loved being the Class of 69. True teenagers.)
In 1991 I'd have been 14 & Van Halen released For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge. It was also a song by Coven in 1969. Not sure when it started going around but it gave a lot of kids room to play with boundaries. I had the VH cassette insert in my binder. I'd been sent home the year before for an "inappropriate" ad for the movie "Ghost" in my binder & really wanted to push back. At that age, it felt like a win.
Could it come from the Latin facere which means to do - the imperative form being fac. Those who know the Latin prayer known as the Stabat Mater set to music by many composers, the short lived baroque master Pergolesi in particular, know that the word fac appears in it. I should imagine that English speaking choirs would have a giggle when this Latin word appears!
@@gypsydonovan My father met someone who insisted he (Dad) MUST to have gone to college because he couldn’t possibly have known so much simply by having been a voracious reader. The man kept insisting my father tell him about his higher education. So my naughty dad finally said, “Okay, you got me. I got my BA from the Friends University of Central Kentucky and my Masters from the Christian University of Northern Texas.
Thank you for tackling the corset myth. If corsets are uncomfortable they either don’t fit correctly or are overly tight laced, and it’s annoyingly perpetuated by Hollywood, both on screen and off (which I think is because actresses are being tight laced, and wearing the corset without a chemise or something between the body and the corset).
My grandfather from Azerbaijan, Russian Empire, was the only surviving child of his parents. He was sent to boarding school in England so he could go to University there and become a doctor he was born in about 1885. He refused to submerge in a tub because he said it would open his pores and he'd die of pneumonia. He was also sickened by the sight of blood so he went on to become a ships captain on the Caspian Sea.
I'm constantly banging on about people in the past not stinking to high heaven. Children are horrified when I tell them that as a child I only had a bath once a week (the norm for everyone decades ago!) yet we didn't smell, because we washed thoroughly every day in between.
14:36 apart from finding a red hair boy that could be passed off as a girl looking like Elizabeth...he must have been very very clever, to be able "to be a match" for a young princess Elizabeth who was one of the smartest princesses that there ever was. With her knowledge of languages, knowledge of ecclesiastical doctrin, court rules, math skills, music, dancing. They could never have found just a "random" boy who could equal Elizabeth I. Apart from Elizabeth indeed being the most strictly physicallly & medically observed unmarried/virgin Queen. ✌🏻
This was really interesting! I especially like the idea that torture devices may have been propaganda! I've never heard that before. I also remember reading Horrible Histories as a child and being told that nobody in the past bathed, so that was a pleasant surprise to have busted! 😂
Amazing how the idea of sealing documents has withered away generally. And it was the primary authentication process for so many centuries. Fascinating to me.
Jane Boleyn as the woman who betrayed her husband and sister in law to death is probably the easiest to disprove. As you pointed out, Dr. Kat, she didn't have anything to gain by it, and she stood to lose EVERYTHING. In this case, that "everything" was wealth, social status, and power, not only for the family of her birth, but also for the family she was married into. I have always wondered if it was a different Jane who could have given that false testimony, because she had EVERYTHING to gain by it, and she was a member of Anne's household as a Lady in Waiting - Jane Seymour. Her brothers Edward and Thomas, it was believed, were coaching her in her behavior and responses, and those two stood to gain a LOT if their sister married the King, and gave birth to his much desired legitimate son. But, to protect the angelic reputation of Henry's "Only true and beloved wife," the Boleyn surname was placed in the rumor mill instead, further tarnishing George Boleyn's reputation. George wasn't there to refute any reports of ill treatment of his wife, and considering Jane Boleyn's ultimate fate, it was easy for people to accept. Jane, Edward, and Thomas Seymour rose very high in the King's favor, especially once Jane gave birth to the future Edward VI.
I think people forget that people don’t know how history panned out when they develop their theories so for example they assume she knows she won’t go down along with the rest of her family.
Iron Maiden? *EXCELLENT!* 🎸🎸🎸 One of my Latin American history profs had an interesting addition to the “world is flat” myth. Apparently, Columbus argued that the earth wasn’t a perfect sphere and the east coast of Asia was actually 25,000 closer than people thought. Everyone knew that he was wrong, so they rejected his proposal- without the Americas, he and his crew would have run out of supplies *LONG* before he reached Asia (and his crew was almost ready to mutiny due to low food before they landed). it was only sheer luck that there was an unknown landmass right where he said Asia was. But people love myths that make people in the past look stupid aside from the one “great man”, so the flat earth myth persisted. 🌎⚓️
Was it unknown? The Norwegians had been there 300 or so years before. Why would they not talk about their voyage and settlement, even though it was short lived?
I think that myth about Magna Carta could have been influenced by a silly joke: “where did King John sign the Magna Carta?” Answer: “at the bottom “, originating perhaps in general knowledge questions, pub quizzes, etc, that were expecting the answer to be Runnymede.
That reminds me of the Terry Pratchett novel where rivers and mountains have exotic-sounding names that mean "Your Finger, Stupid" in the aboriginal languages because the first explorer tapped locations on his map with his finger and asked the aboriginals, who did not use physical maps, "what is this?" 🤣🤣🤣
Glad to hear that those terrible torture devices weren’t as prevalent as I thought! You have helped me realize medieval people were not that dissimilar from us. 🎉
Adding a comment request ..but there are two vids I would LOVE to see. The Empress Matilda but also would love to see something on Thomas Boleyn. He was an amazing statesman, Linguist and courtier who ended up failing. Would be insane to see a vid on his life, career and what happened after his release from the tower.
the sleeping torture thing reminded me of growing up in Colchester and going to the jail below the castle which held accused people during the time of Matthew Hopkins. Very few, if any torture devices - they just wouldn't let the accused witches sleep!
