The Filthy Middle Ages: Myths and Legends About Hygiene

Scandalous and fascinating details from the life of people in the Middle Ages, as seen through the eyes of a famous historian and reenactor.

In the Middle Ages people were terribly dirty and stinky—they never washed, didn’t wash their clothes, knights went to the toilet right where they stood, armor and all, and wide-brimmed hats were worn to protect themselves from slops and the contents of chamber pots constantly poured out of windows. Queen Isabella of Castile swore she would not change her underwear until the Moors were expelled from Spain, and she washed only twice in her life. Louis XIV reeked “like a wild beast.” King Frederick Barbarossa nearly drowned in filth. And aromatic curtains were hung on the windows of the British Parliament to protect against the stench coming from the Thames.

So what’s true and what’s fiction? How were a medieval bath or toilet actually arranged? How did people wash their clothes and what fragrances did our ancestors use? Let’s turn to the facts.