RESEARCH - Medieval England - Post 14: Feminine Hygiene, Fertility and Childbirth

WARNING: This post contains graphic descriptions. It also covers infertility and mortality.

Menstruation

So, I discussed in my previous post about medicine, how ladies used blood (shpagnum) moss to soak up their menstrual blood. This was quite probably stuffed into linen as a rudimentary sanitary towel. The moss was sometimes also used as toilet paper, by the way.

Of course, all sorts of other words were used for their periods, such as courses, menstra, termes and women's sickness. But, whatever they called it, women have always had to cope with their menstrual cycles. 

Due to lack of nutrition, however, they may not have been monthly. They began around twelve years of age, and were an indication a young lady was ready to start producing children, and therefore could be wed. This is why it wasn't uncommon to see girls of fourteen get married (*shudders*). 

Sadly, it was seen as a punishment from God, especially as nuns did not menstruate (allegedly). Again, I point out the lack of nutrition; nuns and very devout ladies would not have eaten much. But, y'know, let's not dwell!

Isabel in my book, Love in the Roses, challenges her husband to have his wicked way with her during her flow, but not to blame her if she then bore a deformed child. Yes, this was a belief! It was also why some children were born with red hair, obviously!? 

Menstruating women may curdle the milk, so were kept away from activities such as cheese making. 

And, as their excretions were so toxic, they were sometimes encouraged to roam around cornfields with their skirts pulled up, so they could act as an insect repellent! Words fail me. 

Despite the common opinion that this bleeding/suffering was served to women from God and they should shut up and put up... there were herbal remedies to aid the pain. Lady's Mantle, parsley, thyme and woodruff were all used - because women help women. 

Birth Control

 

It stands to reason that not every woman wished to become pregnant. Childbirth was incredibly dangerous; over one in three women died in their child bearing years! Plus, prostitutes have existed since the dawn of man, so they probably didn't want to become heavy with child either. And I hear tell some nuns were actually quite naughty - probably a good idea not to get pregnant in their case; the scandal!

But, interfering with the will of God was, of course, sinful.

There was a papal bull against witchcraft which accused them of having, "slain infants yet in the womb" and "hindering men from performing the sexual act and women from conceiving". So, we know it happened. And as it was witches who were targeted, herbs were probably involved. 

Infertility

But what if you had the opposite problem? Unusually, infertility was not always regarded as a woman's problem. 

Naturally, one would be encouraged to pray. After all, you must have displeased God if he isn't allowing you to procreate. St Anne was patron saint for this. Or, one could make pilgrimage to St. Thomas Cantelupe's shrine in Hereford. 

Weight of both parties was taken into consideration, according to the 12th century gynaecological text, The Trotula. If one was overweight, you could try sweating out the fat in a hot bath. 

Of course, looking at urine was part of diagnosis too. Mix each person's wee with some wheat bran in a pot, and whoever's was smelliest and/or most ridden with worms after nine days was the one with the issue - eww! If no worms were present, then the couple should be blessed with a child in God's own time.  

Onions and parsnips were amongst foods encouraged for the man to help produce his seed. 

Talking of seed, the medieval folk believed both men and women produced seed to produce offspring. So, in order to conceive, the lady had to orgasm - hoorah!

I must say, I did cheer hearing that. Until I learned that this was then used against women too - of course it was (*eyeroll, smacks head*)! If a woman was taken against her wishes and became pregnant it was therefore decided she must have enjoyed it so could not be considered rape (*angry screaming*). 

Anyway, again, herbs and foods were recommended for altering the temperature of the woman's body so she could conceive. 

To help protect against miscarriage, The Trotula suggests:

"Take oil, wax, powder of frankincence, and mastic, and mix them, and let the woman be annointed front and back two or three times a week. This very much strengthens the womb and the cotyledons."

Pregnancy

So, how did you know if you were pregnant? 

Well, with irregular periods (usually among the poor), it could be quite tricky to tell. A woman may not know until she began to show or felt the "quickening" of the baby's first moves. 