I have another comment, on Columbus. There is a story (apparently going back to 16th century Italy) that Columbus "proved" he was right (about the world being round? about being the only man smart enough to circumnavigate it?) by "balancing" an egg on one end--by smashing that end flat. This never made any sense to me. Then I read that Brunelleschi used that gesture with the egg to "explain" how he could build the huge dome of the Florence cathedral. Since a dome, particularly that dome, is shaped rather like an egg, this makes so much sense. So I think the Columbus story must be a repurposing of the Brunelleschi story: from "I have studied nature to understand architecture" to "I can smash things to make my point."
I love a well fitting corset/pair of bodies. It has support, support, support. I even been know to have my lacings tighten for the evening's activities because there was some minor slacking during the day, and I want even more support as I am getting tired through the evening.
@@charlotteillustration5778 They are hard to find. I traded with someone to get one, and I made the other. I also (cheaply) two fancy fabric ones that I wear anyway at the larger events. Sorry, I couldn't help.
The thing about that painting, which I'm surprised Dr. Kat didn't mention, is that 1. An X-ray has shown it originally had a longer nose, which was changed. It was also changed in paint: the original pencil markings where Holbein drew (and there is good evidence in his compositions that he didn't sketch but rather traced from a camera obscure, so he wasn't making mistakes) are for a longer nose. 2. He painted her from the front, a pose he almost NEVER used. There is another painting by Holbein that is usually labeled Katherine Howard that art historian Franny Moyle makes a great case for actually being Anne of Cleves. When you see them both side by side, it's easy to see they're probably the same person. While the woman in the second portrait is by NO MEANS ugly, she is not as attractive as the woman in the known Anne portrait. Her large, long, humped nose overpowers her otherwise delicate, well balanced features. When that face is turned frontwise, as Holbein chose to do, the nose becomes much less evident and those other lovely features take center stage. There's a big difference in deliberately painting differently from what's there vs. simply posing your subject in a way that will help hide a noticeable flaw. None of this is to say that Henry was right. Personally, I think Anne, based on the new painting i.d., is still 2nd of 6 wives for looks. I think Henry's real problem was that when he contracted the marriage it was politically advantageous, but by the time Anne arrived the political and religious situation in the Holy Roman Empire had shifted so much it was suddenly a bad idea to be permanently tied to Cleves. He pounced on the portrait as evidence to back up him up, along with his indelicate and cruel remarks. I really think that if it had still been a smart move to align with Cleves, none of it would have been an issue or even brought up.
My corset/stays is very comfortable! Especially when I was still an F cup. Before I found corsets, my clavicle was deformed by the weight of my breasts. When I wear my corset, there is no weight at all on my shoulders, and I can move a lot more freely. And my spine is fully supported, so I tire less easily. I love my corsets!
About 20 years ago, I was looking at genealogical sites on the Web to research the ancestry of a particular woman. I found that the rule the genealogists had used was this: if a woman's marriage date was the first date in her life that was actually known, then her birth year could be estimated as 12 years before her marriage year. On the other hand, the woman I was researching, as well as her mother and aunt, married in their 20s or even as late as the early 30s (and the mother and aunt were aristocratic prizes). So the rule of thumb on the sites was clearly hogwash.
Out of all of your videos that I've watched, this one is my absolute favorite!! I'd be thrilled to see you create more content just like this! Many Thanks, Dr. Kat!
Awesome video, as always. Never thought about a corset as the equivalent of a weightlifter's belt. That is a brilliant insight, to which anyone who has ever done any heavy squats or shoulder presses can attest. 🏋♀🏋♂🏋
Great video as always. I already knew most of the myths were myths but it was still enjoyable to hear that discussed like this again, and it is good to talk and educate about these myths. I kind of like to know more about Medieval, Renaissance, and/or Early Modern hygiene habits.
Thank you very much for talking about everyday people. This is what fascinates me the most. I don’t care about the monarchy in the upper class people. But every day people, but I’m probably prejudice because I live in America and we are very much anti monarchy.
I don't wear make up (and most women in history wouldn't have either), and I can say that scrubbing your face thoroughly with a dry scrap of linen will remove dirt and oil quite effectively. If you don't wash your hair frequently, your hair will be much LESS oily. Frequent washing strips your hair and scalp of oil, so your scalp produces more oil. Between hair washing (once a month of twice monthly), you brush your hair (100 strokes) daily so that the small amount of oil is evenly distributed from the scalp to the ends of each hair (natural conditioner). You would also be combing hair with a very fine-toothed comb daily to remove any dust or dead skin cells (or lice).
⌛ the corset myth irks me no end! Even more when you hear modern actresses in period dramas speak of how painful their corset was, because it just increases the "corsets were bad, m'kay?" shtick. If I had a quid for every time i have yelled at the TV "Madam, your corset hurts because it doesn't f**king fit, and your director is too much of a tightwad to spring for a properly fitted one and would rather damage you than his budget!!!!" A well fitting corset is like a firm hug. I frequently wear Victorian clothing, and trust me, you want the support and strength of that exoskeleton carrying the weight of your crinoline, petticoats etc! And it helps you maintain good posture! I have frequently ridden my 1000cc sportsbike in a corset because it allows me to maintain a certain position without crippling my back muscles. Not to mention that those who initially started the anti corset nonsense were men, who had a vested interest in continuing the "aren't women stupid, look what they do to themselves daily, they can't be trusted to vote / own property / think independently..."
