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Greetings from Greece! The first university was build in Constantinople in 425 AD by Theodosius II. I invite you to do a video on the intellectual contribution of the Orthodox Empire [New Rome] - science, philosophy, arts etc...😊
I would like it if you could look into the myth of wolves being dangerous in medieval forests. I think it can be disproven. It makes no sense for wolves to attack humans for food. Especially back then when game was abundant. However, wolves are known to be lazy and prefer the easy score, meaning that when hunters skin and cut up their prey, it might have attracted wolves who want a piece of the action. They also might have raided flocks of domesticated animals because it's so easy. When humans wanted to prevent that, they would attack wolves around the homestead, or gather a posse to go find the den and murder them all. In those cases it's perfectly normal that wolves would fight back viciously... Hence the misconception. There are plenty present day examples of wild wolves encountering humans and not attack at all. Far far more numerous than encounters where the wolf initiated an attack. Most (if not all) cases where a wolf injured a human, it happened after the human behaved aggressively _first_ ... I dare to say: In medieval Europe, wild boar posed likely a much bigger danger to humans than wolves. (To be proven to debunk the myth of ravenous wolf packs)
Thanks so much for making these videos. I really appreciate the desire to keep things accurate and factual. I'm glad you call out bias when it occurs. Great stuff!
Mr . Metatron! I am german, no accademic. I live next to former Imperium Romanum / Germania Magna border, and i can see Hohenstaufen mountain ( Ghibellines/.die Waiblinger). Idiocracy is on the rise!
The Egyptologist was good, the Survivalist was good, and now the Medievalist gets an endorsement from Metatron too????? I’m so happy to see trustworthy sources of historical knowledge from such a large channel like WIRED, they have really been cleaning up their act, kudos to WIRED.
Maybe he thought that bad Empanada might have a bit of a point sometimes. This could be a sad experiment on why negative content does better on RUclips.
@@HontasFarmer80it is naive but admirably hopeful to think bad empanada might, at some point, make a sensible or correct argument. Naive because once you’ve observed that guy you figure out how false that hope is quickly.
So so happy that this person on wired mentioned the historical fact that Iron Maiden ,chastity belts and Spanish tickler were not torture devices that were used in the Middle Ages. I am very appreciative and impressed with this woman because of the historical accuracy regarding torture devices and many other topics of medieval history.
Somehow I knew about stuff like the Iron Maiden not being presented right as a kid (forget where I learned about it) and throughout my whole life I've had to see the same lies retold pretty much any time I watched anything about the middle ages and dark ages which I've always found interesting. I know it's dumb, but I'm done with that media instantly. My first dvr cable box did a lot of fast forwarding lol but at least I could actually see the rest of things I would have stopped watching before that
ive said it before, and ill say it again, Wired doesnt always get a good person to speak on things, but when they do, its always a great learning moment
The variance in accuracy is far from ideal. If you watch somes of their experts on subjects you know amd they turns out to be good,you will assume it's also good ones on subjects you don't know
@@NewUser000NewUser I disagree with the proffesor and Metatron here. They did not love their children as much as modern people, that is evident as an archaeology student. They showed affection to their children yes but most didn't form close bounds to their children in the same way as modern people. They didn't have the time with them, the understanding of morals of that time was very different and children were not seen as individuals in the same way. They were rather seen as extensions of the couple and disobedient creatures until they had grown up when they were expected to be morally just and helping their parents. So the odea that they loved them as much as modern people is not correct exactly that's my only issue with the video.
My favorite part of history are those little stories about normal people. The cat peeing on the page of a manuscript and the writer circling it then writing down which cat did it is such a great example. I can almost get inside the mind of the writer, know exactly what he felt, why he circled the stain, and why he called out that specific cat. We would do the same thing in the same sarcastic, frustrated way that he did.
@@helmaschine1885 Oh we loved cats and dogs, for as long as we've had them around. That's why they are often featured in human graveyards, or had their own burials. Hell, the Egyptians took them to the afterlife, with those tiny cat mummies.
It makes me wonder, what did medieval monks name their cats? I have a strong hunch that they were named after antagonistic figures from the Bible, like Herod or Pilate.
I agree! It makes me realize that, no matter how much time has passed, we were all more similar than we though. In the end, we all have those human behaviors and thoughts :,)
@@Underjordiskentitet Yep. That's the origin of the word knight, from an Old English word meaning "boy, youth, servant". I remember looking up titles and "royal housseholds/retinue" years back and being amused at the humble origins that those roles started off as, such as knights who were literally just the young able-bodied men of the castle who'd be called out to deal with bandits and whatnot on occasion.
@@sharielane can go even further, it sounds very similar to modern german "knecht", which indeed means servant, but also describes a low status farm worker. So it's very obvious that there has to be some common meaning from times before the languages diverged. Another one is english "deer" and german "tier". The german one is used to refer to animals in general, while the english one is limited to a specific one, possibly as a result of the latin-derived "animal" coming into use.
I'm old, my grandparents were born in the 1880s. Their farm never had electricity (or running water). We always worked not just visited especially the entire 3 months of summer. Got up at dawn and even though we didn't always want to, Grandma made us nap after lunch. Then work until sundown. It was a great life. Incredible food, sometimes picking and eating berries as we worked. At night we'd lay out on old blankets and look up at the stars. It was so dark, no city lights, street lights, no other houses, just the bright stars. It seemed like the stars were so close you could almost touch them. We decided to learn the Constellations, the Big Dipper, Little Dipper, Orion's Belt, the Milky Way, the Seven Sisters (Pleiades). No telescope needed. We learned a lot, it was hard work but a great life. My grandparents grew everything they needed (except sugar or flour that was "store-bought") very self sufficient. We were so tired we slept really well. I was thinking there's something kids say all the time nowadays that you would never dare say growing up on my grandparents farm "Grandma, I'm bored!"
@@raics101I’m a city boy but I quickly learned not to say “I’m bored” to my mother. She’d immediately find me chores to do. Then I started saying it to help her around the house as she was getting old.
Amazing to read, that life does sound amazing. Life was better when it was more simplistic and kids were actually expected to help out around the house. As a kid I didn't like it but it's made me into a much better adult! Nowadays kids are so spoiled!
I watched this a while ago and loved it. She's a very good presenter, and it's a lot of clear cut information and not a lot of interpretation colored by personal biases. One of the best experts WIRED has had on, kudos to all involved.
Not that good but she wasn't terrible I guess. Although she had some statements that is disingenious but Metatron didn't react which is strange. "if they survived childhood they mostly lived into their 50's and beyond" That's a simplification and actually false. Because we know due to archaeology that it isn't true and that in fact living past 40's and 50's was rare due to diseases, wars, and physical conditions that affected the healths of them.
I'm a Campbell. And "Red weddings" happened in Scotland. There are family legends that had very similar endings. We ended up in America because of the Monmouth rebellion. Have a family Bible with hand written family tree dating back to then. Scottish history is dark man.
True. Though the Campbells do have reputation for being ruthless and a bit devious, as well as being one of the most powerful clans in Scotland. Though there were different branches of the clan. Scottish history is so full of dissent, and rivalry, which can be very dark as you say.
@@toomanymarys7355 Wow! were they a Jacobite rebel, or from the Anglo- English war of the 17th century, who was sent as indentured servant to the American colonies?
@@gregbowen2477I disagree with the proffesor and Metatron about children being loved like today because it's a simplified notion that holds very little truth if we look at it. They did not love their children as much as modern people, that is evident as an archaeology student. They showed affection to their children yes but most didn't form close bounds to their children in the same way as modern people. They didn't have the time with them, the understanding of morals of that time was very different and children were not seen as individuals in the same way. They were rather seen as extensions of the couple and disobedient creatures until they had grown up when they were expected to be morally just and helping their parents. So the odea that they loved them as much as modern people is not correct exactly that's my only issue with the video.
@metatronyt as well as Hadrian's Wall, the Romans also built Antonine's Wall a few decades later. Maybe you could do a video on them both, and the general headache we Caledonians were for the Romans?
Hey Metatron, I'm a Highschool Ancient History teacher in Australia. I really have to thank you, I feel like your videos have helped me with communicating history to my students, making it more relatable, making it far more interesting for them. You're utterly inspiring to me and I've loved all the videos of yours I've seen so far! Thank you for all your work so far, keep it up!
Ah, Dorsey Armstrong. She's a tenured prof at Purdue and has done several lecture series for The Great Courses/Teaching Company that Ive enjoyed. And as one of the last question showed, shi is also one of the leading experts on Arthurian legend and chivalric romances outside of Europe.
