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    You are at:Home»August»August 24»10 Ways People Died in the Middle Ages
    August 24

    10 Ways People Died in the Middle Ages

    Caryn FranksBy Caryn FranksAugust 24, 2014Updated:August 26, 202346 Comments6 Mins Read
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    A Brief History

    On August 24, 1349, the Black Death broke out in the Prussian town of Elbing in Northern Germany.  This horrifying illness became synonymous with death in the Middle Ages!  Beginning in the fifth century and ending with the death of Richard III in the fifteenth century, the Middle Ages in Europe are sometimes referred to as the Medieval period.  People in Medieval Europe had an average life expectancy of somewhere in the 30s-40s, far less than our own today.  This article presents 10 ways people died during this time period.  Some of the deaths were common; others rather unconventional.

    Digging Deeper

    10.  Infection from a Dead Man’s Bite!

    A Viking earl by the name of Sigurd Eysteinsson (ruled c. 875-892) engaged his enemy, Mael Brigte the Bucktoothed, in a battle in which each side could only bring 40 men. Sigurd the Mighty cheated and brought twice as many men.  After claiming the severed head of Brigte as a war trophy, Sigurd strapped Brigte’s head to his horse. As he left the battle site, one of Mael Brigte’s famous buckteeth scratched Sigurd’s leg, causing an infection that eventually claimed his life. This incident proves that karma is indeed a bitch.

    9.  Crusade

    When Pope Urban II urged Christians to rise up against the enemies of God who were claiming “their”Holy Land, he knew that this call would lead to a loss of Christian life.  More important, however, was that in the process they kill any Muslims who were occupying the territory.  There were as many as nine crusades or Holy Wars and people from all walks of life participated.

    8.  Martyrdom

    While serving as Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Becket (c. 1118-1170) did not agree with King Henry II’s ideas about the church and justice.  After Becket excommunicated some of the king’s favorite bishops, the King is said to have cried out, “Who will rid me of this meddlesome priest?” Some of his knights took him at his word, traveled to Canterbury and slew Becket in his own cathedral by inflicting blows to the head.  The knights were punished by having to go on Crusade, and Becket became a saint and his place of death a shrine.

     7.  She-Wolf?!

    Have you ever wondered what a she-wolf would do to you if you crossed her?  Isabella of France (c.1295 –1358), sometimes described as the She-wolf of France, was known for her beauty, diplomacy and intellect. She was also the wife of Edward II of England who was notorious for having male favorites. Of these men, Hugh Despenser the Younger rose to prominence as royal chamberlain under Edward (no pun intended).  By 1325, Isabella began an affair of her own with Roger Mortimer.  In a pact arranged by feminine manipulation no doubt, the two gathered a small army and swept through England, hoping to remove Edward and the Despensers from power. After several years of battle, Isabella and Roger finally had the means to put Hugh Despenser on trial.  He was found to be a traitor. Fueled by hatred, humiliation, and loss, Isabella had him drawn, disemboweled, castrated, and quartered.

    6.  Burping and Giggling

    During a feast in 1410, King Martin of Aragon (c. 1356-1410) died under unfortunate circumstances.  The combination of severe indigestion and uncontrollable laughter caused Martin to collapse at the dinner table.  It is speculated that he first gorged himself on either eel or goose, causing heartburn, but it was a joke that did him in.  As John Doran reported in his book “The History of Court Fools,” when Martin asked his jester where he had been recently, “the jester replied with: ‘Out of the next vineyard, where I saw a young deer hanging by his tail from a tree, as if someone had so punished him for stealing figs’.”  Perhaps the king was a little bit drunk too…

    5.  Accident or Assassination?

    Bela I of Hungary (c. 1020-1063) had taken the throne away from his brother Andrew.  Many thought that Andrew’s son Solomon was the rightful king.  As Bela was sitting on his throne, the canopy above him gave way, crushing him to death.  Evidence of assassination was never found, but he was succeeded by Solomon.

