medieval peasants did not in fact have life better than you

     I read the article from The Atlantic titled “What Did Medieval Peasants Know?” The article was very interesting, and it detailed a discussion between historians regarding the extent of society’s development during the middle ages. In recent years, the middle ages have become a topic of common discussion. A 1978 book by Barbara Tuchman discussed the lives of the working class during the middle ages. Tuchman draws parallels to today’s working class, and they aren’t pretty. One of the ideas drawn from this book is that of a working environment in the middle ages. Supposedly, it’s better than today. However, experienced historians are doubtful. The ways people lived, their workweeks, their diets, everything, is such a hard thing to come across. The best estimate right now is that they actually worked 250 days a year, instead of the 150 suggested by Tuchman. That’s similar to today's. Also, other aspects of medieval life weren’t so great. Feudalism, infant mortality rates, famine, and lots of stuff made their quality of life absolutely horrible.

https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2022/05/medieval-history-peasant-life-work/629783/?utm_source=apple_news



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