@@Grandwigg Highly recommend, lots of good stuff. She has a few lectures any of the Kenneth Harl ones are good too. Highly recommend his Barbarians of the Steppes. There is another one that is middle ages around the world so not just Western Europe with a side of Byzantium and the rise of Islam but dedicated lectures about things like the Polynesians and when the Vikings and Inuit met in Greenland.
@paloma4444 Yes, I remember being on a campground in Australia and asking whether there were crocodiles in the river because I wanted to go for a swim. "At this time of year... you should be good," was the reply. I took a cold shower. In Britain, where only nettles, wasps, and midges are seen as flora and fauna which ought to be avoided - although never fatal -wolves, bears, lions, crocodiles... and Americans are perceived as 'dangerous'. Because they have 'form', which CAN get 'deathy''. It's all a matter of perspective.
@@graceygrumblenot just that I disagree completely with the proffesor and Metatron about the love of children. They did not love their children as much as modern people, that is evident as an archaeology student. They showed affection to their children yes but most didn't form close bounds to their children in the same way as modern people. They didn't have the time with them, the understanding of morals of that time was very different and children were not seen as individuals in the same way. They were rather seen as extensions of the couple and disobedient creatures until they had grown up when they were expected to be morally just and helping their parents. So the odea that they loved them as much as modern people is not correct exactly that's my only issue with the video.
@@gustaf3811 The loss of a child has always been harrowing. In the past there was a community of people who surrounded you, having all gone through the same thing. They knew the pain and the heartache and supported one another. Now, we have to encourage people to go to support groups, because modern-day sympathy and concern lasts from 'announcement to burial'. This is followed by embarrassed head tilts - "How are you doing?"... "I was so sorry to hear..." - from people who have never given you a second thought and have no clue how your loss has shattered you. We are more 'connected' than at any time in human history, yet more adrift.
@@gustaf3811 let’s go! An archeologist lol are you a fellow “googledebunker” by any chance iykyk . Brother is that really a fair assessment of the people who lived during the Middle Ages. IMO I think it’s a bit unfair to compare the historical time periods with the present especially when it’s a topic like the one at hand . I think it’s best to try and view the past with an understanding that it was a completely different era with different societal norms and rules. These are two different time periods that differ in living conditions, traditions, cultures, and just about every aspect of daily life has changed dramatically. Unless you’re willing to paint everyone who lived during the Middle Ages as awful people, which I don’t believe you are trying to do btw. Humans have always (generally speaking) cared about their children and even though their expression of love might have differed from modern standards, I think it’s a bit unfair to say they loved their children any less. Now the Victorian era was a different story lol I’m joking but only a little😂
My only issues are with the implication both Metatron and the historian made about children being loved as much as today. I have to disagree because the evidence does not tell us that at all. Sure it does tell us they showeed affection for their children but also children were seen more as extensions of themselves rather than individuals like today. They did not form close bounds to their kids like we do today.
@@gustaf3811 I agree that the comment of Metatron's felt somewhat anachronistic because saying "all humans love their children, animals love their children" doesn't really account for how affection was shared and developped within a specific culture, so I feel it leads to some confusion about a supposed universality of how parental relationships expressed themselves. Then again, your statement about how treating children as individuals is an expression of love is at least as anachronistic, we consider respect of individuality a virtue, but from a different perspective it could be read as an unnecessary detachment from the family unit. We can agree the family dynamics differ from ours but that's hardly a demonstation of them not being loving
I wouldn't drop the suspicion of covert activism hidden behind choices of topic and way of presenting things. Take a second look at 28:57 when 'right at the top of her head' she chose a woman who happens to be the perfect medieval 'girl power' icon, she even slid in the DMs of the prince of another country after divorcing the king, ffs quite literaly. 😂 Sure, it's a change of pace compared to the bombastic activism we're now sadly used to but still, you cannot say there is none here.
'Just because she said it doesnt mean I now go and repeat it.' My god man, ive been saying this for so long! I absolutely cannot understand why people repeat something without verifying it first, it drives me insane!!! I wish so much that more people felt this way, but its so nice to hear someone else say it for once.
Imagine a medieval author writing on a very expensive piece of parchment. Cat puts a little trademark pee on the corner. Rest of the parchment is him swearing at the cat, and saying why this cat couldn’t be more like its well behaved younger brother.
Hopefully this lady will do more, she was very informative, plus she very well suited in explaining things as well. Many academics do not do well explaining thing to the average person. She has that undefined chararismawell suited for RUclips. 👍
It's pretty sad the ridiculous tendency Hollywood got over the years about depicting the Middle Ages as grim and dark as possible. In fact, that problem didn't exist at the beginning. The 1948 Joan of Arc movie had a palette of colors that would be completely unthinkable in modern cinema
Hollywood in general seems to have some sort of distaste for bright colors in the last decade. Obviously it's not all movies but take a look at the movies from the early 2000s and the colors really pop. Before this, of it was dark and dirty, it was on purpose, usually to get a sort of dark fantasy feel
they also have done the same to classical times; what are bleached ruins now, like the Parthenon and Coliseum, would have been nicely painted in their time
The global temperature was also so warm that the Skandanavian nations had an actual wine trade. The entire world was very, very lush & green. You can't have your population spending time building like that without an incredible amount of food. It was a time of plenty for everyone.
Depicting medieval times as "the dark ages" is anti-Christian leftist agenda and has been for a long, long time. They want to prop up the "enlightenment era" instead (progressivism).
I’m all here for Metatron being pedantic (and showing both his and his academic peer reviewers sheer knowledge), but Metatron actually enjoying these reaction videoes are also truly a joy to watch. Keep it up good sir!
The iconic plage doctor outfit is offically first recorded in France in the 1600s, but the peer writings about Nostradamus seem to indicate he already used in the mid-1500s.
@pablom-f8762 Which is set in the Renaissance period so strictly speaking it isn't the Middle Ages anymore. Also, maybe not use AC as an academic source? :D
Hmm.. I could remember wrong, but I won't stop Metatrons video to check.. but Bernadette Banner did a very well researched video a while back about that iconic plague doctor outfit - and it wasn't widely in use
@@shadowheartart3898 Depending on the region. The professor in this reaction was talking mostly abot England - like almost all medievalists - and there it was indeed to so prevailent. But for example in Italy and France it was. Since back then the only "uniform" part of the outfit was the hat, the rest was optional in terms of conveying that you were a doctor.
As much as I enjoy seeing Metatron lose it over frauds and ignoramuses, this is actually a lot of fun. I find it delightful when scholars take their profession seriously and try to educate the public in as accurate (though simplified) way as possible. Love it.
I admire this person probably more than anyone on this channel! You can kinda sorta tell how legit she is by how quick and how prepared she was. It seems like very 'stream-of-consciousness' speaking, and that's because she's reciting from sources that she's read a million times and not stewing over how to "package" this information to a "modern audience."
I wonder why it is that some people from wired get to speak impartially on these subjects while others seem to seem to package it with a modernist view for "pc" reasons?
I don't think rehearsing her replies to any questions matter as far as her choosing to add politically correct ideologies or not. you can just as easily rehearse politically correct ideologies as you can any type of replies.
They are given the questions in advance. Notice how they often bring props to exemplify what htey are talking about this. The only way they can do this is because they came prepared.
on the Motte and Bailey castle, the image shown was the first image of a castle I ever saw. It was in my Elementary School Library. they had big books of illustrations for the medieval period, as well as other periods like the industrial revolution. that image of the Motte and Baily castle was what got me into liking Medieval history. many times when I was allowed in the Library I would go back to that book and look through it again.
Yes george rr martin has specifically said Hadrian’s wall inspired the wall in game of thrones. He turned the fear of the scots up north to the white walkers and wildlings lol. Also if you read fire and blood, the targaryans failed conquest of Dorne is literally Napoleons invasion of russia, almost verbatim.
Hi there Metatron. The question at minute 19:45 or so, i understood it differently than you did (i think). Firstly the question was regarding the death of children/infants in the medieval times and if parents would be more desensitized regarding their deaths than they are today. Desensitization can occur when an emotional response is repeatedly evoked, and that could be the case if parents had multiple infant deaths. The expert answered the question by first acknowledging that she understood what the question entailed and then explaining why that would not be the case. The expert did state that parents in medieval times did love their children as much as we do, and you agreed. I agree but i find it an interesting thought experiment that if parents in medieval times would suffer multiple infant deaths that they would shield themselves from attachment until the child would be of an age that was more likely to survive. Thanks for the content and keep spreading those wings.
