1 00:00:00,360 --> 00:00:02,379 This episode is brought to you by Skillshare. 2 00:00:02,379 --> 00:00:05,639 The first thousand people to sign up using the link in the description will get their 3 00:00:05,639 --> 00:00:06,960 first two months free. 4 00:00:06,960 --> 00:00:11,039 Despite being one of the most exciting and rich periods in history, the Middle Ages were 5 00:00:11,039 --> 00:00:12,380 a tough time to live in. 6 00:00:12,380 --> 00:00:17,980 Among other horrible things, that time period experienced a plague that wiped out 75 million 7 00:00:17,980 --> 00:00:23,600 folks across Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, high infant mortality, famine, and battles. 8 00:00:23,600 --> 00:00:28,879 Add to that a social infrastructure that was frankly shocking, and zero social welfare. 9 00:00:28,879 --> 00:00:32,619 But just how dangerous was it to live in the Middle Ages, and what would your chances be 10 00:00:32,619 --> 00:00:34,420 of actually surviving the period? 11 00:00:34,420 --> 00:00:38,439 That's what we'll find out today, in this episode of the Infographics Show, Most Common 12 00:00:38,439 --> 00:00:40,740 Ways People Died in the Middle Ages. 13 00:00:40,740 --> 00:00:45,700 The Middle Ages, or Medieval Period, lasted from the 5th to the 15th century. 14 00:00:45,700 --> 00:00:50,679 It began with the fall of the Roman Empire and led into the Renaissance and Age of Discovery. 15 00:00:50,679 --> 00:00:55,560 This period predates the discovery of penicillin and germ theory, meaning that death by disease 16 00:00:55,560 --> 00:00:58,520 was a common occurrence among medieval people. 17 00:00:58,520 --> 00:01:02,240 health conditions and malnutrition added to the problem. 18 00:01:02,240 --> 00:01:08,120 Diseases and conditions common to the period were dysentery, gonorrhea, influenza, leprosy, 19 00:01:08,120 --> 00:01:13,040 malaria, measles, smallpox, typhoid, and puerperal fever. 20 00:01:13,040 --> 00:01:18,819 In the Prussian town of Elbing in August 1349, the Black Death was first recorded, and this 21 00:01:18,819 --> 00:01:22,900 terrible illness has long been associated with death in the Middle Ages. 22 00:01:22,900 --> 00:01:26,780 Studies have shown that people around this period had a life expectancy somewhere in 23 00:01:26,780 --> 00:01:28,299 the 30-40s. 24 00:01:28,299 --> 00:01:33,579 That piece of data is, according to some sources, misleading, as the life expectancy rate was 25 00:01:33,579 --> 00:01:39,180 dragged down significantly by the high infant mortality rate caused by death at childbirth 26 00:01:39,180 --> 00:01:40,900 and disease in infancy. 27 00:01:40,900 --> 00:01:46,459 Many people did in fact live to 60 or 70 years of age or older during the Middle Ages. 28 00:01:46,459 --> 00:01:53,400 Enrico Dandolo became the Doge of Venice at the age of 85 and died old and blind at 98 29 00:01:53,400 --> 00:01:54,739 in the year 1205. 30 00:01:54,739 --> 00:02:00,420 However, death by childbirth was a serious problem as hygiene was yet to be fully understood. 31 00:02:00,420 --> 00:02:05,659 Both the rich and poor died in childbirth, queens often died while giving birth to future 32 00:02:05,659 --> 00:02:11,199 princes and princesses, thus greatly affecting lines of inheritance and courses of history. 33 00:02:11,199 --> 00:02:15,819 Richer families could usually afford to hire a wet nurse if the mother died during childbirth, 34 00:02:15,819 --> 00:02:20,400 but peasant families were forced to be more inventive by soaking bread in milk for the 35 00:02:20,400 --> 00:02:25,120 infant to ingest, or even soaking a rag in milk and letting the child suckle from the 36 00:02:25,120 --> 00:02:26,120 rag. 37 00:02:26,120 --> 00:02:29,960 Death arrived to children in the shape of germs and viruses that people in the middle 38 00:02:29,960 --> 00:02:34,500 ages had no idea led to disease, having had no knowledge of germ theory. 39 00:02:34,500 --> 00:02:39,759 There were no antibiotics or vaccines to protect the most vulnerable members of society, the 40 00:02:39,759 --> 00:02:41,740 very old and the very young. 41 00:02:41,740 --> 00:02:46,879 The death rate for children was horrendously high, and to survive birth and infancy put 42 00:02:46,879 --> 00:02:51,860 one in good stead for the pursuant obstacles this tough period in history brought. 43 00:02:51,860 --> 00:02:57,860 Poor medical care, weak immune systems, infectious diseases, and hunger killed countless of people 44 00:02:57,860 --> 00:03:03,280 during the Middle Ages, but perhaps no event was as undeniably devastating as the Black 45 00:03:03,280 --> 00:03:04,280 Death. 46 00:03:04,280 --> 00:03:10,580 One-third of the population of Europe between 1347 and 1352 were wiped out by bubonic and 47 00:03:10,580 --> 00:03:13,180 pneumonic plagues that ravaged the region. 