Daily Life

Life in medieval Europe was very hard for most people. Many families were very poor, and daily life looked very different from today. Most people lived in small wooden houses with dirt floors and no windows. In winter, families tried to stay warm by keeping a fire burning inside the house.

Because homes were small, many family members slept in the same bed, sometimes parents, children, and even grandparents together. Beds were often made of straw, and blankets were rough and itchy. People believed this closeness helped keep everyone warm.

People also believed things about health that we now know were wrong. Many thought that breathing in smoke from the fire was good for the body, even though it actually made people sick. Doctors did not understand germs. Instead, they used leeches or cut people to let blood out, believing that sickness came from “bad blood.” To cure a headache, some were told to go into the forest and count bugs. These treatments often made people worse instead of better.

Clean water was hard to find, and baths were rare. Streets were dirty, and trash was often thrown outside. Because of this, diseases spread easily, and many children did not survive to adulthood.

Even though life was difficult and knowledge was limited, people did their best to survive. Over time, learning slowly improved, leading Europe toward the changes of the later Middle Ages and beyond.