It's hard to compare their way of thinking to ours because of how different the society functioned. If it happened a few times it's very possible they would start thinking that god doesn't want them to have children and fall into despair. Then they might consult the local priest, because that was the equivalent of a psychiatrist back then, only cheaper. He would likely say that god is testing them so there's no reason to take it as a personal failure, and that the only thing to do is stay strong and try again. The biggest factor is probably that your average joe just didn't have as much time to grieve as we have today and there were more social interactions so people spent less time alone inside their own heads. Things were also a lot less convenient so you had to do even the smallest things yourself, and keeping busy usually helps when dealing with grief.
Simon Roper's videos on Old and Middle English convey a much more accurate portrayal of Old and Middle English. London Accents from 14th to 21st centuries shows a proper Londoner Middle English at the 1:20 mark.
Great timing with this video, Metatron! Dorsey Armstrong did a series of 36 lectures with a company called The Great Courses, where she covers the Middle Ages and goes into more detail regarding some of the points that you raised in relation to her answers, particularly those of infant mortality and the nobility's access to better nutrition being a factor for living a little longer than the peasant class. I just finished listening to the whole series again on Audible, this afternoon, haha. It's genuinely very binge-worthy. 😆 She also has an entire series covering the Black Death, and a third one covering King Arthur! (Figured I'd mention that one, seeing as how you were interested in what she had to say about it in the video.) A quick comment on what you said about the infant mortality subject, though: having, myself, just finished listening to her lecture series again, I can say that Dorsey's answer about medieval parents loving their children is (despite her having not mentioned it in the Wired video - I'm guessing this is due to time constraints?) addressing a specific statistic that she brings up where it was roughly only 2 in 10 children who survived their first year, as well as addressing the perceived attitude by some people towards this statistic which seemed to have made those people think, "Did the parents simply go numb and not feel any love for the rest of their children?" Anyway, great video as always. Love this reaction series!
They had the Black Death Great Courses on Prime at one time. Her attention to details was fantastic. I’ve listened to too many Dry lectures and hers instead are anything but. She uses a lot of first person accounts that make her lectures draw one in and sympathize with what people were going through.
@@sussudioharvey9458 Yeah, very much so! She does a great job at presenting the facts whilst also keeping everything engaging for the listener. I can't remember for the life of me, now, how I first came across her lectures, but I'm so glad I did. :D
24:30 ... One thing a person must keep in mind about "What did they do back then about...?" is that the people back then didn't know any life other than the one they lived. So for fun, they made up games, used their imagination, worked in the fields. You ask how did they get by without air conditioning? They never heard of any method other than a hand fan to cool themselves off, so they simply adjusted their life (in cities people slept out on the streets when their homes were too hot) or they just wore less clothing and dealt with being hot. They didn't know they could NOT be hot during the summer, it was simply "It's summer, it's going to be humid and hot". Since people did not know about any other way to entertain themselves like we do today, they simply played games with friends and family when they had the time. I'm old enough to remember not having computers as a kid (they came about in high school where my fairly wealthy school had a total of TWO computers for the students to learn how to program basic computing). So as kids we went outside and made up some game to play with our friends. It's literally that easy. A stick could be a sword or a gun or a magic wand. A rock could be... something to throw at each other.
That Wired video at 2:02 actually made me go "Aaaaaaah, now I get (hear) how Swedish and English actually are related!!!" because of how she pronounces house as we say (and spell) it in Swedish (HUS) and also the pronunciation of knight as KNEKT which is an older word in Swedish for knight (we use riddare mostly) and knekt is also what we use for the playing card jack (king - kung, queen - dam (=lady and not queen), jack - knekt). Thanks for covering that video! :)
That was interesting the way she pronounced House, Wife and Knight is almost literally the same as in some Dutch dialects they would say Huus (Huis), Wief (Wijf) en Knecht - the latter is not a Knight, but like like German Knecht is more like a male servant / farm help. I am always surprised how many Dutch words are related to old English and Norse words, together of course with German words.
While I agree with you that one should always double check, it's an impossibility for most people, and extremely hard for anyone "not in the business". Imagine if you were told to double check plumbing or wiring in your house.
Professor Armstrong is great. She has a Great Course lecture series on the Black Death. I highly recommend it if you enjoy medieval European history. She’s absolutely beautiful, too.
The plethora of plague masks at our local mediaeval festival has long been a pet peeve of mine. The festival is the biggest in Australia, run by a museum and experts, and they have "plague doctors" walking around. The masks weren't really used until the London outbreak of 1665/6. I feel so validated 😂
11:20 I remember as kid reading all kinds of different medieval and historic encyclopedias, loved watching these kinds of pictures of castles. Later tried remaking them in Stronghold games.
She would be a wonderful teacher to learn from. She LOVES her subject. Very important and oft neglected need for a teacher to do well at their job...because that type of teacher doesn't see teaching as WORK but transfer of knowledge that they love. She's infectious (pun intended).
For anyone interested in learning more about King Arthur I recommend the channel called Cambrian Chronicles that has a dedicated video on the historicity of this figure. They also have many interesting videos about the really fascinating history of Wales. It's worth checking.
Henry the sixth thought his adultery baby was a miracle? That’s like Dale in king of the Hill. He thinks his wife made her son by magic. Famous quote from her- “I know I should be ashamed of myself. But I very rarely am!” 😂
I grew up in a house back in the mountains without electricty and we only had candles and lamps for light. We went to bed at dark slept all night and got up with the roosters at first light. No waking at 11:00 and doing chores. My father was an old hippy and the first 18 years of my life were spent living a life milking cows gathering eggs gardening and sleeping ALL NIGHT LONG!
@metatronyt they didn't pronounce the "e" because it wasn't there at the time. For some reason, he used the contemporary spelling. His wife was 'wyf' and house was 'hus,' so it didn't make sense in context. Knight was spelled the same way but pronounced as she said. So, your comment makes sense, she just shouldve provided more visuals/context there.
Oh, i beg to differ; there IS an Iron Maiden. I’ve seen them LIVE so many times since the 80’s!!! When i visited ireland, and toured Ferns Castle, the guide there mentioned that the direction of the stairs- the way it turned- was a defense mechanism, forcing fighters to ascend with their left side facing defenders, instead of their right, sword and weapon side. I found that very interesting.. and, yes, everyone filled the moats with all their poop. Funnily enough, they must good people of Ferns, county Wexford, still to this day. Have issues with Ferns castle, because it was built by Marshall. That guy cut down so many forests. He built Ferns for his wife.
Any chance you have a video on how one should conduct research, as in how you go about debunking things, how much work you consider sufficient, how do you know which sources to trust? And if you do not have that video, maybe it would be an interesting one.
@24:43 my wife laughed so freaking hard when she saw I was taking a bath in Red Dead 2. She asked if I was taking out the trash or doing dishes next. 😂😂😂😂
@VicecrackVoldermort I was more a hunter. I fished every now and again. I think I've discovered just about everything on the map. I haven't looked at any strategy guides, they ruin the fun.
@@beefgoat80 Me too. I hunted a lot. I honestly hated having to go back to do other stuff. I would spend hours in the wilderness just hunting, cooking, hunting, cooking and so on
I've seen a number of Dr. Armstrong's material on The Great Courses. She's actually been really good at debunking misconceptions about the Middle Ages. One of the more prominent examples was the "Edward II was gay" misconception.
I think that 476 is a misleading misnomer. You see when something "falls", it falls! Since in that case we are talking about the fall of the W. Roman Emperor in Italy, the Empire didn't actually fall because it was recovered by the E. Roman Emperor Justinian I. The Roman Empire in Italy partially fell in 800, when a Frankish King was crowned as Roman Emperor without the consent of Constantinople, and at any rate in 1071 when the last Roman Soldier had to leave Italy under the pressure of the Normans. This nonsense has to stop sometime.
One argument I would make regarding the toilet it wasn't always just a hole over the wall. Some had twisting chutes to deter assassins crawling in and they would flush it with buckets of water Some emptied into an underground cesspit in the castle courtyard and some utilised underground streams to wash the poop away from the castle... Castle engineers were pretty smart
Middle English is fun, because what happens is essentially just every letter is pronounced the same way every time it appears. As an aside, I memorized that soliloquy from Hamlet (you know the one) in that "Middle English" style. 19:00 This is part of how post-partum depression can actually be adaptive. If your brain and body are already in mourning mode, losing the child isn't quite as difficult because you're already primed to separate your identity from that relationship.
2:15 I am surprised you were so generous here Metatron. I feel that the idea that Old English sounds like French is a very wild take to have. Yes, the language is obviously related to French, but the speech itself sounds like a mix between Dutch, German and some Scandinavian, not at all like French.
To be fair she wasn't talking about Old English but rather Middle English. Which both sound vastly different from one another. It would've required a proper linguist or linguistic hobbiest to really convey what Old English sounds like. Simon Roper has good videos on what English sounded like through the ages including Old English.