48 00:03:13,180 --> 00:03:18,000 This outbreak was probably the most deadly force, the most tragic pandemic event to have 49 00:03:18,000 --> 00:03:23,580 swept through a populated region, killing at least 75 million people throughout Europe, 50 00:03:23,580 --> 00:03:25,539 Northern Africa, and the Middle East. 51 00:03:25,539 --> 00:03:30,520 If we factor in that the population of Europe was thought to be around 70 million in 1350, 52 00:03:30,520 --> 00:03:34,860 then yes, the plague was responsible for a huge number of deaths, and if we were living 53 00:03:34,860 --> 00:03:39,840 at that time in Europe, many of us would have become part of the estimated 50 percent of 54 00:03:39,840 --> 00:03:42,659 Europe's population who fell victim to it. 55 00:03:42,659 --> 00:03:44,780 And then there were those who died on the battlefield. 56 00:03:44,780 --> 00:03:49,819 Hacked and cut with weapons, and with no means to properly clean infected wounds, soldiers 57 00:03:49,819 --> 00:03:52,159 often led short, brutal lives. 58 00:03:52,159 --> 00:03:56,060 However, casualties and medieval battles were often surprisingly light. 59 00:03:56,060 --> 00:04:02,259 Once one side had lost 5-10% of their number, noblemen and officers were often held to ransom. 60 00:04:02,259 --> 00:04:07,759 Many army casualties were slayed by disease, foodborne poisoning, and septicemia instead. 61 00:04:07,759 --> 00:04:12,139 Amputations were not to be taken lightly, and many died from contamination and dirty 62 00:04:12,139 --> 00:04:13,639 surgical instruments. 63 00:04:13,639 --> 00:04:18,040 Anesthetic was unheard of, and if drinking enough alcohol wouldn't stop the screams, 64 00:04:18,040 --> 00:04:20,879 you may have been knocked with a blow to the head instead. 65 00:04:20,879 --> 00:04:25,100 Those higher-ranking officers, who were able to access the cutting-edge medical science 66 00:04:25,100 --> 00:04:30,839 at the time, enjoyed leeches applied to wounds, or perhaps a course of bloodletting. 67 00:04:30,839 --> 00:04:32,560 Traveling was no picnic either. 68 00:04:32,560 --> 00:04:36,779 Finding a safe place to stop while traveling was troublesome, and folks often had to resort 69 00:04:36,779 --> 00:04:41,079 to sleeping out in the open, running a risk of freezing to death in the winter or being 70 00:04:41,079 --> 00:04:43,000 robbed or killed on the road. 71 00:04:43,000 --> 00:04:47,199 Food was also hard to come by on the road, and the traveler was often forced to forage, 72 00:04:47,199 --> 00:04:48,819 steal, or go without. 73 00:04:48,819 --> 00:04:52,959 Lack of foreign languages could be problematic, and travelers may find themselves caught up 74 00:04:52,959 --> 00:04:54,839 in local disputes or battles. 75 00:04:54,839 --> 00:04:56,660 And things weren't much better at sea. 76 00:04:56,660 --> 00:05:01,139 While it was faster to travel by sea, boarding a vessel put the traveler at risk of sudden 77 00:05:01,139 --> 00:05:03,079 storms or shoddy navigation. 78 00:05:03,079 --> 00:05:07,240 The ships themselves weren't particularly safe until later in the Middle Ages, but on 79 00:05:07,240 --> 00:05:12,680 land or at sea, life certainly wasn't a breeze during this fascinating period of history. 80 00:05:12,680 --> 00:05:16,100 And while you won't die from such things today, you should still know how to stay healthy 81 00:05:16,100 --> 00:05:17,279 via nutrition. 82 00:05:17,279 --> 00:05:21,399 To learn more about that, we suggest taking a Skillshare class called Nutrition Education 83 00:05:21,399 --> 00:05:22,959 Made Simple. 84 00:05:22,959 --> 00:05:27,759 Skillshare is an online learning community with over 20,000 classes in leadership, photography, 85 00:05:27,759 --> 00:05:29,560 productivity, and more. 86 00:05:29,560 --> 00:05:33,500 Premium membership will give you unlimited access to topics that will improve your skills 87 00:05:33,500 --> 00:05:34,879 and your life. 88 00:05:34,879 --> 00:05:39,279 and the millions of other people who are already using Skillshare by going to Skillshare.com 89 00:05:39,279 --> 00:05:43,079 slash Infographics15 or clicking the link in the description. 90 00:05:43,079 --> 00:05:46,519 If you're one of the first thousand people to do so, you'll receive two months of premium 91 00:05:46,519 --> 00:05:48,439 membership absolutely free. 92 00:05:48,439 --> 00:05:51,180 Join Skillshare and start learning today! 93 00:05:51,180 --> 00:05:52,639 So what do you think? 94 00:05:52,639 --> 00:05:56,139 What would your chances of living to a wise old age in the middle ages be? 95 00:05:56,139 --> 00:05:58,980 What were some of the other brutal periods of history to live through? 96 00:05:58,980 --> 00:06:00,720 Let us know your thoughts in the comments! 97 00:06:00,720 --> 00:06:04,600 Also be sure to watch our other video called What Would Happen If You Ate Only Meat and 98 00:06:04,600 --> 00:06:05,600 nothing else. 99 00:06:05,600 --> 00:06:10,180 Thanks for watching, and, as always, don't forget to like, share, and subscribe. 100 00:06:10,180 --> 00:06:10,779 See you next time!