    4.  Childbirth

    In Medieval times, death during childbirth was common. Hygiene was not yet understood.  Many women died of Puerperal Fever which was the result of infection in the reproductive organs.  Both rich and poor were affected, and many queens died this way, affecting the course of history.

    3.  Choking on a Fly

    Adrian IV (c. 1100-1159) was the only Englishman to be Pope.  During the last few months of his life, he suffered from quinsy, an ailment better known as tonsillitis.  Taking a sip of wine, the poor man inhaled a fly which had been swimming in his goblet.  Without the existence yet of the Heimlich maneuver, Adrian IV choked on the combination of the fly and pus from his tonsils.

    2.  Mass Suicide

    On February 25, 1336 approximately 4,000 individuals were defending Pilenai Castle in Lithuania.  They were greatly outnumbered.  Facing defeat by the Teutonic Knights and possibly slavery, their leader Duke Margiris ordered that they set fire to the castle and destroy their possessions before committing mass suicide.

    1.  Black Death

    Weak immune systems, poor medical care, hunger, and infectious diseases caused countless deaths in Medieval times, but none were so devastating as the Black Death.  As said in a lecture slide on the Black Death by History and Headlines’s own Dr. Matthew Zarzeczny, “the virulent combination of bubonic, septicemic, and pneumonic plagues that destroyed one third or one half of the population of Europe between 1347 and 1352” is notably the most deadly force of all time. The pandemic swept through Europe in a short time and is responsible for the death of least 75 million people throughout Europe, Northern Africa, and the Middle East.  Painful tumors, infected lesions, difficulty breathing and finally death overcame its helpless victims as swiftly as it swept from once person to the next.

    While it is true that not everyone in the Middle Ages died before they reached their own middle age; however, many people did.  Perhaps what makes some historical figures most notable is not how they lived but rather how they died.

    Question for students (and subscribers): What do you think was the most bizarre way to die in the Middle Ages?  Please let us know in the comments section below this article.

    If you liked this article and would like to receive notification of new articles, please feel welcome to subscribe to History and Headlines by liking us on Facebook and becoming one of our patrons!

    For another interesting event that happened on August 24, please see the History and Headlines article: “A Bad Day to be Jewish or Why Jews Think They Need a Country of Their Own.”

    Your readership is much appreciated!

    Historical Evidence

    For more information, please read…

    DuBruck, Edelgard E. and Barbara I. Gusick.  Death and Dying in the Middle Ages.  Peter Lang Inc., International Academic Publishers, 1999.

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    Previous ArticleAugust 24, 1349, 1391, 1929: A Bad Day to be Jewish or Why Jews Think They Need a Country of Their Own
    Next Article August 25, 1939: UK and Poland Sign Mutual Defense Alliance…What a Joke!
    Caryn Franks

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    <span class="dsq-postid" data-dsqidentifier="3479 http://www.crackedhistory.com/?p=3479">46 Comments

    1. Jordan on August 24, 2014 5:04 pm

      Number 3 is definitely my favorite, that is until I read the end of the paragraph. Chocking on pus is without a doubt the grosses way to die. -JM

      Reply
    2. Destany Matulavich on August 24, 2014 7:00 pm

      I would have to say I found number 10 the most interesting and the most ironic.
      -DM

      Reply
    3. Amanda Evaleen Lint on August 24, 2014 9:01 pm

      I would have to saythat the Dead Man’s Bite and Choking on a fly had to be my favorite. Who knew death could be so humorous. – AL

      Reply
    4. Jacob Benedict on August 25, 2014 12:51 pm

      None of these sound like a good way to die but I found number 10 and number 6 the most interesting. -JB

      Reply
    5. Ariel on August 25, 2014 1:38 pm

      The most interesting way to die in my opinion was the Dead Man’s Bite, I can’t say I’ve ever really heard of someone dying from a human bite. The choking on a fly was a disgusting thought too.
      -AD

      Reply
    6. Jacob Helaney on August 25, 2014 1:57 pm

      I’d have to agree: 10, 6, & 3 were all pretty bizarre. I thought the Dead Man’s Bite one was really funny and ironic. The title made it sound like a zombies was the culprit. -JH!