To my ears the Lord's prayer sounded much closer to my native language Swedish than modern English. I am however no linguist and is just going by how it sounds.
@@Dftba_hitch Hence I mentioned the Scandinavian. Linguistically I am pretty sure Old and Middle English were mostly Germanic, but I'm not an expert either.
@@Dftba_hitch She didn't really pronounce it right anyways. Simon Roper has a video on what it should've sounded like. It's at the 1:20 mark. It's called London Accent from 14th to 21st centuries.
The way she said house and knight in "old English" just sounded like she was talking Swedish. Hus and Kneckt, are the literal words we have for these things. Well, hus is the modern word for house, kneckt is more old fashioned for a knight, we say riddare for knight these days.
I find a fair amount of Swedish quite easy to understand because I taught myself Old English and Proto-Germanic, and you can still see how overall very little has changed in the base of both our languages from 2500 years ago. For example: þa lūtilaz grôniz *grasąhuppoarijaz sitiþ in þa langaz grasą under þa birkijǭ trewą (P-Gmc) þe lȳtel grēne græshoppa sitiþ in þe lang græs under þe birċe trēow (Old Eng) þe litel grene grashoppe sitteþ in þe long gras under þe birch treou (Mid Eng) Lítill grǿnn grashoppuri sitja i langr gras undir birkjatré (Old Nor) Den lilla gröna gräshoppan sitter i det långa gräset under björken (Swe) The little green grasshopper sits in the long grass under the birch tree (Eng) It's interesting how much the cognates stand out once you start to notice them.
Similar situation in German. Nowadays 'Knecht' refers to a serf or menial worker, but in the past, it meant soldier as well. Much like in Swedish, the common term for knight is 'Ritter'.
You definitely got insecure when the topic of women’s achievements in the Middle Ages came up. To marry into two noble classes at that time is nothing to shrug at.
I've personally been playing fantasy games, I've been digging myself into fantasy, while also researching history, by documents, and people such as yourself in something like your old videos. I like to research the middle ages, and early modern period, I like playing fantasy, watching fantasy, I love history and fantasy, I don't know if that's for her as well or that's personal for me, but its something I've been noting myself as well.
Maybe you'd like reading the Icelandic sagas (such as Egil's Saga and Njal's Saga), the Heimskringla and the Völsungasaga, the latter being about magical rings and a treasure guarded by a dragon, which inspired Tolkien in writing The Hobbit. The Icelandic sagas and Heimskringla are basically a mix of fantasy (legends) and history/lore. There's a podcast called Saga Thing where they do a reading of different Icelandic sagas, with commentary. I can recommend Egil's Saga first and foremost.
@Metatron: You're not wrong about knight (or cnicht like she somewhat pronounced it) sounding german. In the german language we have the word "Knecht" (IPA: knɛçt) which kinda translates to servant.
Just a detail : yes, electricity played a big part in changing sleep habits, but more in the sense that it created "nightlife" in cities and extended the evenings. But the "compression" of sleep hours was more a consequence of the advent of industrialization and factory schedules. Prior to that, Alain Corbin describes work time as more "porous", in the sense that there wasn't a clock-in/clock-out or break times, work was mixed with other activities all throughout the day. But the very inflexible factory schedules introduced the notion of work time vs free time, and hence, when people clocked-out, they now wanted to enjoy/use more of their "own" time during the evenings (which electricity now permitted) and lead to this compression of sleep hours. So saying "they could work longer hours" is a weird way to phrase it, it's more that the work hours were stricter and now solely dedicated to work, leading people to find other times to do their chores and personal activities.
Jason and Medieval History TV is AWESOME! Got his book signed and enjoyed reading it greatly. Blew my mind when I first discovered HE was the guiding hand behind one of my favorite video game franchises (Sniper Elite). He did a video of him just guiding a medieval wooden cart along rutted forest trails, and it will always be a favorite, the ambiance of a man and a cart, trudging and squeaking thru the forest is simply amazing. They call it ASMR I think? For me at least, it brings the "day to day" life of a peasant alive. My High School English teacher recited the Canterbury Tales in PROPER middle English, and it changed my life, thanks to him I have had decades of loving literature and language. Mr. Braush will forever be one of those teachers that I will always be thankful for having in my life.
18:20 But it can happen sometimes, that someone says something, and because he's Aristotle, then everyone just takes it at face value, and everyone repeats it...
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Greetings from Greece! The first university was build in Constantinople in 425 AD by Theodosius II.
I invite you to do a video on the intellectual contribution of the Orthodox Empire [New Rome] - science, philosophy, arts etc...😊
I would like it if you could look into the myth of wolves being dangerous in medieval forests. I think it can be disproven. It makes no sense for wolves to attack humans for food. Especially back then when game was abundant. However, wolves are known to be lazy and prefer the easy score, meaning that when hunters skin and cut up their prey, it might have attracted wolves who want a piece of the action. They also might have raided flocks of domesticated animals because it's so easy. When humans wanted to prevent that, they would attack wolves around the homestead, or gather a posse to go find the den and murder them all. In those cases it's perfectly normal that wolves would fight back viciously... Hence the misconception. There are plenty present day examples of wild wolves encountering humans and not attack at all. Far far more numerous than encounters where the wolf initiated an attack. Most (if not all) cases where a wolf injured a human, it happened after the human behaved aggressively _first_ ...
I dare to say:
In medieval Europe, wild boar posed likely a much bigger danger to humans than wolves. (To be proven to debunk the myth of ravenous wolf packs)
Thanks so much for making these videos. I really appreciate the desire to keep things accurate and factual. I'm glad you call out bias when it occurs. Great stuff!
Mr . Metatron! I am german, no accademic. I live next to former Imperium Romanum / Germania Magna border, and i can see Hohenstaufen mountain ( Ghibellines/.die Waiblinger). Idiocracy is on the rise!
You might find this interesting as well about martins works. The dance of the dragons is based on the anarchy in english history.
The Egyptologist was good, the Survivalist was good, and now the Medievalist gets an endorsement from Metatron too????? I’m so happy to see trustworthy sources of historical knowledge from such a large channel like WIRED, they have really been cleaning up their act, kudos to WIRED.
Essentially these specialists answered the questions without any personal opinions or political insertions!!
Maybe he thought that bad Empanada might have a bit of a point sometimes. This could be a sad experiment on why negative content does better on RUclips.
@@trenae77that and they were accurate. The survivalist, Donny, was incredible because he even showed you exactly what he meant and how to do it.
@@HontasFarmer80it is naive but admirably hopeful to think bad empanada might, at some point, make a sensible or correct argument.
Naive because once you’ve observed that guy you figure out how false that hope is quickly.
And as a result, Metatron is bleeding subs due to posting too many positive reaction videos 🤣
I'm kidding, obviously 😉
So so happy that this person on wired mentioned the historical fact that Iron Maiden ,chastity belts and Spanish tickler were not torture devices that were used in the Middle Ages. I am very appreciative and impressed with this woman because of the historical accuracy regarding torture devices and many other topics of medieval history.
I’m canceling my order then.
Somehow I knew about stuff like the Iron Maiden not being presented right as a kid (forget where I learned about it) and throughout my whole life I've had to see the same lies retold pretty much any time I watched anything about the middle ages and dark ages which I've always found interesting. I know it's dumb, but I'm done with that media instantly. My first dvr cable box did a lot of fast forwarding lol but at least I could actually see the rest of things I would have stopped watching before that
Iron maiden was not really made for torture. but it was made to scare you
@@Nockgun Iron Maiden was made to ROCK YOU!
shouldn't this be the fucking NORM???
Metatron is on his WIRED arc
😂😂 and we dont mind
ive said it before, and ill say it again, Wired doesnt always get a good person to speak on things, but when they do, its always a great learning moment
The variance in accuracy is far from ideal.
If you watch somes of their experts on subjects you know amd they turns out to be good,you will assume it's also good ones on subjects you don't know
@@NewUser000NewUser I disagree with the proffesor and Metatron here.
They did not love their children as much as modern people, that is evident as an archaeology student.
They showed affection to their children yes but most didn't form close bounds to their children in the same way as modern people.
They didn't have the time with them, the understanding of morals of that time was very different and children were not seen as individuals in the same way.
They were rather seen as extensions of the couple and disobedient creatures until they had grown up when they were expected to be morally just and helping their parents.
So the odea that they loved them as much as modern people is not correct exactly that's my only issue with the video.
My favorite part of history are those little stories about normal people.
The cat peeing on the page of a manuscript and the writer circling it then writing down which cat did it is such a great example.
