I (Ryan) read a lot of news in an attempt to find suitable content for this blog. It never ceases to amaze me what comes up when I type 'Medieval' into a GoogleNews search engine. Literally dozens of news stories each day make reference to the Middle Ages - do you know what they have in common? They make me shake my head.
By this I mean, these 'news' stories grossly misrepresent Medieval history. From what I have observed in trolling various news websites, general knowledge of the Middle Ages is tragically low. The word 'Medieval' has become a synonym for backwardness, barbarism, ignorance and brutality.
This, in my opinion, is sad. When I see the Middle Ages, I see a glorious cross-section of the human experience. Many of man's greatest joys and sorrows can be seen in the Middle Ages. It was an age of contrast - for every triumph there was a failing. Such a plurality of experience existed, that one can barely even say what the Middle Ages were.
The age was hardly homogeneous. As partial as I am to the Middle Ages, I cannot say that violence and brutality were not present. But at the same time, few ages can boast the degree of intellectual, artistic and social ferment.
As a result, this new feature will highlight what I consider to be the most gross of misrepresentations of the Middle Ages.
Stay tuned for things that will make you shake your head...
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