And, there was also the possibility of morning sickness.

However, wise women knew the secrets of urine - it is such an important bodily fluid! 

Simply pop a needle into your bowl of wee and see if it rusts. 

The medical folk also looked at pee. Pale to white in colour with a cloudy surface indicated pregnancy. 

Want to know if you're expecting a boy? Place a drop of milk from the mother's breast into water; if it sinks, it's a boy. If it floats, it's a girl.

Cravings

Texts by the Ancient Greek physician, Galen were still referred to. He noted that in the first three months of pregnancy, mothers may suffer from the incredibly bad humor, citta.  This caused them to crave sour and bitter things, or even shells and extinguished coals. 

To stem that, he recommended the occasional day of fasting - oh, sweet mercy! Or, many small meals preceded by water (because that was healthy!?) followed by wine (can you imagine?). Food should be dry and astringent. 

Walks and fragrant but not too sweet white wine were recommended. 

Childbirth

Now, if you were poor, you'd work right up to the moment of labour, in all likelihood. So, let us look at the wealthy. 

Ah, the lying in. 

Before confining oneself to the bedchamber, a woman would attend church for a special blessing. 

Only widows owned property, but some women were still permitted to make their last will & testament before the big event. 

So, all household and spiritual matters seen to, the expectant mother would retire to her chamber, four to six weeks before the baby was due. Only women allowed beyond this point! 

The midwife, a woman, would enter the chamber. Mayhap, the good mother had female friends or relatives who would also be in attendance. 

{ The room was darkened; the curtains drawn

{ Tapestries with relaxing scenes depicted were hung

{ Fires were lit - the warmer the better

{ Herbs were set asmoke and wafted around

{ Crucifixes and religious icons would be strewn about

~ in short, the room was set to recreate the dark, warm, quiet womb

The women would then spend time in quiet contemplation and doing everything they could to promote calm. The book of hours would be read frequently and muchly praying would be conducted. 

Food would be controlled. Nothing too salty or containing rue or parsley. Small dishes of chicken, blackbird, mutton or partridge were advisable. 

Wine should be cut with water or balsam.

Daily hot baths were recommended. The hot water should be steeped with mallows, violets, linseed, fenugreek, chamomile and barley. 

The mother's thighs and genitals would be anointed daily with oil of camomile, chicken fat, foam from the top of butter and unguentum dialthaea (an ointment made from marsh mallow roots).  

Walking was seen as beneficial exercise, perhaps up and down the stairs.

Argh, we reach labour itself!

Warm water which dates had been cooked in was seen as an energy fortifying drink. 

Again, with the oil and fat anointing! And/or apply a poultice.

Wearing coral around the neck was supposed to help ease pain. And she could clutch gemstones (such as jasper which would also help afterwards) or a magnet. Eaglestone may be tied to her thigh.

The woman should be encouraged to walk about as labour pains kick in. 

And time to pray extra hard!

In lieu of gas & air, the mother could clutch a holy relic or talisman. 

A birthing girdle may be placed upon her abdomen; a long, parchment (or hart's skin) scroll with saints such as The Virgin Mary, St Margaret or Julitta & Quiricus depicted. 

The birthing stool was a popular aid in childbirth all the way through to around 1800. Funnily enough, men became midwives at that time too (*grumbly noises* Don't know what's best *mumbles*).

Imagine a horseshoe-shaped stool, The woman could squat down upon this and let gravity come to her rescue. 

These stools could be treasured family heirlooms! 

Another woman could sit behind and cradle the poor mother. Isn't that nice?

The use of birthing stools shortens the birth canal and increases pelvic diameter. Doesn't that sound like a good idea? 

If the baby was round the wrong way, the midwife may oil her hands and, y'know, reach in. 

Caesareans were a known thing. However, this was a last resort measure as it was highly likely neither mother or baby would survive the procedure. Basically, the mother was either dead or dying before they'd try.