I can almost get inside the mind of the writer, know exactly what he felt, why he circled the stain, and why he called out that specific cat.
We would do the same thing in the same sarcastic, frustrated way that he did.
Gotta at least like the little bugger to imortalise its name like that😂
@@helmaschine1885 Oh we loved cats and dogs, for as long as we've had them around. That's why they are often featured in human graveyards, or had their own burials. Hell, the Egyptians took them to the afterlife, with those tiny cat mummies.
It makes me wonder, what did medieval monks name their cats? I have a strong hunch that they were named after antagonistic figures from the Bible, like Herod or Pilate.
I agree! It makes me realize that, no matter how much time has passed, we were all more similar than we though. In the end, we all have those human behaviors and thoughts :,)
@@rayanderson5797Herod is a great name for a big arrogant Ginger Tom Cat. 😂
2:10 Wait! So you're telling me that The French Dude in Monty Python's Holy Grail was actually pronouncing "Knight" right? Mind blown!
It sounds almost identical to knægt, meaning boy..
@@Underjordiskentitet Yep. That's the origin of the word knight, from an Old English word meaning "boy, youth, servant". I remember looking up titles and "royal housseholds/retinue" years back and being amused at the humble origins that those roles started off as, such as knights who were literally just the young able-bodied men of the castle who'd be called out to deal with bandits and whatnot on occasion.
@@sharielane can go even further, it sounds very similar to modern german "knecht", which indeed means servant, but also describes a low status farm worker. So it's very obvious that there has to be some common meaning from times before the languages diverged.
Another one is english "deer" and german "tier". The german one is used to refer to animals in general, while the english one is limited to a specific one, possibly as a result of the latin-derived "animal" coming into use.
Compare how light pronounced in German: Licht
That was my first thought too! 😂
Bros never gonna stop.
He’s on a Crusade.
Deus Vult!
Lol yeah
The Eternal Crusade.
Doozie Vault!
Deus Vult!
I'm old, my grandparents were born in the 1880s. Their farm never had electricity (or running water). We always worked not just visited especially the entire 3 months of summer. Got up at dawn and even though we didn't always want to, Grandma made us nap after lunch. Then work until sundown. It was a great life. Incredible food, sometimes picking and eating berries as we worked. At night we'd lay out on old blankets and look up at the stars. It was so dark, no city lights, street lights, no other houses, just the bright stars. It seemed like the stars were so close you could almost touch them. We decided to learn the Constellations, the Big Dipper, Little Dipper, Orion's Belt, the Milky Way, the Seven Sisters (Pleiades). No telescope needed.
We learned a lot, it was hard work but a great life. My grandparents grew everything they needed (except sugar or flour that was "store-bought") very self sufficient. We were so tired we slept really well. I was thinking there's something kids say all the time nowadays that you would never dare say growing up on my grandparents farm "Grandma, I'm bored!"
Sure enough, if you say you're bored they'd just find you something to do.
@@raics101I’m a city boy but I quickly learned not to say “I’m bored” to my mother. She’d immediately find me chores to do.
Then I started saying it to help her around the house as she was getting old.
Sounds serene.
Amazing to read, that life does sound amazing. Life was better when it was more simplistic and kids were actually expected to help out around the house. As a kid I didn't like it but it's made me into a much better adult! Nowadays kids are so spoiled!
Sounds wonderful.
I watched this a while ago and loved it. She's a very good presenter, and it's a lot of clear cut information and not a lot of interpretation colored by personal biases. One of the best experts WIRED has had on, kudos to all involved.
Not that good but she wasn't terrible I guess. Although she had some statements that is disingenious but Metatron didn't react which is strange.
"if they survived childhood they mostly lived into their 50's and beyond"
That's a simplification and actually false. Because we know due to archaeology that it isn't true and that in fact living past 40's and 50's was rare due to diseases, wars, and physical conditions that affected the healths of them.
I'm a Campbell. And "Red weddings" happened in Scotland. There are family legends that had very similar endings. We ended up in America because of the Monmouth rebellion. Have a family Bible with hand written family tree dating back to then. Scottish history is dark man.
Wasn't a Campbell in charge of the Glencoe Massacre? Might be misremembering, though.
True. Though the Campbells do have reputation for being ruthless and a bit devious, as well as being one of the most powerful clans in Scotland. Though there were different branches of the clan. Scottish history is so full of dissent, and rivalry, which can be very dark as you say.
I'm a descendant of a Scottish POW who got sold in the colonies.
I thought of the Glencoe massacre
@@toomanymarys7355 Wow! were they a Jacobite rebel, or from the Anglo- English war of the 17th century, who was sent as indentured servant to the American colonies?
Watching from Cameroon 🇨🇲. Love your videos🎉
That was fun and she seemed truly engaged and genuine. Nice to see, thanks for the share! :)
I took a Middle English lit class from her in grad school. She's legit!
@@gregbowen2477I bet that was amazing! My OT Survey instructor was awesome and least a big impression on me, as I imagine she could have.
That's what worrying, when ab expert is genuine it's an exception
@@gregbowen2477I disagree with the proffesor and Metatron about children being loved like today because it's a simplified notion that holds very little truth if we look at it.
They did not love their children as much as modern people, that is evident as an archaeology student.
They showed affection to their children yes but most didn't form close bounds to their children in the same way as modern people.
They didn't have the time with them, the understanding of morals of that time was very different and children were not seen as individuals in the same way.
They were rather seen as extensions of the couple and disobedient creatures until they had grown up when they were expected to be morally just and helping their parents.
So the odea that they loved them as much as modern people is not correct exactly that's my only issue with the video.
Ooooh. Let's go! One love from Scotland. 💙 🦄🦁🏴
Hi! I mention you Scots on this video you are gonna love it
@@metatronyt Scotland Forever!!!!!
"Wan loave frohm sco'lend"
@metatronyt as well as Hadrian's Wall, the Romans also built Antonine's Wall a few decades later. Maybe you could do a video on them both, and the general headache we Caledonians were for the Romans?
I did. I loved it!
Hey Metatron, I'm a Highschool Ancient History teacher in Australia. I really have to thank you, I feel like your videos have helped me with communicating history to my students, making it more relatable, making it far more interesting for them. You're utterly inspiring to me and I've loved all the videos of yours I've seen so far! Thank you for all your work so far, keep it up!
Ah, Dorsey Armstrong. She's a tenured prof at Purdue and has done several lecture series for The Great Courses/Teaching Company that Ive enjoyed.
And as one of the last question showed, shi is also one of the leading experts on Arthurian legend and chivalric romances outside of Europe.
I've wondered about TGC in the past. This makes me think it well could be enjoyable and achieve it's goal rather well.
@@Grandwigg Highly recommend, lots of good stuff. She has a few lectures any of the Kenneth Harl ones are good too. Highly recommend his Barbarians of the Steppes. There is another one that is middle ages around the world so not just Western Europe with a side of Byzantium and the rise of Islam but dedicated lectures about things like the Polynesians and when the Vikings and Inuit met in Greenland.
I noticed that she was very circumspect when mentioning the year.
She was lovely. All substance, no waffle.
What she said about wolves is nonsense. Wolf attacks on humans are extremely rare
@paloma4444 Yes, I remember being on a campground in Australia and asking whether there were crocodiles in the river because I wanted to go for a swim.
"At this time of year... you should be good," was the reply.
I took a cold shower.
In Britain, where only nettles, wasps, and midges are seen as flora and fauna which ought to be avoided - although never fatal -wolves, bears, lions, crocodiles... and Americans are perceived as 'dangerous'. Because they have 'form', which CAN get 'deathy''.
It's all a matter of perspective.
@@graceygrumblenot just that I disagree completely with the proffesor and Metatron about the love of children.
They did not love their children as much as modern people, that is evident as an archaeology student.
They showed affection to their children yes but most didn't form close bounds to their children in the same way as modern people.
They didn't have the time with them, the understanding of morals of that time was very different and children were not seen as individuals in the same way.
They were rather seen as extensions of the couple and disobedient creatures until they had grown up when they were expected to be morally just and helping their parents.
So the odea that they loved them as much as modern people is not correct exactly that's my only issue with the video.
@@gustaf3811 The loss of a child has always been harrowing. In the past there was a community of people who surrounded you, having all gone through the same thing. They knew the pain and the heartache and supported one another.
Now, we have to encourage people to go to support groups, because modern-day sympathy and concern lasts from 'announcement to burial'.
This is followed by embarrassed head tilts - "How are you doing?"... "I was so sorry to hear..." - from people who have never given you a second thought and have no clue how your loss has shattered you.
We are more 'connected' than at any time in human history, yet more adrift.
