| S4 History |
Last
update -
09 novembre 2017 |
Official European
School History 4-5 Syllabus:
English,
French,
German. |
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Helen Castor- Medieval Lives: Birth, Marriage,
Death |
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A Good Birth
For a medieval women approaching the moment of labour
and birth, there were no antiseptics to ward off
infection or anaesthetics to deal with pain. Historian
Helen Castor reveals how this was one of the most
dangerous moments a medieval woman would ever encounter,
with some aristocratic and royal women giving birth as
young as 13. Birth took place in an all-female
environment and the male world of medicine was little
help to a woman in confinement. It was believed that the
pains of labour were the penalty for the original sin of
humankind - so, to get through them, a pregnant woman
needed the help of the saints and the blessing of God
himself. |
A Good Birth
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A Good Marriage
Unlike birth and death, which are inescapable facts of
life, marriage is rite of passage made by choice and in
the Middle Ages it wasn't just a choice made by bride
and groom - they were often the last pieces in a puzzle,
put together by their parents, with help from their
family and friends, according to rules laid down by the
Church.
Helen Castor reveals how in the Middle Ages marriage was
actually much easier to get into than today - you could
get married in a pub or even a hedgerow simply by
exchanging words of consent - but from the 12th century
onwards the Catholic Church tried to control this
conjugal free-for-all. For the Church marriage was a way
to contain the troubling issue of sex, but, as the film
reveals, it was not easy to impose rules on the most
unpredictable human emotions of love and lust. |
A Good
Marriage
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A Good Death
Most of the time we try not to think about death, but
the people of the Middle Ages didn't have that luxury.
Death was always close at hand, for young and old, rich
and poor - even before the horrors of the Black Death,
which killed millions in a few short months.
However, for the people of the Middle Ages death wasn't
an end but a doorway to everlasting life. The Church
taught that an eternity spent in heaven or hell was much
more important than this life's fleeting achievements
and there was much you could do to prepare for the next
life in this one.
As historian Helen Castor reveals, how to be remembered
- and remembering your loved ones - shaped not only the
worship of the people of the Middle Ages but the very
buildings and funding of the medieval Church itself.
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Death |
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