The midwife was permitted to baptize the baby, incidentally. But only if the baby was sickly - a quick blessing before it died was necessary so its soul could still reach heaven. This blog post is terribly morbid; I do apologise.

However, once the baby is out (hopefully without intervention), then the umbilical cord needed to be dealt with. It could be cut and powdered dragon's blood (plant resin) put on. Or, tie it off with twisted wool. 

After it has dropped off, the umbilical cord was often thrown onto the fire in the room - this was a way of purifying the sinful origins of conception! 

Herbs were lit and wafter under the mother's nose. This would cause her to sneeze, but her nose would be pinched. Therefore, the pressure would be sent downwards so she could expel the afterbirth.

More from The Trotula:

For pain of the vagina after birth, take rue, mugwort, and camphor, grind them well and, having prepared them with musk oil or pennyroyal oil and warmed them in a pot, wrap them in a cloth and insert as a suppository.

A needle and thread could have come in handy too. Oh, this is all making me wince without any anaesthetic! But, there is more medical advice:

For rupture of the lower parts after birth, take root of comfrey, dry it and then pulverise it well, and put with fine powder of cumin and also cinnamon in the vagina, and it will be solidified.

And if that sneeze didn't expel the afterbirth...

For birth of the womb and for bringing out the afterbirth. Take root of parsley, leaves of leek, and borage, and extract the juice, and mix in a little oil, and give to the patient to drink, and put vinegar into the vagina, and she will be freed.

Pennyroyal was also a good herb for such expulsions.

That coral amulet hung about the mother's neck during childbirth? A similar one could now be placed upon the infant for protection. Either that or amber. 

Mother and baby would be bathed. Injuries seen to. The baby encouraged to urinate by squeezing on its bladder. 

Then the baby needed to be swaddled. Their bones were seen as weak and not fully formed, so swaddling helped keep them in shape until the grew stronger. This would be done at least until the child could sit up on its own or it reached the age of one.

The mother may have been given some caudle. This is a dish of egg yolks, ale/wine, sugar and saffron (recipes vary). A basic dish accessible to all and seen as a restorative.

And hopefully, both were healthy and would be able to have a bit of a sleep. I think they'd earned it!

But this was not the end. Oh no. Mother and baby would be kept in confinement for another four to six weeks, whilst both gained their strength and healed. 

Breast Feeding

The mother could put a bit of honey on her breast to encourage the baby to suckle - aww. Baby should be fed three times per day. And the mother would learn when to unswaddle so her child could relieve itself. She'd then wrap it back up, snug as a bug in a rug. 

Wet nurses could be used, but it was deemed best for the mother to perform this duty if she could. The Church deemed that if it was good enough for The Virgin Mary, any mother should do so.

Breast feeding was encouraged until around the age of two. 

Gnawing on roots of liqorice or gladioli could help when teething pains kicked in. 

Baptism was essential for newborns. It could not wait until the mother was out of her confinement. So, the father (or appointed other if he were not present) would take the baby to church, along with the appointed godparents.

At the church door, prayers would be issued, whilst the priest made the sign of the cross three times.

The godparents would then recite Lord’s Prayer, Hail Mary and Creed, in Latin.

Then, the baby was taken inside to the font. Holy oil was added to the water therein, and more prayers were recited. The godparents renounced Satan and pledged their faith. 

The baby was anointed with holy oil and then baptised with three immersions in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost.

The baby's forehead was then anointed with sacred chrism (holy oil) and a white chrisom cloth was bound round it as a symbol of the cleansing of its sins, and was kept in place for the following week.  Finally, the child was dressed in a white chrisom robe, which, if the child died within a month, was used as a shroud.  The child was given a blessed, lighted candle, which therefore had the power when lit, to banish the Devil.

Churching

This chrisom cloth was then given to the mother for her Churching. 

Yes, at the end of her confinement, the mum would go to church for her blessing.

