The Past is a Foreign Country

"The past is a foreign country, they do things differently there." (LP Hartley)

A lot of people wish they'd been born in another time. I don't think they've thought it through. Personally I think they'd miss their iPhones, instant coffee machines and central heating too much. I have an interest and an affection for the medieval period but I can't say I'd exactly like to live there. The lack of hygiene and radiators would put me off. It wasn't as bad as it's often made out to be but the average life expectancy was still less than 30. Margaret Beaufort, Henry VII's mother, was a noblewoman but widowed and pregnant at the age of thirteen. I imagine I'd be a peasant and dread to think about the list of possible things I could die of before I'd reach the age I am now.

I do have a deep affection of all things medieval. It probably tells you more than you need to know about me when I say I have a bit of a crush on William Marshall, a medieval knight and contemporary of Richard I - meaning he's been dead for several hundred years. He's described as the "greatest knight that ever lived" and is the first non-royal to have a biography written about him, showing how badass his life was. You couldn't make it up. He was a proper knight, who had no lands or titles to start with, but was so good at what he did that by the time he died he was virtual ruler of England while King John was being rubbish. There is a story that he bested Richard in a fight and could have killed him. The Marshall let the Lionheart live though, which is a shame. He could have spared history of one of its most overrated monarchs.  

If there is a part of history that I would like to at least take a holiday in, it's the High Middle Ages. I would love to meet Eleanor of Aquitaine, who was queen of England and France and is said to have presided over the (most likely fictional but totally cool) Courts of Love, and ask her how she managed to be so awesome. I would love to visit these fabled Courts. I am even more aware than most that chivalry is dead in most modern men. Anyone who thinks the middle ages is restrained and staid knows nothing. This counts as a proper sexual revolution and it was pretty erotic. There were also set rules which is good. I don't know about anyone else but I'm always worried I'm doing it wrong in relationships and it'd be nice to have it spelt out to me.

These 'Rules' of Love included:

• Thought of the beloved never leaves the true lover.
• The sight of one's beloved causes palpitations of the heart.
• A new love brings an old one to a finish.
• Love cannot exist in the individual who cannot be jealous.
• Eating and sleeping diminish greatly when one is aggravated by love.
• It is necessary for a male to reach the age of maturity in order to love.
• A lover must observe a two-year widowhood after his beloved's death.
• Only the most urgent circumstances should deprive one of love.

There are more and I'm sure you could find them with a quick Google search. I think the world would be a better place if we were all a little more medieval. They made sure they properly enjoyed their lives as they knew they were short. They worked harder but had a lot more holiday and feast days - a perk of being more religiously conscious than now. I think going to church on a Sunday was a small price to pay to get the chance to celebrate so many random saint's days. I think I'm going to start celebrating some of them anyways. So St. Swithin, St. Crispin and St. Michael's days will be making a comeback soon if I have anything to do with it!