The Worst Jobs In History - 1x02 - Medieval

The Middle Ages spanned from the end of the 5th century to just before 1500, characterized by the construction of great cathedrals, Crusades, wool trade prosperity, and the Black Death, known as the age of champions and pure maidens.

The romanticized view of chivalry with knights in shining armor was more of a Victorian sentiment than a reality, highlighting the misrepresentation of the Middle Ages.

The arming squire served as a valet and washerwoman for knights, starting at the lowest rank and assisting in battle preparation and armor maintenance.

Battlefields in the Middle Ages were gruesome, requiring arming squires to deal with blood, gore, and the unhygienic aftermath, emphasizing the harsh realities of medieval warfare.

Ascending to knighthood typically involved starting as a page, advancing to a squire, and eventually becoming a knight after proving bravery and valor.

Cleaning and maintaining armor, weighing up to 27 kg, was a tedious and dirty job for squires, involving the use of vinegar, sand, and even urine for effective cleansing.

The Battle of Agincourt during the Middle Ages highlighted the harsh conditions with disease, lack of water, and deadly combat, where English archers proved crucial in defeating the French forces.

Archers faced the risk of capture and mutilation, such as having their fingers cut off, showcasing the brutal consequences of warfare in medieval times.

The Black Death pandemic in 1348 devastated the population, instilling fear and leading to misguided medical practices and remedies during the Middle Ages.

Leech collecting was a unique and unpleasant job that involved gathering leeches for medical treatments, which were popular in medieval times for bloodletting and healing practices.

The challenges and risks of working with dangerous machinery that is wet and slippery, causing nervousness and difficulty in bringing it to a halt.

Exploring the dangerous and disgusting jobs in the Middle Ages such as being an arming Squire, practicing medieval medicine, and the hazards of building Cathedrals.

Details about the worst job in the Middle Ages related to the wool trade, specifically the role of Fullers in treading wool in stale urine to make it soft and malleable for weaving.

Explanation of the fulling process involving treading wool with feet and the unpleasant work of Fullers to turn rough cloth into usable fabric, despite the hazards and grease involved.

Description of the felting process to close fibers together by using water to remove grease and walking on the cloth, transforming the fabric into a usable, cleaner material.

Insight into the foing job, which involves marching up and down in a vat for hours, using human urine to remove grease from wool, despite the unpleasant odor and discomfort involved.

A hands-on experiment demonstrating the foing job process, including the use of human urine to clean and soften wool, with a focus on movement and the removal of grease from the cloth.

Explanation of why urine was used in the process due to ammonia production from decomposition, which effectively removed grease from wool through treading and movement.

Observations of the urine's impact on the cloth, including color changes and grease removal, resulting in a cleaner fabric after the unpleasant process of treading in urine.

Details about the technique involved in urine treading, emphasizing the importance of movement, dancing, and cloth manipulation to effectively remove grease from wool using human urine.

Insights into the collection process of urine and the duration of treading wool in urine, highlighting the effectiveness of movement and the removal of grease to create a usable fabric.

Observations on the transformation of the cloth through treading in urine, resulting in a clean and usable fabric despite the unpleasant nature of the job, with a focus on grease removal and color changes.

The end result of the urine treading process, showcasing the clean fabric obtained after hours of laborious work, leading to the creation of materials used in garments worn in medieval times.

Reflecting on the significance of the worst jobs in history, such as urine treading in the wool trade, and their contributions to the economy and material production of medieval times.