Again, she was met at the church door by the priest who carried holy water and candles. 

The mother would have worn a veil and may have held a burning candle. She would issue forth said chrisom and any other offerings.

The priest said a prayer of thanksgiving and asked for eternal life for the mother. Two Psalms were then read. And then the mother may have been sprinkled with holy water before being led into the church with a prayer of access.

A special Mass would then be conducted, with the mother offering thanks for the safe delivery of her child. She would also receive Communion.

She was then able to resume daily activities, cleansed of all that sin of conception! 

At the end of all that, one presumably continued to pray that your child continued strong and healthy. 

Around 30% of children died before the age of five. Yikes!

But if they survived until the age of twenty, they were likely to be OK until around fifty. Hoorah!

At the age of seven, presumably when parents relaxed a little bit, boys may be sent of for training, either ecclesiastical/scholar or as a knight. Girls may well have been sent to another household to learn the ways of management of such. 

And then they'd be married off. And the cycle begins anew! 

OK, that'll do. This is a really long post but I wanted to cover all these aspects in one go. 

Always in love and light,

TL

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My book, Love in the Roses is available for pre-order (click here).

To protect her family, she must marry the enemy!

The fictitious tale of a knight’s daughter, living life as it very well may have been in 1484.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 

RESEARCH - Medieval England - Post 13: Disease, Pestilence (plague) and Medicine

So, The Black Death or Bubonic Plague had been and gone by the 15th century. It occurred, as previously stated, 1348-9 and 1361-2. But the affects were still being felt from the reduced population. I know I'm harping on about that, but it's important. 

Yay, the disease was over. Sadly, there were other plagues. I refer you back to the deadly list.

In 1485, at the start of the Tudors, there was a rather nasty Sweating Sickness aka English Sweat. It claimed thousands of lives in the 15th and 16th centuries. Part of the horror was its rapid killing power. There's a whole article on it here.

Medical thinking at the time sought to temper the four humors of the body:

{  1 Sanguine (Blood)

{  2 Choleric (Yellow Bile)

{  3 Melancholic (Black Bile)

{  4 Phlegmatic (Phlegm)

These were represented by the four elements, and manifested in the body as hot, cold, dry and moist. 

These could be interrupted by, yes, disease, but also demons, gods, witchcraft and astronomical events.

Wise women had known for centuries of the healing properties of plants. And even monks, who administered medical remedies as charity, grew physik/physic gardens. They grew herbs such as:

{  Dandelion     

{  Elecampane     

{  English Lavender     

{  Lovage     

{  Mallow         

{  Myrtle             

{  Pennyroyal               

{  Sage                         

{  St. John’s Wort                         

{  Thyme                      

{  Vervain           

{  Yarrow

Sadly, some of the plants were, in fact, toxic, so hindered rather than cured.

From the 12th century, schools of surgery were introduced. These were more medically trained than the barber surgeons who performed things such as bloodletting, tooth-pulling and wound-stitching. 

The medical surgeon was instructed on air, diet, exercise and drugs. The wise ones treated the wounds with vinegar or alcohol. But, they were fairly rare, as they were held liable for any fatality which resulted. And there were quite a few mishaps without antibiotics etc. 

However, these surgeons performed rapid amputations for those injured in battle - the quicker the better for the patient, to stop the loss of blood. And they made a rudimentary cast for broken limbs too. 

Bloodletting was performed in cases of fever, as clearly there was too much blood (heat) in the body!? Sweating was a way of ridding the body of excess fluid - fires, piles of blankets, hot cloths...all could be applied to encourage sweat.

Inducing vomiting or issuing a laxative were also deemed fine ways of ridding the body of those nasty excess humors.

Wine was seen as a restorative, so it wasn't all bad 😉

Along with physical treatments, prayer and penance were prescribed remedies, y'know, in case God was punishing the patient. 

You could always try to treat minor ailments and diseases yourself. Which, let's face it, you'd try. 