I really appreciate the way you explain things so well! It adds a whole other dimension to understand that, yes Anne Boleyns supposed physical deformities were smears by Catholic propaganda *because* they believed outward appearances reflected your internal character. The way you explained it via the humoral system was very helpful! Connecting them together like that feels so intuitive but I’ve never had anyone say it out loud like that before. In my mind it was always very “well when women are bad/dislikable, people say they’re ugly”. you always give the best *context*!
Cannot tell you how excited I was to hear the firth myth busted was the old “they all got married at 13”. From your lips to every quasi-medieval fantasy authors ears 😭
A lot of historical myths seem to boil down to 'We're better than our ancestors.' The flat earth myth is a particular bête noire of mine. Pleasantly surprised by the corsets, and morbidly curious ... not about the torture implements themselves (don't need the gruesome details!), but the evidence for them. 🚢
Bathing myth surprising since many devices used with flowers or spices carried to increase the scent around the body. June weddings popular since full baths were in May. I did think once a year was incredible since wash bowls available and could be used for sponge baths often.
Looking at my own ancestry, it was interesting the number of couples who married for the first time in their late 20s to early 30s. And there were fewer families with 5 or more kids than I expected. I'm glad you busted this myth. 😊
When you get to the video on the history of mapmaking, if you haven’t already read it, I highly recommend the book The Fourth Part of the World by Toby Lester. It’s a great book about medieval cartography as a whole, but concentrates the last portion on the Waldseemüller map from 1507, the first to call the newly discovered continents “America.”
The myth about bathing reminded me of the Shogun remake I just watched. The Englishman on that show didn’t like bathing. It would be interesting for you to review the historical accuracy of that show but just from the European perspective 🤔
Better still, say it loud enough so that Americans and especially Hollywood can hear it to stop them putting falsehoods in their movies!!! They are very good at manipulating historical facts for their own purposes 😂😂😂 BTW I’m an Australian whose grandfather is an American - my Nanna was a WWII bride - so apart from their annoying ignorance of anything outside their own tiny sphere, they are ok. Though it was funny when my Aunt who came over for a visit thought that Australia was a) in Europe (she must have confused us with Austria); b) Australia was flat (only in the centre); and c) Had we heard of God? (she was going to convert us if we hadn’t - we explained we were confirmed in the Church of England.
The lower middling sort would often go into service in another household in their teens. This was like an "apprenticeship" in how to manage a household and an opportunity to save up money for eventual marriage. I'm on vacation so I don't have access to my books or notes, but I think an examination of this topic is found in "The World We Have Lost: England Before the Industrial Age" by Peter Laslett.
I remember reading years ago that the Ancient Greeks used Silphium as a popular seasoning, medicine, and contraceptive. It was so used it was extinct by the time of Pliny the Elder.
There is a scene in "Wolf Hall" where a man is being tortured using some kind of _contracting_ devise. I'd love to learn more about what it is and *why* it hurts. Yes, Wolf Hall did a lot of work to damage or make allegations regarding Jane Boleyn.
I have been thinking about the bathing "myth" and wonder if our conclusion comes more from word meanings changing over time. For example: the word "nice" used to mean foolish/stupid. So, washing and bathing seem to have very different concept then today. Back then, to wash, was to take a rag and water (soap) and scrub yourself clean, the same as your clothes and bedding. But to bath was to emerse yourself in water, which was special. Hence, bathing was done on special occassions, or for the sick, or once a year. Further, the term "the unwashed" was a derogatory term for people believe to not even wash themselves. Therefore people tended to wash themselves, but not bathing.
There is a huge social divide where corsets are concerned, but they were worn. Some were donned so tightly that a maturing girl's ribcage could be deformed upward making breathing difficult. But this applied only to noble/royal/upper-class women and only for formal occasions. I can speak with some authority as my credentials include extensive medical knowledge and knowledge of early European history in the Americas. I also worked at Plimoth Plantation (yes, that's the correct spelling for the time) as a guide. We wore a lot of clothing to be in an airless thatched house made of wattle and daub working in front of an open fire. Aside from our duties as interpreters, we cooked, knitted, spun, embroidered and tended to the sick while wearing a long linen gown without underwear as we know it now, covered with a full-length wool skirt, a shirt of wool with attached sleeves, shoes, sometimes, and a coif with my knee length hair coiled tightly on top of my head with yet another hat on top of all of that. We definitely did not wear corsets. As to 1492, history should be rewritten. It's becoming blindingly obvious that the Vikings reached Vinland (Greenland) as well as PWI and well down the coast to Plimoth, Cape May and beyond. Columbus was hardly the discoverer of anything. There have been indigenous peoples there for millennia with complex languages and cultures we are only in the last few decades beginning to appreciate. Dr. Kat, you're a brave woman to be discussing the origins of fucking (no, not that way.). I hope this video doesn't get banned.🩰🐥
The Bisley boy legend was popularised in a book by Bram Stoker, but I always thought… Wouldn’t Henry VIII have been even more enraged if he found out they’d swapped his dead daughter for some random peasant… 😅
On account of Johanna of Castille, I think she is more tragic than mad... she had to leave her 5 (I think it was 5) behind on a whim to travel to the other side of the continent (from Flanders to Spain) and she would not see them again until they were grown up. If you add neglect from her husband and never-ending tries to corner her and take her power because "she is a mere woman", any psychiatrist would have his job cut out for him. And they weren't around. This was also a time when there was already a biais against woman and mental health and if you were faced (nobility) with an uncooperative woman, there were two silutions: nunnery or madhouse. Conclusion: probably prone to mental instability but the cards were heavily stacked against her.
