The middle ages are seen by many people as being one of the most violent and brutal eras of all time. There was barely a year without a war. Everyone wanted to claim lands for themselves and if they didn’t find suitable land, they invaded an occupied area. Although people were a bit rough around the edges, they weren’t as bad as they are depicted by popular media. The middle ages garnered a bad rep because of the Age of Enlightenment, the period directly after the middle ages. Here we are going to look at top 10 myths about the Middle Ages that most people believe today.
The common death penalty
Many people believe that the death sentence was given out like sweets. You just had to look a bit suspect and you were sent to the gallows. The middle ages were the birthplace of the jury system and the death penalty was only awarded for the worst crimes like murder and treason. Queen Elisabeth, I was probably the main reason why the Middle Ages’ use of the death penalty was skewed because she used it as a means to rid the land of religious opposition.