@@gustaf3811 let’s go! An archeologist lol are you a fellow “googledebunker” by any chance iykyk . Brother is that really a fair assessment of the people who lived during the Middle Ages. IMO I think it’s a bit unfair to compare the historical time periods with the present especially when it’s a topic like the one at hand . I think it’s best to try and view the past with an understanding that it was a completely different era with different societal norms and rules. These are two different time periods that differ in living conditions, traditions, cultures, and just about every aspect of daily life has changed dramatically. Unless you’re willing to paint everyone who lived during the Middle Ages as awful people, which I don’t believe you are trying to do btw. Humans have always (generally speaking) cared about their children and even though their expression of love might have differed from modern standards, I think it’s a bit unfair to say they loved their children any less.
Now the Victorian era was a different story lol I’m joking but only a little😂
Its so nice to see professionals instead of activists. Its incredibly refreshing
Sassy mate!
My only issues are with the implication both Metatron and the historian made about children being loved as much as today.
I have to disagree because the evidence does not tell us that at all.
Sure it does tell us they showeed affection for their children but also children were seen more as extensions of themselves rather than individuals like today.
They did not form close bounds to their kids like we do today.
@@gustaf3811 I agree that the comment of Metatron's felt somewhat anachronistic because saying "all humans love their children, animals love their children" doesn't really account for how affection was shared and developped within a specific culture, so I feel it leads to some confusion about a supposed universality of how parental relationships expressed themselves. Then again, your statement about how treating children as individuals is an expression of love is at least as anachronistic, we consider respect of individuality a virtue, but from a different perspective it could be read as an unnecessary detachment from the family unit. We can agree the family dynamics differ from ours but that's hardly a demonstation of them not being loving
Sass mate s’going on
I wouldn't drop the suspicion of covert activism hidden behind choices of topic and way of presenting things. Take a second look at 28:57 when 'right at the top of her head' she chose a woman who happens to be the perfect medieval 'girl power' icon, she even slid in the DMs of the prince of another country after divorcing the king, ffs quite literaly. 😂
Sure, it's a change of pace compared to the bombastic activism we're now sadly used to but still, you cannot say there is none here.
'Just because she said it doesnt mean I now go and repeat it.' My god man, ive been saying this for so long! I absolutely cannot understand why people repeat something without verifying it first, it drives me insane!!! I wish so much that more people felt this way, but its so nice to hear someone else say it for once.
Wowzers, I was reading this comment EXACTLY as he said that. Spooky timing .
@@Grandwigg Me too haha
He didn't explain it witt the with the wolves though.
Being attacked by wolves was rare even then.
Imagine a medieval author writing on a very expensive piece of parchment. Cat puts a little trademark pee on the corner. Rest of the parchment is him swearing at the cat, and saying why this cat couldn’t be more like its well behaved younger brother.
Hopefully this lady will do more, she was very informative, plus she very well suited in explaining things as well. Many academics do not do well explaining thing to the average person. She has that undefined chararismawell suited for RUclips. 👍
If you have Audible, she has contributed to their great courses series, which are well worth listening to.
It's pretty sad the ridiculous tendency Hollywood got over the years about depicting the Middle Ages as grim and dark as possible. In fact, that problem didn't exist at the beginning. The 1948 Joan of Arc movie had a palette of colors that would be completely unthinkable in modern cinema
Hollywood in general seems to have some sort of distaste for bright colors in the last decade. Obviously it's not all movies but take a look at the movies from the early 2000s and the colors really pop.
Before this, of it was dark and dirty, it was on purpose, usually to get a sort of dark fantasy feel
they also have done the same to classical times; what are bleached ruins now, like the Parthenon and Coliseum, would have been nicely painted in their time
@@CorvusCorone68 or the new Gladiator 2 where everything is white instead of painted bright reds, greens and blues..........
The global temperature was also so warm that the Skandanavian nations had an actual wine trade. The entire world was very, very lush & green. You can't have your population spending time building like that without an incredible amount of food. It was a time of plenty for everyone.
Depicting medieval times as "the dark ages" is anti-Christian leftist agenda and has been for a long, long time. They want to prop up the "enlightenment era" instead (progressivism).
Watching from Atlanta , Georgia ! Keep up the struggle brother!
I’m all here for Metatron being pedantic (and showing both his and his academic peer reviewers sheer knowledge), but Metatron actually enjoying these reaction videoes are also truly a joy to watch.
Keep it up good sir!
The iconic plage doctor outfit is offically first recorded in France in the 1600s, but the peer writings about Nostradamus seem to indicate he already used in the mid-1500s.
I was going to mention, anyone who played Assassins Creed II knows the answer.
@pablom-f8762 Which is set in the Renaissance period so strictly speaking it isn't the Middle Ages anymore. Also, maybe not use AC as an academic source? :D
Hmm..
I could remember wrong, but I won't stop Metatrons video to check.. but Bernadette Banner did a very well researched video a while back about that iconic plague doctor outfit - and it wasn't widely in use
@@shadowheartart3898 Depending on the region. The professor in this reaction was talking mostly abot England - like almost all medievalists - and there it was indeed to so prevailent. But for example in Italy and France it was. Since back then the only "uniform" part of the outfit was the hat, the rest was optional in terms of conveying that you were a doctor.
@@balintkovacs4089 good point. Thank you =)
As much as I enjoy seeing Metatron lose it over frauds and ignoramuses, this is actually a lot of fun. I find it delightful when scholars take their profession seriously and try to educate the public in as accurate (though simplified) way as possible. Love it.
Even her jewelry kind of represents her expertise, in a way. And her knowledge on GRRM’s work as well!? Love her!
Dorsey Armstrong is a legend; her courses with The Great Courses are excellent
I admire this person probably more than anyone on this channel! You can kinda sorta tell how legit she is by how quick and how prepared she was.
It seems like very 'stream-of-consciousness' speaking, and that's because she's reciting from sources that she's read a million times and not stewing over how to "package" this information to a "modern audience."
Very true
I wonder why it is that some people from wired get to speak impartially on these subjects while others seem to seem to package it with a modernist view for "pc" reasons?
I don't think rehearsing her replies to any questions matter as far as her choosing to add politically correct ideologies or not. you can just as easily rehearse politically correct ideologies as you can any type of replies.
They are given the questions in advance. Notice how they often bring props to exemplify what htey are talking about this. The only way they can do this is because they came prepared.
What she said about wolves is nonsense. Wolf attacks on humans are extremely rare
on the Motte and Bailey castle, the image shown was the first image of a castle I ever saw. It was in my Elementary School Library. they had big books of illustrations for the medieval period, as well as other periods like the industrial revolution. that image of the Motte and Baily castle was what got me into liking Medieval history. many times when I was allowed in the Library I would go back to that book and look through it again.
Yes george rr martin has specifically said Hadrian’s wall inspired the wall in game of thrones. He turned the fear of the scots up north to the white walkers and wildlings lol. Also if you read fire and blood, the targaryans failed conquest of Dorne is literally Napoleons invasion of russia, almost verbatim.
I like about Metatron's channel that he doesn't put his Hadrian content behind a gaywall.
Spot on, it was said he was visiting Hadrian's Wall when he got the inspiration for much of Game of Thrones and the whole A Song of Ice and Fire.
I was hoping for you to react to this video!!
I hope you like the reaction thanks
Same here
It's like watching the Angry Joe Show review Dragon Age: Veilguard, lol.
Hi there Metatron. The question at minute 19:45 or so, i understood it differently than you did (i think). Firstly the question was regarding the death of children/infants in the medieval times and if parents would be more desensitized regarding their deaths than they are today. Desensitization can occur when an emotional response is repeatedly evoked, and that could be the case if parents had multiple infant deaths. The expert answered the question by first acknowledging that she understood what the question entailed and then explaining why that would not be the case.
The expert did state that parents in medieval times did love their children as much as we do, and you agreed.
I agree but i find it an interesting thought experiment that if parents in medieval times would suffer multiple infant deaths that they would shield themselves from attachment until the child would be of an age that was more likely to survive.
Thanks for the content and keep spreading those wings.
It's hard to compare their way of thinking to ours because of how different the society functioned. If it happened a few times it's very possible they would start thinking that god doesn't want them to have children and fall into despair. Then they might consult the local priest, because that was the equivalent of a psychiatrist back then, only cheaper. He would likely say that god is testing them so there's no reason to take it as a personal failure, and that the only thing to do is stay strong and try again.
The biggest factor is probably that your average joe just didn't have as much time to grieve as we have today and there were more social interactions so people spent less time alone inside their own heads. Things were also a lot less convenient so you had to do even the smallest things yourself, and keeping busy usually helps when dealing with grief.