Thank you!! Love your videos. This may not be your area but I would love to know how the monarchy went from “right of conquest” to being a rubber stamp.
Thank you Dr. Kat for yet another amazing video! Very interesting on your thoughts on Elizabeth Batheory ( spelling?) I've found her supposed story interesting for years so it was nice to hear your thoughts.😊
@@esmesvintagecloset oh, now I'm going to have to try to find some information on him as well, thank you for the suggestion for what I'm sure will be an interesting subject for research! 🙂
I was a teenager in the 1950s. I went to a lot of formal dances and that required wearing something we called a Merry Widow (I think it was a trade name of Warner, but I'm not sure) which was a very long-line bra, under my prom gown.
Strapless, or straps, or halter (all were included, it ended about three inches below my waist and went fairly high up my back (or so it seemed). It was the perfect undergarment.
This was a surprisingly comfortable garment for all that it was boned and fairly tightly fastened. It enabled me to sit or stand for long periods without discomfort. I'm not sure I could do housework in it, but it wasn't uncomfortable.
I’m excited to get a video on Catherine de’ Medici! Also, the phantom legs in the AI picture are hilarious. 😂
I used to be a historical reenactor at a local history museum where I live. We found through practice that corsets provided back support when doing the heavy labor women did before the invention of lightweight synthetics (imagine how much heavier everything was when it had to be made of iron, wood and stone) and modern appliances.
Modern day corsets are used every day. Of course they are usually worn on the outsides of the clothing. Just look at any jobsite that entails the repetitive lifting of objects. Back belts/ waist belts all give the similar support you mention the women experienced with corsets. velcro and spandex/ rubber not quite the fashionable things though.
My Question. Burning the candle at both ends. This sounds like someone who has money to burn. 😊 🔥
@@dianeterry8089 I'm confused. I don't understand your reply. I'd like to, though. Would you clarify?
Re: the marrying age of people in the Middle Ages. When it comes to nobility and royalty, I always looked at it like, these are primarily business transactions to gain political and/or financial benefit. So if you’re a royal or noble man looking around for someone to marry who will bring you those benefits, it behooves you to seal that deal as soon as possible, before anyone else beats you to it. Not so much about choosing a younger lady because she’s “more fertile” as just being the first to sign the marriage contract and get the advantages that come along with it.
Fascinated by the corsets being items of comfort rather than for aesthetics!
Go see Bernadette Banner and Karolina Zebrowska et al. 💃(with all respect to Dr Kat)
I too have worn a pair of bodies for reenactment purposes. Incredibly comfortable and supported my back.
Or Abby Cox.
Shannon Makes has a video where she does her acrobatics training in a corset.
As someone who recreationally wears a modern corset, I find it very comfortable. Mainly because it's the right size for me and I don't tightlace.
If your corset hurts, the problem is most likely one or more of the following:
1 your corset is the wrong shape or size for your body.
2 you're lacing it too tightly
3 it isn't properly seasoned (ie: worn in. It takes 3-4 weeks of gradually increasing periods of wear and gradually increasing firmness of lacing to properly season a new corset)
One of my favorite videos you have done is the opening of the video about Ann Boleyn having 6 fingers where you teased, "Did Ann Boleyn have 6 fingers? No. " and acted as if that was the end of the video. 😂 This video is going right up there as one of my favorites.❤
I'm fascinated by this notion of torture implements as "deterrents" or propaganda items rather than actual tools. It reminds me of that scene in the TV adaptation of Wolf Hall where the musician is locked in the dark cupboard and his panic overtakes him.
My myth is an observation: Why do so many royal portraits or busts show exotropia, esotropia, or a lazy-eye. Are these true depictions, or just a reoccurring artistic error?
You brought out the big guns 💪! 🎉
When I was in grade school in the 70's to mid-80's, we passed around the suggestion that "fuck" originated as an abbreviation for an English criminal citation, the citation being "For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge".
Here in America 90-early 2000s) we heard: “Fornication Under Consent of the King.” (To get a legal heir off a mistress id your wife was barren/didn’t have a son) Or “Fornication of Carnal Knowledge.”
Same here. I’m a 72 year old American who heard the same thing, just closer to High School (1966-69 Oh how we loved being the Class of 69. True teenagers.)
In 1991 I'd have been 14 & Van Halen released For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge. It was also a song by Coven in 1969. Not sure when it started going around but it gave a lot of kids room to play with boundaries.
I had the VH cassette insert in my binder. I'd been sent home the year before for an "inappropriate" ad for the movie "Ghost" in my binder & really wanted to push back. At that age, it felt like a win.
Could it come from the Latin facere which means to do - the imperative form being fac. Those who know the Latin prayer known as the Stabat Mater set to music by many composers, the short lived baroque master Pergolesi in particular, know that the word fac appears in it. I should imagine that English speaking choirs would have a giggle when this Latin word appears!
