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Post by Deleted on Aug 24, 2009 18:55:19 GMT
Where's the bathroom?
I mean, from what I can see, if I were a medieval knight, I'd be wearing padded pants, a padded jacket, maille, plate.... And with all the buckles, it'd take several Squires to get me dressed or undressed.
So what if I ate a burrito the night before and got the call as I was heading for my trusty horse?
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Post by Deleted on Aug 24, 2009 19:49:38 GMT
You're wearing it, if you can't get your knickers down fast enough. Its going to go in one direction, no matter what's in front of it.
Its why you have squires though...not only to mend the armor, but CLEAN it as well.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 24, 2009 21:52:48 GMT
Dysentery was common while on campaign, pretty much everybody had the runs. There is a color plate in "English Longbowmen 1330-1515" Osprey publishing Warrior series showing a bowman at full draw- with shirt tails flying and unlaced hose falling down. He is ready for action in either direction. Remember when your mom stuffed you into your snow suit to go out and play in the blizzard? Remember what she always said? Why didn't you go before you got dressed? Your squires will say the same thing- but not as nicely. And your superior will dope slap you for good measure---without taking off his gauntlets. But, Yes, my lord Ebon is absolutely right, drop 'em fast or wear it.
And the castle "bathroom" was usually a cut out bench in the top of the wall.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 25, 2009 0:58:44 GMT
Moats were good for more than one thing, after all...
And they like to talk about pouring boiling oil on attackers. Oil was expensive and very useful and very difficult to bring to a boil. The contents of the night's honey-buckets plus some water, though... Take the damage from boiling sewage, add the bio-warfare of boiling sewage. Very effective weapon.
Anyway, to the topic at hand, for most, the groin protection was pretty rudimentary and, further, was a separate piece. I had never though about it before, but I guess this explains why. Unless you're wearing a hip- or knee-length hauberk. In which case, groin protection was part of the "skirt." In that case, just drop trou.
Also, for the vast majority of the time, a warrior had to be able to put his armour on without assistance.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 25, 2009 7:17:09 GMT
Thats why a chain brynie wasnt such a bad thing, although you never know maybe they had splits in the trousers with a modesty patch tied on, just untie, squat and away, you could do it uncomfortably in full armour but would probably still need a squires help
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Post by Deleted on Aug 25, 2009 11:02:13 GMT
What about toilet paper?
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Post by Deleted on Aug 25, 2009 11:09:16 GMT
They used plants more than likely.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 25, 2009 11:10:01 GMT
I'm not so sure if I want to be a knight anymore, lol.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 25, 2009 13:22:51 GMT
Fabric or bare hands. Nobility tended to use silk. People who couldn't afford to use any fabric used hands.
One more reason my SCA persona is Chinese. They've had actual paper toilet paper for about 2,000 years.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 25, 2009 14:36:32 GMT
No, not bare hands, leaves and grass. I have done it whilst camping, give me toilet paper any day of the week. Some knights had a "drop hole" built into there armour, there squire could open it and they could go. You could also crap in a stream and that way the running water would potentially clean you as well.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 25, 2009 15:02:39 GMT
More and more reason for the Chain Hauberk. Just lift 'n squat. And aim, of course.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 25, 2009 15:12:25 GMT
You're wearing it, if you can't get your knickers down fast enough. Its going to go in one direction, no matter what's in front of it. Its why you have squires though...not only to mend the armor, but CLEAN it as well. Dood! I'm glad I'm not YOUR squire! :-)
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Post by Deleted on Aug 29, 2009 8:06:19 GMT
I'm kind of skeptical here about crossing that line of "way too much information"... but just taking a piss is hard enough in armor... You just can't pull your pants down yout legs if you have a legarmor on. Upper body armor has to come off before lower body armor. Even if you have one of those trap doors on the back of your pants, like you see in old cartoons, its tough to reach back there. If you have upper body armor on, you will not be able to easily reach your own ass. I have been in armor long enough to have been in every situation... including having to strip completely out of armor in the middle of a battle, so I can use the toilet, and then armor up again. I say with great confidence that historically a great deal of knights soiled themselves out of necessity, not fear, on the battlefield. This is a very good topic for understanding the hygienic conditions of medieval life. They used plants more than likely. They used plants in most rural areas of the world just 60 years ago too. Some places probably still do.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 29, 2009 20:52:49 GMT
If you ever watch someone putting one a suit of historical plat armour you will soon realise that it is a two man job, there is no way your going to be able to get out of it without assistance and even if you do get out of the armour it’s a long drawn out process.
I suspect if you are an English knight standing on the field of Agincourt, suffering from dysentery, and terrified that your about to die. I doubt that you would be looking round for your squire to help you unbuckle your armour.
You’re probably just going to soil your self and get on with the fighting and dieing.
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Post by sparky on Aug 29, 2009 23:11:44 GMT
I never thought about this topic before. I read somewhere the in medieval times they thought baths were not good, maybe even unhealthy. That you got one when you were born and one when you died. Um..... I don't want to be a knight anymore. Rob
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Post by Deleted on Aug 30, 2009 13:03:16 GMT
It wasn't so much that BATHs were unhealthy. It was that WATER was unhealthy. And they were right. Water carried a Multitude of diseases that were horrible to have, and they didn't know that they could clean the water by boiling it.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 30, 2009 13:13:27 GMT
So they didn't drink water at all?
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Post by Deleted on Aug 30, 2009 13:25:40 GMT
Not if they could avoid it. And when they did... Well, look up stories about the Western migration in the USA about wagon trains stopping at rivers and finding dead bodies floating in them, so they headed upstream a little... I recommend those stories because they are easier to find, but the ideas behind those actions were the same ones the medieval Europeans had.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 30, 2009 14:13:20 GMT
They mostly drank mildly alcoholic stuff, beer and wine and mead. As Taran said the water could kill you. Remember, the Roman knowledge of plumbing and water purity had been lost and wasn't fully rediscovered until the 18th/19th/20th century. There was no knowledge of germs, bacteria,or viruses. All they knew was that fermented beverages were safe to drink and plain water (in general) was not. HTH, K
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Post by Deleted on Aug 30, 2009 16:32:12 GMT
So they didn't bathe at all, and they didn't drink anything but alchoholic beverages for the most part. What other unhealthy things did they do on a regular day?
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