Have you ever wondered what daily life was like in the Medieval Ages in Scotland?

Life was very different than what it is like today. Back then, women basically had barely any rights. Their main purpose was to have children. And back then, most marriages were arranged, and the husband had complete control over his wife. And what about the food? Back then, poorer people mostly ate bread, garden vegetables, and fresh meat. During the winter, they would eat the meat preserved in salt, although salt was very expensive. And guess what? They ate things like peacock and porpoise! They also had never heard of potatoes. You may ask, how was religion different back then? Well, religion was a very important part of daily life back then. A lot of men and women became monks and nuns. There were a few towns that were built off of churches. 

Have you ever wondered about the level of knowledge of medicine back then? First, in order to become a doctor or apothecary, you had to have studied for 10 years, much longer than now. Complicated battle surgery was performed on soldiers. And they believed that your blood had to be perfectly balanced, so they would remove some sometimes!

Have you ever thought about living in a castle? Life at the castle was the good life indeed. The king had loads of servants that would work in the kitchen, do household chores, and entertain the nobles with music and reading. Romance stories were read and acted as entertainment mostly to richer people back then. Music was played one note at a time on a variety of instruments. The castle was very colorful and alive.

And what about clothes? Have you ever thought about what kind of clothes they wore back then? The way it went then was: the simpler your clothes were, the poorer you were. Nobles had access to any fabric they wanted, while peasants and lower classes wore belted tunics (longer for the women), leather shoes, and stockings. Later on, some people wore hats. Lower class women’s clothes were made of wool, but richer women’s clothing was very layered and had colorful and detailed fabric.

Have you ever thought of what would happen if you were in an arranged marriage? How would you feel if you married someone you might not have met before in your life? This might be how the women felt back then. The law says that women were able to marry at 12 years old (that’s how old I turning next week! I could never imagine getting married now!) and boys could marry at 14. Noble weddings normally ended with feasting and celebration.

And that’s how life was in Medieval Scotland!

Sources:

• Education Scotland: “Scotland’s History” 30 Jan 2012 http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/scotlandshistory/medievallife/religionfestivalsandbeliefs/index.asp 


• Achlin, L.K.: “Medieval Ages” 20 Sept 2006 31 Jan 2012 http://www.middleages.org.uk/middle-ages-women.htm 


• Langley, Andrew. Medieval Life. 1st. 1. London: Dorling Kindersley Books, 1996. 18-19,22-23. Print.