@@gypsydonovan
My father met someone who insisted he (Dad) MUST to have gone to college because he couldn’t possibly have known so much simply by having been a voracious reader. The man kept insisting my father tell him about his higher education. So my naughty dad finally said, “Okay, you got me. I got my BA from the Friends University of Central Kentucky and my Masters from the Christian University of Northern Texas.
Dr. Kat would you please consider doing a video on just the life of Margaret Beaufort?. I just so admire her!
How about busting the myths associated with Lucrezia Borgia?
Definitely!! I’d love to hear more about those!😮😮😮
So basically her entire life, considering her father used her as pawn. I would love to see that as well!
Thank you for tackling the corset myth. If corsets are uncomfortable they either don’t fit correctly or are overly tight laced, and it’s annoyingly perpetuated by Hollywood, both on screen and off (which I think is because actresses are being tight laced, and wearing the corset without a chemise or something between the body and the corset).
My grandfather from Azerbaijan, Russian Empire, was the only surviving child of his parents. He was sent to boarding school in England so he could go to University there and become a doctor he was born in about 1885. He refused to submerge in a tub because he said it would open his pores and he'd die of pneumonia. He was also sickened by the sight of blood so he went on to become a ships captain on the Caspian Sea.
I'm constantly banging on about people in the past not stinking to high heaven. Children are horrified when I tell them that as a child I only had a bath once a week (the norm for everyone decades ago!) yet we didn't smell, because we washed thoroughly every day in between.
True. I remember that from when I was younger too.
Yes, a bath a week and wash your pits and pots every day at the kitchen sink.😂🤣😅
🤮
The norm where ?
The good old APC. Armpits and crotch
14:36 apart from finding a red hair boy that could be passed off as a girl looking like Elizabeth...he must have been very very clever, to be able "to be a match" for a young princess Elizabeth who was one of the smartest princesses that there ever was. With her knowledge of languages, knowledge of ecclesiastical doctrin, court rules, math skills, music, dancing. They could never have found just a "random" boy who could equal Elizabeth I.
Apart from Elizabeth indeed being the most strictly physicallly & medically observed unmarried/virgin Queen. ✌🏻
Queen Elizabeth I sounds just like me, then. Languages, music and dancing when I was younger
Ecclesiatcal matters definitely me. Maths probably not, except for Statistics of course 😂
Court rulss, no, not in my case..
This was really interesting! I especially like the idea that torture devices may have been propaganda! I've never heard that before. I also remember reading Horrible Histories as a child and being told that nobody in the past bathed, so that was a pleasant surprise to have busted! 😂
Amazing how the idea of sealing documents has withered away generally. And it was the primary authentication process for so many centuries. Fascinating to me.
I'm obviously immature. "Fu¢k" being said in Dr Kat's beautifully modulated and articulated tone made me laugh!
Jane Boleyn as the woman who betrayed her husband and sister in law to death is probably the easiest to disprove. As you pointed out, Dr. Kat, she didn't have anything to gain by it, and she stood to lose EVERYTHING. In this case, that "everything" was wealth, social status, and power, not only for the family of her birth, but also for the family she was married into.
I have always wondered if it was a different Jane who could have given that false testimony, because she had EVERYTHING to gain by it, and she was a member of Anne's household as a Lady in Waiting - Jane Seymour. Her brothers Edward and Thomas, it was believed, were coaching her in her behavior and responses, and those two stood to gain a LOT if their sister married the King, and gave birth to his much desired legitimate son.
But, to protect the angelic reputation of Henry's "Only true and beloved wife," the Boleyn surname was placed in the rumor mill instead, further tarnishing George Boleyn's reputation. George wasn't there to refute any reports of ill treatment of his wife, and considering Jane Boleyn's ultimate fate, it was easy for people to accept. Jane, Edward, and Thomas Seymour rose very high in the King's favor, especially once Jane gave birth to the future Edward VI.
I think people forget that people don’t know how history panned out when they develop their theories so for example they assume she knows she won’t go down along with the rest of her family.
Iron Maiden? *EXCELLENT!* 🎸🎸🎸
One of my Latin American history profs had an interesting addition to the “world is flat” myth. Apparently, Columbus argued that the earth wasn’t a perfect sphere and the east coast of Asia was actually 25,000 closer than people thought. Everyone knew that he was wrong, so they rejected his proposal- without the Americas, he and his crew would have run out of supplies *LONG* before he reached Asia (and his crew was almost ready to mutiny due to low food before they landed). it was only sheer luck that there was an unknown landmass right where he said Asia was. But people love myths that make people in the past look stupid aside from the one “great man”, so the flat earth myth persisted. 🌎⚓️
Was it unknown? The Norwegians had been there 300 or so years before. Why would they not talk about their voyage and settlement, even though it was short lived?
I think that myth about Magna Carta could have been influenced by a silly joke: “where did King John sign the Magna Carta?” Answer: “at the bottom “, originating perhaps in general knowledge questions, pub quizzes, etc, that were expecting the answer to be Runnymede.