For this, you would need a store of: willow bark, honey, cobwebs, moss and live snails. 

Willowbark was a painkiller and may even have helped reduce inflammation. Worth giving it a chew, especially if you had a fever or headache! 😉

Honey was readily available. Its stickiness helped bind wounds whilst stopping them from drying out. Turns out, it has antimicrobial properties too, so not as silly as it first sounds. 

Now, cobwebs are astonishing. I sniffed at the thought, because eww! But, if it was clean, then the sticky web may have actually helped wounds. They would bind them together, and contain antiseptic and antifungal properties. The vitamin K in them may help blood clotting too - well, I never! 

Isabel in my book has recourse to use blood moss. This is used to soak up her menstrual flow. This actually happened! It's technical term is sphagnum moss, and was used for that and to mop up blood from wounds. 

Snails would be used to treat minor cuts and burns. It's been discovered that their slime does indeed contain antiseptic, anaesthetic, antibiotic, antiviral properties, along with collagen and elastin. So good is this icky substance, that it's now being put back into cosmetics. 

So there you have it, some helpful and not-so-helpful remedies.

Incidentally, the number of fatalities after medical intervention are in similar proportions today, just before you dismiss it all! 😲

Always in love and light,

TL

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My book, Love in the Roses is available for pre-order (click here).

 

To protect her family, she must marry the enemy!

The fictitious tale of a knight’s daughter, living life as it very well may have been in 1484.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 

RESEARCH - Medieval England - Post 12: Kinghts, Armour, Weaponry & Wars of the Roses

Think of the Middle Ages, and you may well imagine grand displays of knights jousting in tournaments. However, it rather depends on which section of this long era you look at. 

Hm, this gets a bit complicated. And I'm going to state I'm not a weapons expert. This post aims to cover the basics.

So, knights first appeared around the 8th century, according to popular opinion. However, the Code of Chivalry, although maybe around in rudimentary forms even in Ancient Britain, was developed in the 11th-12th centuries. This was the code brought in to bring a sense of order to, let's face it, what had become thugs. To temper the fierce warrior with acts of valour - to bring a balance to the force, if you will 😉

With this aim, they were taught things such as poetry; composing and performing. He was also instructed in good manners, including those whilst at table. 

Chivalry is derived from the French word 'chavalier', and basically means 'one who rides and fights on a horse'. 

Point of interest; between 1358-1488, there were 68 women appointed knights in England's Order of the Garter.

I discussed previously, how feudalism was in decline. The severely reduced population needed farmers to grow food. But our lands also needed to be defended. Mercenaries were recruited in greater numbers - bought/hired soldiers as opposed to dedicated knights, brought up by nobles. Yes, these mercenaries were viewed as having dodgy allegiances, and could not be entirely relied upon. 

When Henry VII returned to England to fight the Battle of Bosworth, he landed with 5,000 - 8,000 men. It's estimated that 1,800 of these were French mercenaries and formed the core of his army. Others were exiles. He then gathered recruits from the Welsh/English borders, including deserters from Richard III's army. 

Add to all this, the sheer cost of knights. 

The price of the armour alone was high. 

One account says you could get really "cheap", probably ill-fitting armour for up to (the equivalent of) $30,000 (£22k). But, in the 15th century, a full suit of plate armour was more in the region of $500,00 - $3.5million. So, let's say, about £1million!! 

HOWEVER, I'm going to add some confusion here. A knight's full armour is often quoted at around £16 in medieval money, which works out to be approx. £11,000. The Milanese, ready-made set may be around £8 (£5,500 in today's money).

I don't know why there are such wide variances in these estimations. The £11k region sounds much more realistic, given their status and income, though.

So, knights were very wealthy. And their fathers were probably knights too.

Apparently, Richard III's armour

The cost of training was also high. It took many years. Let's look at the stages:

{  Page = aged 7-10 up until 13 (horses, hunting, mock weapons)

{  Squire = 14 to 18-21 (assistant to knight, weapons and armour, education, chivalry)

{  Dubbing = 18-21 (made a knight)

{  Service = from then on (guard for baron, fight in wars, tournaments)

If you want full details on the training of knights, go to this website here.