      Reply
    7. Aaron on August 25, 2014 7:21 pm

      I would say this was a pretty interesting article. Dead Man’s Bite i though was pretty interesting. It’s pretty interesting how a small unclean scratch can kill a human being without the correct medical precautions. -AC

      Reply
    8. Leah on August 25, 2014 8:35 pm

      I would have never thought that all of these simple things could lead to death. Burping, laughing, drinking and accidentally swallowing a fly. I have swallowed many bugs and I am fine! Burping and giggling was the one that sparked my attention the most because I do both of those things quite a lot! -LS

      Reply
    9. Ryan on August 25, 2014 9:25 pm

      I would have never imagined that people would have died in such vast ways! From chocking on a fly, poor hygeine, child birth, and laughing at a dinner table. -RS

      Reply
    10. Daryl Walsh on August 25, 2014 9:44 pm

      I thought choking on the fly and puss was pretty interesting. I fancy the gruesome and things that others might not be able to tolerate on a weak stomach. I can imagine the pope reaching over to get a sip of wine to for a bit of relief from his ailment only to meet his untimely demise. I found it to be a rather interesting read overall.

      Reply
    11. Lucy Lin on August 25, 2014 11:36 pm

      I think the most bizarre way to die in the Middle Ages was the “choking on a fly” that honestly, kind of caught me off guard when reading this article that and the “burping and giggling” one as well actually, all of these sound terrifying to me. – LL

      Reply
    12. David Wardle on August 26, 2014 8:29 am

      I thought the entire article was very interesting. It just surprises me the number of ways that death could find you. No wonder the average life expectancy was so low! — David Wardle

      Reply
    13. Chelsea Adams on August 26, 2014 8:59 am

      I found this article very interesting! Especially the Dead Man’s Bite, never thought that could even happen!

      Reply
    14. Susan Merritt on August 26, 2014 11:17 am

      It blows my mind that the average life expectancy was somewhere in the 30’s and 40’s. That helps me see my own lifespan in a much broader perspective, because if I was around back then I’d be on my way out. Also, the Black Death video was creative 🙂

      Reply
    15. Caryn on August 28, 2014 5:17 pm

      Thank you for sharing my Top 10, Dr. Zarzeczny! Your class was full of very interesting history! I honestly never thought I would enjoy it as much as I did.

      Reply
      • Dr. Matthew D. Zarzeczny, FINS on August 29, 2014 2:37 pm

        Dear Caryn, You’re welcome! 🙂 Sincerely, Dr. Zarzeczny

        Reply
    16. Brendan on September 2, 2015 12:29 pm

      I like some of the satirical info that was used in this article, especially the “Dead Man’s Bite”. The fact that they hardly knew what hygiene was, and how it caused many deaths is also interesting. B.E

      Reply
    17. KR on November 9, 2015 2:09 am

      I feel bad for that jester.

      Reply
    18. Matt Chojnacki on November 16, 2015 1:56 pm

      The story about the man being killed by a dead mans teeth is riduculous!

      Reply
    19. John Liber on November 20, 2015 11:01 am

      Love lists like this. It is insane how different the ways people died back then compared to today. The plague was a big one but child birth really took me back! Women rarely die now-a-days during child birth. Now-a-days it seems to be pretty routine.

      Reply
    20. Alex Guthrie on November 28, 2015 6:49 pm

      The burping in giggling death is one for the ages, huh? Anyways, mass suicide still happens today. Unreal…

      Reply
    21. Anthony Jones on December 3, 2015 3:08 pm

      It seems like people back then just needed to come to terms with the fact that everything and everyone could potentially be the reason for your death.