3:52 it’s called the Middle Ages because it was between the fall of the Roman Empire and the fall of the Roman Empire (part 2)
Simon Roper's videos on Old and Middle English convey a much more accurate portrayal of Old and Middle English. London Accents from 14th to 21st centuries shows a proper Londoner Middle English at the 1:20 mark.
Great timing with this video, Metatron! Dorsey Armstrong did a series of 36 lectures with a company called The Great Courses, where she covers the Middle Ages and goes into more detail regarding some of the points that you raised in relation to her answers, particularly those of infant mortality and the nobility's access to better nutrition being a factor for living a little longer than the peasant class. I just finished listening to the whole series again on Audible, this afternoon, haha. It's genuinely very binge-worthy. 😆 She also has an entire series covering the Black Death, and a third one covering King Arthur! (Figured I'd mention that one, seeing as how you were interested in what she had to say about it in the video.)
A quick comment on what you said about the infant mortality subject, though: having, myself, just finished listening to her lecture series again, I can say that Dorsey's answer about medieval parents loving their children is (despite her having not mentioned it in the Wired video - I'm guessing this is due to time constraints?) addressing a specific statistic that she brings up where it was roughly only 2 in 10 children who survived their first year, as well as addressing the perceived attitude by some people towards this statistic which seemed to have made those people think, "Did the parents simply go numb and not feel any love for the rest of their children?"
Anyway, great video as always. Love this reaction series!
They had the Black Death Great Courses on Prime at one time. Her attention to details was fantastic. I’ve listened to too many Dry lectures and hers instead are anything but. She uses a lot of first person accounts that make her lectures draw one in and sympathize with what people were going through.
@@sussudioharvey9458 Yeah, very much so! She does a great job at presenting the facts whilst also keeping everything engaging for the listener. I can't remember for the life of me, now, how I first came across her lectures, but I'm so glad I did. :D
She's fantastic
What she said about wolves is nonsense. Wolf attacks on humans are extremely rare
24:30 ... One thing a person must keep in mind about "What did they do back then about...?" is that the people back then didn't know any life other than the one they lived. So for fun, they made up games, used their imagination, worked in the fields. You ask how did they get by without air conditioning? They never heard of any method other than a hand fan to cool themselves off, so they simply adjusted their life (in cities people slept out on the streets when their homes were too hot) or they just wore less clothing and dealt with being hot. They didn't know they could NOT be hot during the summer, it was simply "It's summer, it's going to be humid and hot".
Since people did not know about any other way to entertain themselves like we do today, they simply played games with friends and family when they had the time.
I'm old enough to remember not having computers as a kid (they came about in high school where my fairly wealthy school had a total of TWO computers for the students to learn how to program basic computing). So as kids we went outside and made up some game to play with our friends. It's literally that easy. A stick could be a sword or a gun or a magic wand. A rock could be... something to throw at each other.
That Wired video at 2:02 actually made me go "Aaaaaaah, now I get (hear) how Swedish and English actually are related!!!" because of how she pronounces house as we say (and spell) it in Swedish (HUS) and also the pronunciation of knight as KNEKT which is an older word in Swedish for knight (we use riddare mostly) and knekt is also what we use for the playing card jack (king - kung, queen - dam (=lady and not queen), jack - knekt).
Thanks for covering that video! :)
Ohh! Dam like dame!
@ jupp!! 😍
serjant norman french knecht
That was interesting the way she pronounced House, Wife and Knight is almost literally the same as in some Dutch dialects they would say Huus (Huis), Wief (Wijf) en Knecht - the latter is not a Knight, but like like German Knecht is more like a male servant / farm help. I am always surprised how many Dutch words are related to old English and Norse words, together of course with German words.
Well, English is basically a dialect of Frisian.
Love your content Metatron. Keep up the great work
While I agree with you that one should always double check, it's an impossibility for most people, and extremely hard for anyone "not in the business". Imagine if you were told to double check plumbing or wiring in your house.
Enjoyed the professor, beyond her knowledge, she presents the information with interest and passion.
I don't know why, but I really liked that you changed the frame so her eyes weren't closed and blurry while the video was paused 🙃
Professor Armstrong is great. She has a Great Course lecture series on the Black Death. I highly recommend it if you enjoy medieval European history.
She’s absolutely beautiful, too.
The plethora of plague masks at our local mediaeval festival has long been a pet peeve of mine. The festival is the biggest in Australia, run by a museum and experts, and they have "plague doctors" walking around. The masks weren't really used until the London outbreak of 1665/6. I feel so validated 😂
Doesn't mean it isn't a badass ascthetic. I get that it isn't period but it's such a cool look
I love her inflection and voice. I imagine her lectures are very engaging.
What the hell do you mean "there is no Iron Maiden"? Saw them 4 times live!
Good music 👍🏻
well, i know they're old but not that old, it's not the rolling stones !
Primo!
11:20 I remember as kid reading all kinds of different medieval and historic encyclopedias, loved watching these kinds of pictures of castles. Later tried remaking them in Stronghold games.
Man this comment makes me want to reinstall Stronghold now.
She would be a wonderful teacher to learn from.
She LOVES her subject.
Very important and oft neglected need for a teacher to do well at their job...because that type of teacher doesn't see teaching as WORK but transfer of knowledge that they love.
She's infectious (pun intended).
Thanks, Metatron, I always enjoy your videos
Bro on that WIRED expert roulette
Is it just me or is this one of Metaron’s best videos. Really enjoyable & informative.
For anyone interested in learning more about King Arthur I recommend the channel called Cambrian Chronicles that has a dedicated video on the historicity of this figure. They also have many interesting videos about the really fascinating history of Wales. It's worth checking.
This one was really good as well! Such a wind of fresh air to see experts that actually are experts and know what they're talking about.
Henry the sixth thought his adultery baby was a miracle?
That’s like Dale in king of the Hill.
He thinks his wife made her son by magic.
Famous quote from her-
“I know I should be ashamed of myself. But I very rarely am!” 😂
I grew up in a house back in the mountains without electricty and we only had candles and lamps for light. We went to bed at dark slept all night and got up with the roosters at first light. No waking at 11:00 and doing chores. My father was an old hippy and the first 18 years of my life were spent living a life milking cows gathering eggs gardening and sleeping ALL NIGHT LONG!
yesss, pedantesinferno is back!
Metatron, I love your videos and fascination with history. Excellent work, chap!👍
@metatronyt they didn't pronounce the "e" because it wasn't there at the time. For some reason, he used the contemporary spelling. His wife was 'wyf' and house was 'hus,' so it didn't make sense in context. Knight was spelled the same way but pronounced as she said. So, your comment makes sense, she just shouldve provided more visuals/context there.
I’ve listened to one or two of her Great Courses classes, and she did a great job.
She did an excellent series of lectures on the Black Death for the Great Courses company.
I would love a video about alchemists, chirurgeons/plague doctors (aka the men of science) in medieval times. Love the work Raffaello!
Oh, i beg to differ; there IS an Iron Maiden. I’ve seen them LIVE so many times since the 80’s!!!
When i visited ireland, and toured Ferns Castle, the guide there mentioned that the direction of the stairs- the way it turned- was a defense mechanism, forcing fighters to ascend with their left side facing defenders, instead of their right, sword and weapon side. I found that very interesting.. and, yes, everyone filled the moats with all their poop. Funnily enough, they must good people of Ferns, county Wexford, still to this day. Have issues with Ferns castle, because it was built by Marshall. That guy cut down so many forests. He built Ferns for his wife.
The ultimate tactic to take a castle: Send in the left-handed people.
18:00 Never fall for the argument of authority. Dont discount your own ability to uncover truth, nor discount their ability to be human and err.
My favorite medieval Castle is Burg Eltz in Germany. Still owned by the original family for over 800 years or so lol.
Lmao, ahhh you got me with the page thing bro! lol thanks for that, I needed a good laugh at work.
Any chance you have a video on how one should conduct research, as in how you go about debunking things, how much work you consider sufficient, how do you know which sources to trust?
And if you do not have that video, maybe it would be an interesting one.
Oooo yeah, I'd love to see a video touching on this, too.
Mr. Urbani, keep these videos up!
Your critical, balanced and yet fair commentary aggregates a lot to the videos you review.
Thank you for your work !
@24:43 my wife laughed so freaking hard when she saw I was taking a bath in Red Dead 2. She asked if I was taking out the trash or doing dishes next. 😂😂😂😂
🤣
I liked just hunting, bathing, buying meat, eating and sleeping in Red Dead. It took me so long to finish the story specifically because of that. 🥲
@VicecrackVoldermort I was more a hunter. I fished every now and again. I think I've discovered just about everything on the map. I haven't looked at any strategy guides, they ruin the fun.