Weapons

The sword is probably the most associated weapon of the knight. There was the long sword, about 60cm long, for slashing. 

The second option was a falchion, a single-edged sword which came to a point. It was light and shorter but with the power of an axe, ideal for close combat. Powerful blows could be dealt as well as effective slashing. However, the longer sword would deal the most powerful blows.

A dagger would also be worn, their last resort choice.

All that posturing at jousting tournaments wasn't just to get laid! The lance was used from horseback in battle too. 

Plate armour posed a problem - it was tough to get through (hence the cost!). So, weapons advanced to counteract that. The pollaxe/poleaxe was used for this purpose, whilst on foot. 

Spiked, flail weapons could be used whilst on foot too, but they were difficult to aim effectively with.

The mace was also a close combat option. A club-type, blunt weapon with a flange or knob on the end to pierce armour. 

Then we have the other soldiers.

The longbow rose to prominence in the 13th century. About this time, laws were introduced in England, requiring every person to practice archery. Basically, the king wanted to be able to call upon anyone to go shoot his enemies. To be fair, it worked, as Henry V arguably won the Battle of Agincourt in 1415 on the strength of his bowmen.

It was cheaper to use archers. But the men-at-arms and knights were very useful in protecting those archers. Incidentally, some archers were also wealthy and wore good armour. 

Wars of the Roses (Key Battles)

{  The Battle of St Albans (22 May 1455) 

       - a Yorkist victory, and Richard, Duke of York was declared Protector (later overturned)

{  The Battle of Northampton (10 July 1460)

       - another Yorkist victory, and Henry VI was captured. The queen fled to Wales.

{  The Battle of Wakefield (30 December 1460)

    - a Lancastrian victory. Richard, Duke of York killed. Succeeded by Edward, his son.

{  The Battle of Towton (29 March 1461)

    - the Earl of Warwick led the Yorkists to victory; King Henry, Queen Margaret and the Prince of Wales flee to Scotland.

{  The Battle of Tewkesbury (4 May 1471)

    - the Yorkists are victorious. Prince of Wales killed and the queen captured.

{  The Battle of Bosworth Field (22 August 1485)

    - King Richard III killed. Henry VII crowned

{  The Battle of Stoke Field (16 June 1487)

    - Yorkist commanders killed. Tudor reign stabilised.

Above, I've listed the key battles of the Cousins War (Wars of the Roses). It's interesting as the battles were relatively few and far between. But much happened in between too. There were princes placed into custody and subsequently went missing. Kings & queens were captured, moanrchs fled, others came back to fight. Oh, such turmoil!

I'm a lover, not a fighter! 

Um, so there were ceremonies which were incredibly similar to marriage, where two men may commit themselves to one another. In theory, this was to ensure a bonding of brotherhood, particularly those about to go off and fight. But, come on, this was gay marriage! 

I've not got a specific post on sex, so I'll just drop in here... yes sodomy was highly punishable; you'd end up killed if anyone found out and snitched. However, just looking at the plethora of images within manuscripts and paintings from the time, there was plenty of male/male loving happening. I suspect female/female too, but it was the men doing the painting, so... (*shrugs*).

Let's leave that there. 

Really, I just wanted to point out the the numbers of knights were dwindling. 

Always in love and light,

TL

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

My book, Love in the Roses is available for pre-order (click here).

To protect her family, she must marry the enemy!

The fictitious tale of a knight’s daughter, living life as it very well may have been in 1484.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 

RESEARCH - Medieval England - Post 11: Travel & Horses

 

Alrighty, let us turn our attention to transport. 

Roads were terrible! Dirt tracks which would get absolutely sodden in wet weather. They were also often overrun with bandits. 

