Was there soap during the Middle Ages?

Answer 1

I have seen different statements on the history of soap. One said it was invented in the middle ages, and another said it was ancient. The Latin name for it was a word I recognized, with the root "sapo." This comes from Germanic sources, but was, in fact, Latin, and not Late Latin, so I would be inclined to believe it was ancient. Regardless, hard soap was an invention of the Middle Ages.

There was a soap makers guild very early, in the seventh century, in at least one Italian city. And in writings of the time of Charlemagne, soap making was said to be an honorable craft.

People of the Middle Ages believed a clean and healthy body was indicative of a clean and healthy soul. They also believed that disease could be spread by bad air, and that foul odors were therefore an evil. They were usually very clean. Clearly soap was important to them as it was how they got themselves clean.

Answer 2

One Answer:

Not what you would really call "soap". It was lard and ashes. People didn't really bathe either. They would rub their bodies down with herbs and flowers mainly to try to get rid of the fleas and lice. It was a pretty stinky time.

Another Answer:

Yes, they had soap. One of the oldest guilds of the Middle Ages was a soap makers' guild in Italy. And they used soap quite a lot. Most towns had public baths in them, and people were very clean because of both religious convictions and health. Hard soap, like we use today, was probably one of the inventions imported from the East, but there were earlier soaps that were based on oils and were liquid.

There is are links below on the histories of bathing and soap, which provide a little more information.