Many like to say that they were born in the wrong time period, and they’d like to have lived during a different period of time; however, there should not be anyone who wishes they were alive during the medieval times. The amount of death during that era, paired with simply having the will to live given the horrendous life circumstances of the era is absurd. To fully comprehend how horrible the medieval times were to live in, all one needs to do is open up a history book and look back in time.

The medieval times, also referred to as the “Middle Ages” or “Dark Ages,” lasted for an extensive amount of time. Historians estimate that the medieval period started around 476 AD and ended between 1400 and 1450, spanning around 1,000 years. These times are recognized to have started due to the fall of the Western Roman Empire, which would later transition into the Renaissance era.

The Middle Ages were marked by many historical events, such as the Hundred Years War and the Crusades. However, amongst the many notable historical events, the one thing that really stands out about the time period is that everyday life was not even close to being the best.

To start, people of the medieval time had to deal with the infamous bubonic plague (the Black death). The epidemic would make its rounds to Europe and Asia during the mid 1300s, it is believed that the plague was spread by mice on trading ships.

From 1347 to 1351, 30% to 50% of Europe’s entire population was killed. It did not take long at all to feel the devastation from the pandemic. The Black Death wasted no time in killing off its host within the first few days of being infected by the disease.

Something about The Black Death is that it was not at all merciful. People can go to sleep healthy, and wake up to the painful symptoms of the bubonic plague, which included vomiting blood, fever, the grotesque appearance of buboes (swollen lymph nodes), diarrhea and painful aches.

Cities that were flourishing soon became nothing more than ghost towns, and Europe was completely unrecognizable after the pandemic had struck. The mortality rate was so high that for every one thousand people, barely ten people would survive.

Even if people of the medieval times did not succumb to the bubonic plague, there were also many other diseases, such as leprosy, smallpox, scabies and tuberculosis that were common during that time period. Of course, these diseases are still prevalent today; however, there is a pretty big difference between how they are treated compared to medieval times.

No one even knew microbes existed during the medieval period. Without any thought about germs, there was no need for any antiseptics. Combining this with the fact that people back then had no knowledge of anesthetics, it is fair to say that medicine was not really a thing.

Most people of the medieval period did not go to the doctor, and instead, they were treated by priests or barbers. The same place someone could get their haircut also doubled as a surgical room, where tooth extractions and blood-letting services were offered. The way that illnesses were “cured” usually involved the blend of herbs given to people by their local wise-women, religious rituals treatments (prayer or fasting) and superstitious practices like having a rosewater or vinegar bath.

There were not many doctors during this period due to the fact that there were not a lot of universities around. The level of education needed to be a doctor was rarely met and the training to become one took a long time. As a result, the doctors that were around typically looked after the wealthy and not the poor. Due to there being few doctors and the treatments used were highly ineffective, ailments that are easily curable now were practically a death sentence back then.

Another aspect that made the medieval times a bad time to live in was its responses to crimes. Women who were accused of adultery had their heads shaved and were paraded outside for everyone to view, and illegal hunters had the opportunity to have some of their fingers cut off as punishment.

Whipping and floggings were normal punishments for those found guilty of small offences such as petty theft. This is not to forget about public executions either; people would often get sentenced to execution for the smallest reasons, and crowds would form around a punitive execution as if it was one big event that everyone was excited to see. Things that are seen as small compared to other crimes today had the chance for there to be a violent punishment back then.

The medieval times were not perfect in the slightest— people had to look out for the bubonic plague, medicine hardly existed and even the smallest of crimes were taken very seriously. Life was the exact opposite of easy in that time period, and living was the hardest thing to do.