That reminds me of the Terry Pratchett novel where rivers and mountains have exotic-sounding names that mean "Your Finger, Stupid" in the aboriginal languages because the first explorer tapped locations on his map with his finger and asked the aboriginals, who did not use physical maps, "what is this?" 🤣🤣🤣
Wow I didn't know that King John just pressed his seal! I thought he signed it!!😮😅 Thanks Dr Kat!❤xo
Glad to hear that those terrible torture devices weren’t as prevalent as I thought! You have helped me realize medieval people were not that dissimilar from us. 🎉
Brilliant Dr KAt, i’ve always thought Anne of Cleves was very pretty. Holbein wouldn’t have endangered his reputation . Thank you 🙏🙏🙏👵
J. Draper did a whole video about corsets, wearing one, and it wasn't at all uncomfortable. It was very interesting.
Loved this video! Especially that wearing a corset was more comfortable when doing walking tours.
Bernadette Banner also addresses this in some of her videos.
I'm just loving seeing the ven diagram of J Draper, Bernadette, Karolina, Abby Cox and Dr Kat. I'm surprised Morgan Donner hasn't been mentioned
Adding a comment request ..but there are two vids I would LOVE to see. The Empress Matilda but also would love to see something on Thomas Boleyn. He was an amazing statesman, Linguist and courtier who ended up failing. Would be insane to see a vid on his life, career and what happened after his release from the tower.
the sleeping torture thing reminded me of growing up in Colchester and going to the jail below the castle which held accused people during the time of Matthew Hopkins. Very few, if any torture devices - they just wouldn't let the accused witches sleep!
I love all these videos, and can't believe I haven't been notified about so many lately.
I have another comment, on Columbus. There is a story (apparently going back to 16th century Italy) that Columbus "proved" he was right (about the world being round? about being the only man smart enough to circumnavigate it?) by "balancing" an egg on one end--by smashing that end flat. This never made any sense to me. Then I read that Brunelleschi used that gesture with the egg to "explain" how he could build the huge dome of the Florence cathedral. Since a dome, particularly that dome, is shaped rather like an egg, this makes so much sense. So I think the Columbus story must be a repurposing of the Brunelleschi story: from "I have studied nature to understand architecture" to "I can smash things to make my point."
I love a well fitting corset/pair of bodies. It has support, support, support. I even been know to have my lacings tighten for the evening's activities because there was some minor slacking during the day, and I want even more support as I am getting tired through the evening.
Where do you buy them? I can only find the ridiculous fancy dress style ones, but would love a comfortable corset!
@@charlotteillustration5778 They are hard to find. I traded with someone to get one, and I made the other. I also (cheaply) two fancy fabric ones that I wear anyway at the larger events. Sorry, I couldn't help.
@@charlotteillustration5778 red threaded in the usa
Love your subtle dig at Henry VIII about flattering patterns ;)
Thank you Dr Kat for this cute and fun video 😊
You are the myth busting champ 💪🏆
Definitely Catherine de Medici! What a fascinating lady.
I'd love to see a video on the life of Margaret Beaufort!
Thank you so much for busting the myths. I found them very interesting. I always thought that Anne of Cleves was quite pretty in the painting.
The thing about that painting, which I'm surprised Dr. Kat didn't mention, is that 1. An X-ray has shown it originally had a longer nose, which was changed. It was also changed in paint: the original pencil markings where Holbein drew (and there is good evidence in his compositions that he didn't sketch but rather traced from a camera obscure, so he wasn't making mistakes) are for a longer nose. 2. He painted her from the front, a pose he almost NEVER used. There is another painting by Holbein that is usually labeled Katherine Howard that art historian Franny Moyle makes a great case for actually being Anne of Cleves. When you see them both side by side, it's easy to see they're probably the same person.
While the woman in the second portrait is by NO MEANS ugly, she is not as attractive as the woman in the known Anne portrait. Her large, long, humped nose overpowers her otherwise delicate, well balanced features. When that face is turned frontwise, as Holbein chose to do, the nose becomes much less evident and those other lovely features take center stage. There's a big difference in deliberately painting differently from what's there vs. simply posing your subject in a way that will help hide a noticeable flaw.
None of this is to say that Henry was right. Personally, I think Anne, based on the new painting i.d., is still 2nd of 6 wives for looks. I think Henry's real problem was that when he contracted the marriage it was politically advantageous, but by the time Anne arrived the political and religious situation in the Holy Roman Empire had shifted so much it was suddenly a bad idea to be permanently tied to Cleves. He pounced on the portrait as evidence to back up him up, along with his indelicate and cruel remarks. I really think that if it had still been a smart move to align with Cleves, none of it would have been an issue or even brought up.
@@danaglabeman6919 Thank you......... very interesting.
My corset/stays is very comfortable! Especially when I was still an F cup.
Before I found corsets, my clavicle was deformed by the weight of my breasts. When I wear my corset, there is no weight at all on my shoulders, and I can move a lot more freely. And my spine is fully supported, so I tire less easily.
I love my corsets!
I'm an F cup and I think I may invest in some corsets. Seems like they would do an amazing job of supporting your breasts.
Yes! More Dr Kat Myth Buster!
Thank you Dr Kat! Maybe next time you can review the myth that Richard I was gay? People can't get enough of that one for some reason.
Re: Anne Boleyn - Was that Nicholas Sander or Nicholas Slander?? 🤣 🐉
About 20 years ago, I was looking at genealogical sites on the Web to research the ancestry of a particular woman. I found that the rule the genealogists had used was this: if a woman's marriage date was the first date in her life that was actually known, then her birth year could be estimated as 12 years before her marriage year. On the other hand, the woman I was researching, as well as her mother and aunt, married in their 20s or even as late as the early 30s (and the mother and aunt were aristocratic prizes). So the rule of thumb on the sites was clearly hogwash.
