Did the medieval people have hygiene?

Answer 1

not very good because there wasn't any showers or baths.

Thr rich could have baths newrly everyday though.

The soap which they had to use were boiled sheep fat!

And the baths which they used were made out of wooden wine casks!

Answer 2

Although there is a common belief that medieval people were dirty and smelly, there is actually a good deal of evidence that they had substantial personal hygiene habits.

Writing on etiquette an good manners from the period stressed the need to wash the hands, face, and mouth on a daily basis. The upper classes had elaborate hand washing rituals before dining. Common people likely washed before eating as well, although in a simple and practical way. Clothing was an important part of social standing and social identity, and would have been washed on a regular basis. There are records of professional laundresses who took in the laundry of others in towns and cities.

People bathed as well. The tax records of the upper classes show they owned vessels and tubs for bathing. Towns and cities had bathhouses for those who could not bathe at home. Art from the period shows people bathing socially, and being served meals while bathing. Steam baths were available in some places. Overall people seemed to associate bathing and being clean with physical pleasure, social status, and good etiquette. Bathing was also associated with sexuality, as less reputable bath houses were sometimes a place to find prostitutes. The statues of Paris specifically charged bathhouse operators with the duty to keep prostitutes and "vagabonds" out of their establishments. Given all these positive associations, it seems that people likely kept as clean as they could, and even those who could not practice immersion bathing regularly would probably wash their body with warm water and soap.

The misconception that people in the middle ages never bathed comes from two sources. The first is that the church was sometimes opposed to bathing due to its association with bodily pleasures and sex. Monks were in theory limited to two or three immersion baths per year. Monks were expected to wash on a daily basis, however, and it is interesting to note that the great monastery a Cluny had a bathhouse with a dozen tubs. It is very possible that clerical laxity lead to more frequent bathing. But even at its most stringent, the position of the church still permitted a weekly bath for lay people to maintain hygine.

The other main objection to bathing came from physicians, particularly after the outbreak of the plague in the mid 14th century. A common theory of disease was that is was caused by miasma, meaning "bad air", and that opening the pores by steam or warm water could open one to infection. This medical opinion, combined with improvements in the quality and availability of clothing, lead to a decline of bathing in the very late middle ages and the following centuries. Overall, people of the middle ages were probably cleaner than the people of the 16th, 17th, and early 18th century, after which medical opinion began to shift to the idea that regular bathing actually promoted health.

Answer 3

It is a common misconception that people rarely bathed in the middle ages, but there is a great deal of evidence that this is not true. In fact, people in the central and late middle ages were probably cleaner than Europeans in the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries.

We know this from many sources. The first is that medieval people seemed to have a positive attitude toward bathing, considering it a pleasurable, sensual activity. In addition to written sources, there is medieval woodcut art that shows people bathing, sometimes socially, and even being served meals while in the tub. We know from tax records and wills that the financially successful owned tubs and vessels for bathing. Larger towns and cities offered public bath houses, and there were guilds for bath house operators. Less reputable bath houses were not just a place to socialize and soak, but also a place to find a prostitute, although official guild policy did not allow this.

Cleanliness was also part of good manners. Writings on etiquette from the period emphasized cleaning the face, hands, and mouth on a daily basis. At meals it was expected that one would have scrupulously clean hands. Among the upper classes there was semi-ritualized hand washing, aided by servants, before a formal meal.

Lower class and peasantry probably did not engage in immersion bathing very often, but it is likely they still washed frequently, probably with a basin of warm water and a cloth. Improvised facilities, such sitting in a barrel or half barrel and having someone pour warm water over the bather, were likely employed on occasion. In warm summer weather one might take a dip in the local pond or stream as well.

The church opposed immersion bathing (but not simple washing, which was actually required of monks on a daily basis) as it was considered a physical indulgence much like laziness, gluttony, or drunkenness. As a result monks were in theory allowed only two or three baths per year. Considering the degree to which clerical laxity crept into other aspects of life, it is difficult to say how strictly this was followed. The famous monastery at Cluny had a dedicated bath house with a dozen tubs. For laymen, the church did allow periodic bathing strictly for the purpose of cleanliness, but cautioned the faithful against allowing bathing to become a "time waster". The very fact that the church felt compelled to preach on the subject indicates how many people were lingering in the tub, occasional in mixed company.

Clothing was laundered frequently as well. A villager likely handled their own laundry needs, but in towns and cities we know from tax records that there were people who took in other people's washing for a living.

Answer 4

Can You turn on the air con jessica thank you turn on the air con JESSICA!!

Answer 5

People in the middle ages didn't bathe often so they were not usually clean. So instead women would spray on perfumes and wear flowers.

Answer 6

Terrible. From what I remember, people thought bathing was bad for your health, so they didn't do it often, if at all.