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My bet is that you would smell wood smoke, bread baking, and stew or soup cooking over a fire.
Medieval people were very clean. They believed that cleanliness was next to godliness, and they believed that bad air transmitted disease. So if something smelled bad, they either cleaned it or got rid of it. We have records of people being fined because they left refuse in the street outside their shops. And while they sometimes did have drains that lead from the house to the gutter, the source of the drain in the house was in the kitchen or laundry, and the human waste went elsewhere.
The reputation they have for being smelly seems to come from the Renaissance. One particular passage I have seen referenced several times refers to the use of rushes to cover a floor, and what the rushes covered over was pretty vile. The passage comes from a letter written by Erasmus to a friend, however, and refers to conditions that were current in the late Renaissance. In context, it is pretty clear to me that Erasmus is making a comic comparison between English inns to badly run stables.
There is a link below to the history section of an article on bathing, where there is some discussion of the medieval attitudes toward being clean.
Wiki User
∙ 13y ago
Wiki User
∙ 13y agolets face it, they stink
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Why were medieval towns so crowded?
Medieval towns were crowded because serfs wanted more freedom and moved out of the manor land to towns.
What were medieval towns vehicles?
Some medieval towns transportations were wagons or carriages. Some people just walked.
Guilds were organized in medieval towns to?
Regulate production or trade ;)
Were medieval towns clean?
Many medieval towns were clean by their standards, which would have meant uncluttered, without foul odors, and so on. The medieval people did not understand anything about bacteria, viruses, and disease vectors, so in some modern senses, the towns were not clean; for example you could not trust the water.
What was life like in medieval villages?
Grim, smelly, overrun with rats, no sanitation, muddy streets, completely foul, and cities and towns were not a lot better.
How did the towns in medieval times look like?
negros
Where did they had there medieval feast?
in medieval towns
In medieval daily life how were towns independent?
Medieval towns were independent by buying a royal charter.
Why were medieval towns so crowded?
Medieval towns were crowded because serfs wanted more freedom and moved out of the manor land to towns.
Why did medieval towns reappear?
... ..........
What were medieval towns vehicles?
Some medieval towns transportations were wagons or carriages. Some people just walked.
Who dominated the economic and political life of medieval towns?
Merchant guilds dominated the economic and political life of medieval towns.
Were medieval towns private?
nope
What did the towns look like in medieval time?
Medieval towns looked basically like Villages today do, they had cobbled streets, although they were mostly pounded earth. Most villagers couldn't read so they would have pictures of what a building was on its sign. Medieval towns were very busy and were also quite dirty. So there were probably a number of rats. Traveling plays would sometimes roam through the towns, depicting the christian bible, and the castle of a lord was sometimes visible in the distance.
What has the author Abdul Rehman written?
Abdul Rehman has written: 'Historic towns of Punjab' -- subject(s): Ancient Cities and towns, Antiquities, Cities and towns, Ancient, Cities and towns, Medieval, History, Local, Local History, Medieval Cities and towns
Why did medieval towns developed?
because they just did
What are the names of the towns during the medieval times?
Colchester, Chichester, and Malmsbury were market towns.