Out of all of your videos that I've watched, this one is my absolute favorite!! I'd be thrilled to see you create more content just like this! Many Thanks, Dr. Kat!
I thinknthis has to be one of my favorite videos you have done Dr. Kat!❤❤❤❤😊
Awesome video, as always. Never thought about a corset as the equivalent of a weightlifter's belt. That is a brilliant insight, to which anyone who has ever done any heavy squats or shoulder presses can attest. 🏋♀🏋♂🏋
I would love to hear about the history of crocheting and knitting. But the torture thing was very interesting! ☠️☠️
Great video as always. I already knew most of the myths were myths but it was still enjoyable to hear that discussed like this again, and it is good to talk and educate about these myths. I kind of like to know more about Medieval, Renaissance, and/or Early Modern hygiene habits.
Such a fascinating video. I’d love to hear more details about this subject.
Thank you
Thank you very much for talking about everyday people. This is what fascinates me the most. I don’t care about the monarchy in the upper class people. But every day people, but I’m probably prejudice because I live in America and we are very much anti monarchy.
I don't wear make up (and most women in history wouldn't have either), and I can say that scrubbing your face thoroughly with a dry scrap of linen will remove dirt and oil quite effectively. If you don't wash your hair frequently, your hair will be much LESS oily. Frequent washing strips your hair and scalp of oil, so your scalp produces more oil. Between hair washing (once a month of twice monthly), you brush your hair (100 strokes) daily so that the small amount of oil is evenly distributed from the scalp to the ends of each hair (natural conditioner). You would also be combing hair with a very fine-toothed comb daily to remove any dust or dead skin cells (or lice).
Thanks Dr Kat
⌛ the corset myth irks me no end! Even more when you hear modern actresses in period dramas speak of how painful their corset was, because it just increases the "corsets were bad, m'kay?" shtick. If I had a quid for every time i have yelled at the TV "Madam, your corset hurts because it doesn't f**king fit, and your director is too much of a tightwad to spring for a properly fitted one and would rather damage you than his budget!!!!"
A well fitting corset is like a firm hug. I frequently wear Victorian clothing, and trust me, you want the support and strength of that exoskeleton carrying the weight of your crinoline, petticoats etc! And it helps you maintain good posture! I have frequently ridden my 1000cc sportsbike in a corset because it allows me to maintain a certain position without crippling my back muscles.
Not to mention that those who initially started the anti corset nonsense were men, who had a vested interest in continuing the "aren't women stupid, look what they do to themselves daily, they can't be trusted to vote / own property / think independently..."
I really appreciate the way you explain things so well! It adds a whole other dimension to understand that, yes Anne Boleyns supposed physical deformities were smears by Catholic propaganda *because* they believed outward appearances reflected your internal character. The way you explained it via the humoral system was very helpful!
Connecting them together like that feels so intuitive but I’ve never had anyone say it out loud like that before. In my mind it was always very “well when women are bad/dislikable, people say they’re ugly”.
you always give the best *context*!
Your vlogs are always interesting! Thank you i learn a lot of history from you.
Cannot tell you how excited I was to hear the firth myth busted was the old “they all got married at 13”.
From your lips to every quasi-medieval fantasy authors ears 😭
A lot of historical myths seem to boil down to 'We're better than our ancestors.' The flat earth myth is a particular bête noire of mine. Pleasantly surprised by the corsets, and morbidly curious ... not about the torture implements themselves (don't need the gruesome details!), but the evidence for them. 🚢
Bathing myth surprising since many devices used with flowers or spices carried to increase the scent around the body. June weddings popular since full baths were in May. I did think once a year was incredible since wash bowls available and could be used for sponge baths often.
Thank you, Dr. Kat, for your objective telling of history.
I very much enjoyed this video. A part 2 in the future, if you're able to compile more myths to bust, would be awesome as well! ❤
Looking at my own ancestry, it was interesting the number of couples who married for the first time in their late 20s to early 30s. And there were fewer families with 5 or more kids than I expected. I'm glad you busted this myth. 😊
Excellent summary debunking of these myths! Brava! 👏
Love your content ❤❤❤❤
When you get to the video on the history of mapmaking, if you haven’t already read it, I highly recommend the book The Fourth Part of the World by Toby Lester. It’s a great book about medieval cartography as a whole, but concentrates the last portion on the Waldseemüller map from 1507, the first to call the newly discovered continents “America.”
Please do more of these! This was a great episode! ❤
In the formative and entertaining thank you😊
Dr. Kat surely 👤ed those myths!
Yay, I was excited for this one.
Great topic 😮
🤷♀🧑💻👨👩👧👦 Congratulations on the new baby Dr. Kat :)
Thank you very much for including your sources in your comments.
Very interesting, thank you.
Interesting as always!
This was fun Dr. Kat!!🐉🚢⛪️⛓️
As always, inspiring and informative! ⛓️🗡️
Probably people think Jane Boylen was a villain thanks to The Other Boylen novel and/or the The Tudors mini series.
Another great video, thank you.
An enjoyable part of this was that, on top of everything else, the presenter was wearing such a becoming colour.
🛁🧼⛓️🔗 I like rewatching your videos more than any other historian!
The myth about bathing reminded me of the Shogun remake I just watched. The Englishman on that show didn’t like bathing. It would be interesting for you to review the historical accuracy of that show but just from the European perspective 🤔
"No educated person believed the world was flat...." can we say it louder for the 21st century flat earther lol
I would imagine that more "educated people" believe (?) that the world is flat today that at any time in the last 2,000 years.