      Reply
    22. Madison Ertle on December 7, 2015 9:12 am

      It is so interesting to see that these were just a few of the ways people were killed during this time period and it is so hard to imagine how some of these sounded like a good idea (aka mass suicide)

      Reply
    23. Olivia K on December 7, 2015 1:42 pm

      I hope I just die in my sleep

      Reply
    24. Alexa V on December 8, 2015 11:52 pm

      Burping and Giggling…really not sure about that one, but that is the last way that I would want to die. I still have that Hollaback Girl song stuck in my head about the fleas and rats that was mentioned in this article

      Reply
    25. Thomas Robinson on December 16, 2015 4:40 pm

      The story of the Viking dying from being scratched by a severed heads tooth is unbelievable until you think about the amount of diseases that would have been in his mouth and that disinfectant hadn’t been invented yet.

      Reply
    26. Salih Saritoprak on December 16, 2015 5:15 pm

      Very intriguing article!

      Reply
    27. Nate haller on December 17, 2015 9:10 am

      I really enjoyed this especially reading about the dead man bite and burping and laughing to death. Seems like I way I wouldn’t mind going out since it’s eating drinking and having a good time.

      Reply
    28. Wadi on December 17, 2015 10:38 pm

      “The combination of severe indigestion and uncontrollable laughter caused Martin to collapse at the dinner table.” I thought this was very interesting

      Reply
    29. N Sword on December 17, 2015 10:53 pm

      Honestly, thank God for the rebirth of Roman Law in the 12th Century Renaissance. Had it not been for that glimmer of hope, we may still be doing such horrible things today!

      Reply
    30. SK on December 17, 2015 11:34 pm

      Death is so unpredictable now and back then.

      Reply
    31. Dan Hennessey on December 18, 2015 11:34 pm

      I had never heard of burping as a possible way of death. I guess you can never be too safe!

      Reply
    32. N Beauchemin on December 20, 2015 2:03 pm

      The infection from Brigte the Bucktooth’s bucktooth is such perfect poetic justice, by far my favorite of the 10.

      Reply
    33. MMA on March 11, 2016 1:13 pm

      There are so many different ways that people have died and some are just crazy to think about =. I hope I die in a peaceful way that is for sure.

      Reply
    34. Meg Arrendale on April 2, 2016 6:33 pm

      These sound like horrible ways to die! I know when I die I want to go in my sleep. As quickly and as painless as possible.

      Reply
    35. Sarah Shaheen on April 27, 2016 8:31 pm

      After reading this I was amazed at all the ways people could die.. it’s kind of scary

      Reply
    36. Erin R on May 2, 2016 5:32 pm

      Out off all of these I’m not sure that any sound better than another, but it is clear that the black death swept out a large portion of the population during this time.

      Reply
    37. APG on May 9, 2016 9:35 am

      The Black Death must have been the most painful way to die through means of non-inflicted by others. It was almost pure luck whether or not you got sick and if you even survived it was a painful experience with no viable medical treatments. You just kinda waited it out.

      Reply
    38. Christian Creamer on May 10, 2016 12:58 pm

      I find the Black Death very interesting. As well as some accounts stating the craziest of ways on how people cured themselves.

      Reply
    39. Tevin Knerr on May 10, 2016 6:37 pm

      I find it crazy to die over choking on a flie!

      Reply
    40. Mason Nist on April 19, 2017 9:04 am

      The death by the bite of a dead head sounds like a gruesome and disgusting fate

      Reply
    41. Sydney P. on May 3, 2017 6:29 pm

      “Death by a dead man’s bite.” No thank you.

      Reply
    42. kayla connelly on May 9, 2017 9:30 am

      some o these ways of death make me laugh . can someone really die from some of these ways

      Reply
    43. M. Williams on May 9, 2017 8:50 pm

      No one never said dying would be fun and easy. So of these deaths were crazy

      Reply
    44. Marynette Holmes on May 9, 2017 11:28 pm

      living in this time is very dangerous. not only other people you have to watch out for you have to watch out for diseases that come from fleas or other things! surely was a dark time.

      Reply
    45. Casey Jones on May 10, 2017 1:26 am

      Can’t even imagine dying from the Black Death. It would be such a horrible way to go

      Reply

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