Life in a Medieval Castle

Fülszöveg

HISTORY
"Castles are crumbly and romantic. They still hint at an age more colorful and gallant than our own, but are often debunked by boring people who like to run on about drafts and grumble that the latrines did not work. Joseph and Frances Gies offer a book that helps set the record straight—and keeps the romance too.
'The authors rightly approach the castle as the center of medieval life. Their story ranges well beyond the castle gate, but it centers on Chepstow, a well-preserved fortress on the Welsh border. The twelfth-century lord of Chepstow, William Marshall, turns up with a companion knight on the tournament circuit in France. Touring the country like early-day golf pros, they clean up handsomely, accumulating scores and scores of horses and piles of armor in more than 100 contests.
"In peaceable times, a medieval life had more civilized compensations than smug modem man imagines. Until the great castle halls fell into disuse, master and servant ate congenially in... Tovább

Fülszöveg

HISTORY
"Castles are crumbly and romantic. They still hint at an age more colorful and gallant than our own, but are often debunked by boring people who like to run on about drafts and grumble that the latrines did not work. Joseph and Frances Gies offer a book that helps set the record straight—and keeps the romance too.
'The authors rightly approach the castle as the center of medieval life. Their story ranges well beyond the castle gate, but it centers on Chepstow, a well-preserved fortress on the Welsh border. The twelfth-century lord of Chepstow, William Marshall, turns up with a companion knight on the tournament circuit in France. Touring the country like early-day golf pros, they clean up handsomely, accumulating scores and scores of horses and piles of armor in more than 100 contests.
"In peaceable times, a medieval life had more civilized compensations than smug modem man imagines. Until the great castle halls fell into disuse, master and servant ate congenially in common. At table (regularly spread with fresh linen), two people often shared a bowl, helping themselves v\rith fingers. But a strict etiquette governed the sharing, and hands and nails were expected to be scrupulously clean. Plumbing in the larger castles was better than that of seventeenth-century Versailles: every floor had a washing area—some with running water, even baths. Latrines were often conveniently perched out over the castle moat.
"The authors allow medieval man and woman to speak for themselves through selections from past journals, songs, even account books." — Time Vissza