Every non-educated person around the world was fully aware the earth was not flat. Except the Vatican (and its satelites)....
To think I used to like Washington Irving
I had to screenshot that to share on my socials....😂
Better still, say it loud enough so that Americans and especially Hollywood can hear it to stop them putting falsehoods in their movies!!! They are very good at manipulating historical facts for their own purposes 😂😂😂 BTW I’m an Australian whose grandfather is an American - my Nanna was a WWII bride - so apart from their annoying ignorance of anything outside their own tiny sphere, they are ok. Though it was funny when my Aunt who came over for a visit thought that Australia was a) in Europe (she must have confused us with Austria); b) Australia was flat (only in the centre); and c) Had we heard of God? (she was going to convert us if we hadn’t - we explained we were confirmed in the Church of England.
I love this video! So informative!
The lower middling sort would often go into service in another household in their teens. This was like an "apprenticeship" in how to manage a household and an opportunity to save up money for eventual marriage. I'm on vacation so I don't have access to my books or notes, but I think an examination of this topic is found in "The World We Have Lost: England Before the Industrial Age" by Peter Laslett.
Oh my gosh...I so thoroughly enjoyed this! Please may this be an ongoing series! 👰♂️🤵👶
Maybe something on the myth that birth control wasn't tried before modern times.
I remember reading years ago that the Ancient Greeks used Silphium as a popular seasoning, medicine, and contraceptive. It was so used it was extinct by the time of Pliny the Elder.
There is a scene in "Wolf Hall" where a man is being tortured using some kind of _contracting_ devise. I'd love to learn more about what it is and *why* it hurts. Yes, Wolf Hall did a lot of work to damage or make allegations regarding Jane Boleyn.
🤯💥 didnt know about the Elizabeth myth that was surprise
I have been thinking about the bathing "myth" and wonder if our conclusion comes more from word meanings changing over time. For example: the word "nice" used to mean foolish/stupid. So, washing and bathing seem to have very different concept then today. Back then, to wash, was to take a rag and water (soap) and scrub yourself clean, the same as your clothes and bedding. But to bath was to emerse yourself in water, which was special. Hence, bathing was done on special occassions, or for the sick, or once a year. Further, the term "the unwashed" was a derogatory term for people believe to not even wash themselves. Therefore people tended to wash themselves, but not bathing.
There is a huge social divide where corsets are concerned, but they were worn. Some were donned so tightly that a maturing girl's ribcage could be deformed upward making breathing difficult. But this applied only to noble/royal/upper-class women and only for formal occasions. I can speak with some authority as my credentials include extensive medical knowledge and knowledge of early European history in the Americas. I also worked at Plimoth Plantation (yes, that's the correct spelling for the time) as a guide. We wore a lot of clothing to be in an airless thatched house made of wattle and daub working in front of an open fire. Aside from our duties as interpreters, we cooked, knitted, spun, embroidered and tended to the sick while wearing a long linen gown without underwear as we know it now, covered with a full-length wool skirt, a shirt of wool with attached sleeves, shoes, sometimes, and a coif with my knee length hair coiled tightly on top of my head with yet another hat on top of all of that. We definitely did not wear corsets. As to 1492, history should be rewritten. It's becoming blindingly obvious that the Vikings reached Vinland (Greenland) as well as PWI and well down the coast to Plimoth, Cape May and beyond. Columbus was hardly the discoverer of anything. There have been indigenous peoples there for millennia with complex languages and cultures we are only in the last few decades beginning to appreciate. Dr. Kat, you're a brave woman to be discussing the origins of fucking (no, not that way.). I hope this video doesn't get banned.🩰🐥
Thank you, Dr. Kat!
🗺 That was great!
❤ so glad to see you again-
I'm so excited about your upcoming Royal Influence on Science video!
The Bisley boy legend was popularised in a book by Bram Stoker, but I always thought…
Wouldn’t Henry VIII have been even more enraged if he found out they’d swapped his dead daughter for some random peasant… 😅
On account of Johanna of Castille, I think she is more tragic than mad... she had to leave her 5 (I think it was 5) behind on a whim to travel to the other side of the continent (from Flanders to Spain) and she would not see them again until they were grown up. If you add neglect from her husband and never-ending tries to corner her and take her power because "she is a mere woman", any psychiatrist would have his job cut out for him. And they weren't around. This was also a time when there was already a biais against woman and mental health and if you were faced (nobility) with an uncooperative woman, there were two silutions: nunnery or madhouse. Conclusion: probably prone to mental instability but the cards were heavily stacked against her.
I adore your content!!
Thank you!! Love your videos. This may not be your area but I would love to know how the monarchy went from “right of conquest” to being a rubber stamp.
Thank you for sharing this with me, much appreciated ❤❤❤
Thank you Dr. Kat for yet another amazing video!
Very interesting on your thoughts on Elizabeth Batheory ( spelling?) I've found her supposed story interesting for years so it was nice to hear your thoughts.😊
A similar thing is supposed to have been levelled against Gilles De Rais. I would love to know Dr Kat's take on him...
@@esmesvintagecloset oh, now I'm going to have to try to find some information on him as well, thank you for the suggestion for what I'm sure will be an interesting subject for research! 🙂
Thanks for confirming what I thought! 🦄
Another fascinating story. Thank you
Thanks!
loved it! ♥