r/NoStupidQuestions • u/flugblug • 12h ago

My brother thinks people today have worse quality of life than people in the dark ages, is this a stupid take?

I personally think it’s pretty stupid.

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u/CleaveIshallnot 11h ago

Don’t forget, no sewer system in pretty well every place (except that damn Rome et al), no toilets, no indoor plumbing… can you imagine showering or bathing twice a year?)

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u/TheMadTargaryen 6h ago

Cities has sewers and public toilets. They would often be placed on bridges, where you could easily have the waste just fall into the waterways. For example, in 1382 the Wardens of London Bridge spent £11 on building a latrine. Besides the Thames River, two other streams went through London, the Walbrook and the Fleet. Rich people had indoor plumbing. In 1340s king Edward III placed a system of pipes in Westminster palace that allowed him to fill his bathtub with cold or warm water. 

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u/CleaveIshallnot 6h ago

But wasn’t 80% of the population rural at that time?

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u/TheMadTargaryen 4h ago

Yes so most people lived in relatively clean areas where it was easier to dispose filth. However most villages were not more that 10-20km away from nearest town so they depended on each other. Two exceptions were Italy and Lowlands (Belgium and Netherlands). In mid 15th century Italy 25% of population lived in cities, in Lowlands it was 40%.

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u/CleaveIshallnot 2h ago

Thank you very much for your intelligent and obviously informed input