@@beefgoat80 Me too. I hunted a lot. I honestly hated having to go back to do other stuff. I would spend hours in the wilderness just hunting, cooking, hunting, cooking and so on
I've seen a number of Dr. Armstrong's material on The Great Courses. She's actually been really good at debunking misconceptions about the Middle Ages. One of the more prominent examples was the "Edward II was gay" misconception.
I think that 476 is a misleading misnomer. You see when something "falls", it falls! Since in that case we are talking about the fall of the W. Roman Emperor in Italy, the Empire didn't actually fall because it was recovered by the E. Roman Emperor Justinian I. The Roman Empire in Italy partially fell in 800, when a Frankish King was crowned as Roman Emperor without the consent of Constantinople, and at any rate in 1071 when the last Roman Soldier had to leave Italy under the pressure of the Normans. This nonsense has to stop sometime.
Thoroughly enjoyed this.
I’ve listened to Dorsey Armstrong’s Great Courses lectures - they are awesome!
One argument I would make regarding the toilet it wasn't always just a hole over the wall. Some had twisting chutes to deter assassins crawling in and they would flush it with buckets of water
Some emptied into an underground cesspit in the castle courtyard and some utilised underground streams to wash the poop away from the castle... Castle engineers were pretty smart
3:28 "i still see your shadows in my room"
can't take back the love that i gave you 😩
Middle English is fun, because what happens is essentially just every letter is pronounced the same way every time it appears. As an aside, I memorized that soliloquy from Hamlet (you know the one) in that "Middle English" style.
19:00 This is part of how post-partum depression can actually be adaptive. If your brain and body are already in mourning mode, losing the child isn't quite as difficult because you're already primed to separate your identity from that relationship.
2:15 I am surprised you were so generous here Metatron. I feel that the idea that Old English sounds like French is a very wild take to have. Yes, the language is obviously related to French, but the speech itself sounds like a mix between Dutch, German and some Scandinavian, not at all like French.
To be fair she wasn't talking about Old English but rather Middle English. Which both sound vastly different from one another. It would've required a proper linguist or linguistic hobbiest to really convey what Old English sounds like.
Simon Roper has good videos on what English sounded like through the ages including Old English.
Think Tolkien level of language. That's what's required to truly break it down.
To my ears the Lord's prayer sounded much closer to my native language Swedish than modern English. I am however no linguist and is just going by how it sounds.
@@Dftba_hitch Hence I mentioned the Scandinavian. Linguistically I am pretty sure Old and Middle English were mostly Germanic, but I'm not an expert either.
@@Dftba_hitch She didn't really pronounce it right anyways.
Simon Roper has a video on what it should've sounded like. It's at the 1:20 mark. It's called London Accent from 14th to 21st centuries.
very well done. by both the proff and you metatron. an interesting way to learn with metatron as a guide. Thanks to the proff and Met
Also Sean Bean is a Yorkshire man. Which is another nice nod to the Stark/York similarities.
There are several Great Courses given by Professor Armstrong. I listened to a few on audible and their own site. Pretty great, no pun intended.
1:23 I do like a show...
Another great video! Thanks. I did not know many of those things.
The way she said house and knight in "old English" just sounded like she was talking Swedish. Hus and Kneckt, are the literal words we have for these things. Well, hus is the modern word for house, kneckt is more old fashioned for a knight, we say riddare for knight these days.
We still say "hoose" in scotland as well
@@leonrussell9607 Indeed, but she pressed hard on the u, which does make it quite literally our word for house.
I find a fair amount of Swedish quite easy to understand because I taught myself Old English and Proto-Germanic, and you can still see how overall very little has changed in the base of both our languages from 2500 years ago. For example:
þa lūtilaz grôniz *grasąhuppoarijaz sitiþ in þa langaz grasą under þa birkijǭ trewą (P-Gmc)
þe lȳtel grēne græshoppa sitiþ in þe lang græs under þe birċe trēow (Old Eng)
þe litel grene grashoppe sitteþ in þe long gras under þe birch treou (Mid Eng)
Lítill grǿnn grashoppuri sitja i langr gras undir birkjatré (Old Nor)
Den lilla gröna gräshoppan sitter i det långa gräset under björken (Swe)
The little green grasshopper sits in the long grass under the birch tree (Eng)
It's interesting how much the cognates stand out once you start to notice them.
Similar situation in German. Nowadays 'Knecht' refers to a serf or menial worker, but in the past, it meant soldier as well. Much like in Swedish, the common term for knight is 'Ritter'.
@leonrussell9607 only because it's part of a great name for bucky: Bern Doon the Hoose juice. Although I prefer Domestic Abuse juice.
Was nice to see a good history person! good video!
You definitely got insecure when the topic of women’s achievements in the Middle Ages came up. To marry into two noble classes at that time is nothing to shrug at.
"shrug"
Exactly. Almost a rags to riches story.
Everyone praises Elon, even though he literally has Emerald mine money.
I want off this timeline
I've personally been playing fantasy games, I've been digging myself into fantasy, while also researching history, by documents, and people such as yourself in something like your old videos. I like to research the middle ages, and early modern period, I like playing fantasy, watching fantasy, I love history and fantasy, I don't know if that's for her as well or that's personal for me, but its something I've been noting myself as well.
Maybe you'd like reading the Icelandic sagas (such as Egil's Saga and Njal's Saga), the Heimskringla and the Völsungasaga, the latter being about magical rings and a treasure guarded by a dragon, which inspired Tolkien in writing The Hobbit. The Icelandic sagas and Heimskringla are basically a mix of fantasy (legends) and history/lore.
There's a podcast called Saga Thing where they do a reading of different Icelandic sagas, with commentary. I can recommend Egil's Saga first and foremost.
@3:30 she was almost speaking Dutch 😅
It was part of the lowland languages... which all sounded Dutch
3:20 it sounds like a nordic language with a heavy accent
Our vowels are powerful artifacts 😐
Also sounds Scottish - "hoose" for house is particularly Scottish.
It really does 🇸🇪
This was great!
Wonderful to see an expert who has true quality.
@Metatron: You're not wrong about knight (or cnicht like she somewhat pronounced it) sounding german. In the german language we have the word "Knecht" (IPA: knɛçt) which kinda translates to servant.
Your spelling "Cnicht" is actually close to the original Old English spelling Cniht, which meant servant/boy
Here in the Netherlands we also have the same word and meaning 'knecht'
28:37 Exactly, as I thought: It varied, from person to person. I mean; some people, today, name their cars.
9:20 Is this why we all have such awful sleep?
No, for most people that's because of stress and doom scrolling until 3am after having to much alcohol or caffeine.
Just a detail : yes, electricity played a big part in changing sleep habits, but more in the sense that it created "nightlife" in cities and extended the evenings. But the "compression" of sleep hours was more a consequence of the advent of industrialization and factory schedules. Prior to that, Alain Corbin describes work time as more "porous", in the sense that there wasn't a clock-in/clock-out or break times, work was mixed with other activities all throughout the day. But the very inflexible factory schedules introduced the notion of work time vs free time, and hence, when people clocked-out, they now wanted to enjoy/use more of their "own" time during the evenings (which electricity now permitted) and lead to this compression of sleep hours. So saying "they could work longer hours" is a weird way to phrase it, it's more that the work hours were stricter and now solely dedicated to work, leading people to find other times to do their chores and personal activities.
a Senegalese peasant was recently caught defecating into a pond in one of our Polish cities.
Jason and Medieval History TV is AWESOME! Got his book signed and enjoyed reading it greatly. Blew my mind when I first discovered HE was the guiding hand behind one of my favorite video game franchises (Sniper Elite). He did a video of him just guiding a medieval wooden cart along rutted forest trails, and it will always be a favorite, the ambiance of a man and a cart, trudging and squeaking thru the forest is simply amazing. They call it ASMR I think? For me at least, it brings the "day to day" life of a peasant alive.
My High School English teacher recited the Canterbury Tales in PROPER middle English, and it changed my life, thanks to him I have had decades of loving literature and language. Mr. Braush will forever be one of those teachers that I will always be thankful for having in my life.
if you are interested in someone analyzing lotr Jackson Crawford has just begun a series on his reading of lotr
18:20 But it can happen sometimes, that someone says something, and because he's Aristotle, then everyone just takes it at face value, and everyone repeats it...
It’s okay to be Anglo Saxon
Also first
Based.
Anglo-Saxon never existed.
@@mrh4900 I hate to break it to you, but you were second
Its ok to stay relevant to the video