The common man didn't have much need of travel. There may be servants going to market for their masters. But other than that, the roads were reserved for the merchants, peddlars, pilgrims, messengers, armies and the wealthy going between homes. Rich pickings for those bandits!

There were, of course, pedestrians. Going by foot was common for the pilgrims, for example.

However, the most common form of transport was the horse. 

Types of Horse

I created this handy reference to common horse types in 15th century England. 

The destrier was the crème de la crème of the horses. It was a warhorse, renowned for its supreme strength. Used also in jousting tournaments. However, endurance was not their best quality. They were certainly imposing, standing at around 15 hands, and were well-muscled. The destrier was rare and incredibly expensive.

So, the courser (or charger) was more commonly found in use by knights and men-at-arms. They had a slighter, shorter build, but maintained speed and strength. 

I've included the lyard. It's not really a horse type, to be honest. But I'm rather partial to a dapple grey, and that's pretty much what these were. Incidentally, favelle was the medieval name for a chestnut (brown) horse, and bayard was what we now call a bay (reddish brown with black points).

With a lighter weight than the coursers, mild manner and a smooth gait, the palfrey was a highly sought after riding horse. They could amble over long distances. So, naturally, they were expensive. 

Palfreys were a trotting horse. They could be ridden long-distance by knights or noble ladies.

Jennets, not listed in the image, seem to cause contradictory opinions. Some say the name was interchangeable with palfrey, whilst others regard it as slightly less desirable as them. 

Rounceys were an everyday horse. The least expensive of these types. Fast and agile, they could still be seen ridden into battle or used as pack horses.

Then you had draft horses for pulling ploughs and heavy loads, and started to replace the ox. Large and muscly! 

Workhorses as a type covers pack horses (aka sumpters) and cart horses. The shorter, stockier breeds.

Please note: these are all shorter than the horses we see today. They would be considered small riding horses now. The shorter types were more akin to ponies.

The saddles had a high front and back; the cantle wrapped around the rider. Comfy and secure! Well, yes, until your horse fell - oops! Yeah, you could be crushed to death. The inability to twist may have caused life-threatening internal damage too. Jumping obstacles would have been incredibly difficult too, as one needs to lean forwards in order to do so. 

The Modern History TV chap is joyous to watch, and he has a whole video on the saddle!

He also has a video on horse types and what a warhorse could do. But honestly, browse his channel. So many wonderful videos!! I was absorbed for HOURS doing my research! 😍

And whilst we're talking saddles, ladies were more likely to sit astride. The first true, single-rider, side-saddle in England seems to have appeared in the 16th century. 

Women would, however, sit to the side if they were mounted behind men.

We've seen the saddle; when a lady became heavy with child, this was somewhat limiting. Yes, she could sit behind her husband. But the option of a litter was there. Although, these were most frequently used by the frail and elderly.

A litter is a sort of carriage carried between two wooden poles, carried between two horses.

So what speed did they travel at?

A horses' walking pace is around 3-5mph. They could travel up to around 40 miles per day. 

Horses trot at a speed of around 8mph, canter 15mph and gallop 30mph. But these take energy and are not sustainable for extensive periods. You're looking at about 2-3 miles at a gallop, tops.

People walk around 3mph.

So, when looking at how far Isabel travels in a day, I looked at the old A-roads (obviously not motorways). And calculated the walking time on GoogleMaps. I did also reference old maps on the UK to check road routes.

Covered wagons were around, but do not seem to have been popular. Well, the wheels could easily become stuck and they halved the distance to around 20 miles per day. Nor were they comfy - the lack of spring-loaded suspension would have made the ride very bumpy. And they were very expensive. 

So, carts were more appropriate for pulling goods than people.

By the way, if you had oxen pulling your cart, the distance would be halved again to 10 miles per day!

Our wondrous canal system had yet to be built. You could maybe get a barge on the River Thames, but that's not much good to the rest of the country. 

Inns

Inns have been in existence for a very long time. But, as travel increased during the 15th century, so too did the number of inns. Prior to this, they were more of the alehouse variety. Inns sought to accommodate the traveller with their horses (in stables) and wares. As such, they attracted the wealthier type of traveller.

The bedchambers may be private or house a few beds, which several people could share.

A dining room and common area would be provided.

The innkeeper may be involved in trade himself, and was often quite a wealthy personage of good standing. I say he; only about 10% of innkeepers were women, likely widowed.

 

So, there you have it, the limited, unpleasant medieval travel methods.

Always in love and light,

TL

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My book, Love in the Roses is available for pre-order (click here).

To protect her family, she must marry the enemy!

The fictitious tale of a knight’s daughter, living life as it very well may have been in 1484.

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REVIEW - THE KNIGHT & THE NECROMANCER - mmysterious!

The Knight and the Necromancer (series) by AH Lee

Date read: 16th June 2022

My rating: 5*
Genre I reckon: Fantasy & Sorcery with m/m Romance

Buy link: Amazon 

I read the short story related to this series at Christmas; Enthralled (review of that here).

I loved it so much that I wanted to go back and read the novels that spawned that one. Bit backwards, but hey, kinda appropriate given the mirror magic!

So...

Book 1; The Capital

We land in Mistala where the king just died. His daughter is set to become the first queen of the kingdom. 

But, of course, challenges aplenty lie right ahead. 

A new kind of magic has emerged. Boundaries have changed. Neighbours are fractious. Oh, and a sorcerer is waging battle.

In amongst all this, there is the potential queen's brother, Prince Roland. Suffering from grief. 

And an apprentice necromancer who's been trapped in a tower with his master by the dead king. 

Oh, things could get heated and ugly! 

This is a riveting tale. Full of action and suspense on every level, including a 'will they/won't they?'. 

Who is the puppet master? 

And can one ever truly trust a necromancer?

A magical tale which happens to feature a m/m pairing. 

Book 2; The Border

OMG! I have just been on a journey across the most wonderfully described land in the most terrifying circumstances. 

People are kidnapped, accusations are thrown, assassinations attempted. 

All sorts of magicians emerge through this tale, and most of them are not nice!

Cue plenty of confrontation, explanation, exploration and fighting.

I was on the edge of my seat the whole book, and devoured it within 24hrs. It fuelled my insomnia too. 

Sadly, there wasn't much time for kissing in this one. But so much else happens, that's not really a problem - ikr? I just said that!! 

The book ends abruptly. But, as it's the middle book and I'm definitely going to read book 3, that's not really an issue either.

Right. Shhh...I'm gonna dive straight into book 3!!! 

Book 3; The Sea

Oh, Sairis is getting into trouble AGAIN! That necromancer really is a betrayal magnet!

There is a long build-up to the battle to end all battles. Death and glory await.

Torn asunder, can Sairis and Roland ever be reunited? Or will it only be in death?

The ending is sure to be epic. 

~ This whole series was dramatic. Filled with magic and mayhem. But also asks the important questions. Do we each secretly harbour out-dated thoughts on gay relationships? What harm does that cause? Humans may not be magical sorcerers, but great power lies within us. 

I have loved the incredible, well-written journeys. The physical hard treks through the mountainous regions and the emotional ones, trying to find a path to trust. The two main characters have both been hurt in different ways. Add to that, they should be sworn enemies. And yet love fights to find a way through all of that. 

The side characters also leaped off the pages. They all have a relevant role to play. Even a ghost mouse! 

The setting is a fictitious fantasy world with medieval undertones. It is brilliantly described without being too heavy about it. I really felt like I experienced this series.

And that ending? Ahh! No spoilers. Just oh! (*quietly sobs at the sacrifice*)

Would I have liked more sex scenes? Of course! But then, when one is on the way to war, it is quite tricky to find time for intimacy ;-) 

Knights and daring do with love trailing in its wake.

If you like fantasy adventure, this is a series for you.

Always in love and light,

TL