The treatment that has been given to the field of medieval-modern personal cleanliness in our society exhibits a series of topics typical of a popular culture strengthened by various epitomes that would range from the seventh art to the most unusual publications that we can find on the internet where any rigor minimally history is conspicuous by its absence[1]. Which has generated a series of dogmas in which we are presented with a dirty and obscurantist Middle Ages, with a subsequent Modern Age that barely surpasses this ungainly and stinking imagery . A good example could be the illusory myth attributed to Isabel la Católica, according to which she swore not to change her clothes until the capture of Granada, which was spread without any basis [2].
In line with this, we must take into account the notable difficulties that history has to go through when studying the ins and outs of everyday life, being aware that great part of the written sources that have managed to reach our days, vary extraordinarily, not only between the different social groups, but also from one region and counties to another. The historian having to resort in many cases to indirect sources[3], punctuality and anecdotes, with the interpretative danger that this entails, having to know how to use all of them in a crossed way[4] to try to recompose the reality that occurred, while at the same time avoiding fall into historical presentism.
The field of hygiene is a great example of this problem, since at the same time you have to navigate through a multitude of sources, which in many cases can contradict each other , you also have to deal with the different interpretations of them, at times, marked by the intentions of the day, which have little or nothing to do with the story itself.
The toilet in the Middle Ages
Much of the filthy medieval western aesthetic that has come down to us comes from the harsh criticism it received during the eighteenth-century Enlightenment, in which there was no hesitation in make exaggerations and hyperboles of a period that was to be demonized with the clear intention of differentiating itself from it at the time of endorsing its effervescent doctrine[5]. This work of pejorative dissemination was not only carried out in the aftermath of modernity, but in contemporary societies we can find chronicles such as the Muslim ones of the 10th and 11th centuries , with those of Ibrāhīm ibn Yaʿqūb and Abu Abdullah al-Bakri, who try to discredit their Frankish and Galician enemies (name given by these to the Christians of the Iberian Peninsula), being something purely propagandistic, just as his co-religionist Ibd Fadlan did with another peculiar people of the time, the Vikings whom he accused of lacking the most basic foundations of personal cleanliness, something that recent studies have refuted and revealed to us as another display of false diffusion[6].
To set these ideas aside, we must begin by being aware that even in early medieval Christianity, customs such as foot washing and hair care appear. as part of liturgical ritual and crowded pilgrimages[7], numerous monasteries containing their own bathhouse as a distant echo of the classical world. As the long medieval centuries progress, we can disentangle customs that have gone unnoticed by general discernment. From the outset, the clothing itself was an asset of unusual value, since its invoice was burdensome, taking into account that in addition to being woven, its own agricultural origin, and the collection of its raw materials, required hard work[8] . This same was inherited when it had been preserved in good condition, going on to be reused in the form of towels, handkerchiefs, bedspreads, etc., when its reuse was unfeasible[9].
This will be where the linen shirts, cotton or twill, which were worn between the clothes and the body with the intention of protecting the first from the second's secretions, these garments being much easier to wash and replace, at the same time as the individual's own dry cleaning was carried out [10]. For body clothes, cleaning them was with soaps, bleach and non-abrasive brushes . Being here where they will highlight the use of soap and other products that, in addition to being used for cleaning clothes, were also used for personal hygiene, becoming aromatized over time. The production of bar soap dates back to antiquity, with saponification in Syria through olive oil and laurel ashes, coexisting with liquid soap made with animal tallow, or the famous ash lye of the Romans, achieved thanks to to plants with alkaline salts[11].
These practices were treasured in great esteem in the Middle Ages, with soap sellers appearing in the middle of the 20th century. X in the Book of the Eparch , or giving the sale and export of soaps such as Castile or Marseille in the s. XI[12]. In the Crown of Castile itself, already in 1456, it was decreed that the production of soap was a royal privilege, which shows its importance, joining this soap industry to that of the Ismaili south that was annexed during the Reconquest, with almonas like those of Seville or Granada in full operation after this[13]. Well, it should not be forgotten that in the Iberian Peninsula the exquisite Muslim heritage in which public baths of Roman origin are maintained and reproduced for both sexes will not go unnoticed. (about 600 in Córdoba in the 10th century[14]), while there is extensive use by Andalusian women of cosmetics, perfumes, depilatory pastes and toothpastes[15].
In connection with this last quote, dental hygiene will go back to the times of Egypt and Rome, later maintaining this concern in writings such as the Libro de Alexandre , from the s. XII, where the need to have healthy teeth is cited for a woman to be considered beautiful, as in the Book of Good Love of the Archpriest of Hita, s. XIV, or a little later, in the middle of the s. XV, in the Speculum al folder [16]. This will not only concern the female gender, since toothpicks (sometimes perfumed), basic rules such as not spitting on the table, or the use of hairpieces[17], (in ivory, bone, marble or pearls; joined with thread of gold), were also somewhat masculine.
Regarding the mouth, they gargled with urine to sanitize it due to its amount of ammonia (also used to whiten wool and linen), attested in ancient peoples such as the Iberians, the Romans adding pumice stone as a binder, and which continued to be practiced until the s. XVII[18]. Throughout the Middle Ages, and later, there will be numerous alternatives to this practice, as recipe books will emerge with which to make pastes for cleaning the mouthparts, which could reach a certain complexity, such as the one that had alabaster, porcelain, fine sugar, white coral, cinnamon, seed pearls and musk. Along with these, there will also be rinses for pain, with white wine cooking and espriol root; or for bad breath, like a cooking with wine with carob beans, almastica and orris root[19].
The hygiene of the Modern Age as heir to the medieval
With the arrival of modernity, medieval hygiene developed with huge samples such as the case of public baths, which, despite suffering criticism from some religious, and close a not insignificant number of them (due to the fear of the spread of diseases, the frowned upon practice of prostitution, and, especially, its expensive maintenance in firewood and water[20]), continued to be in active use. A good example of this would be the one given by Sebastián de Covarrubias in his Treasures of the Castilian language , in 1611, where he testifies to the continuity of the use of public and private baths.
Regarding other habits, medieval grooming survives, with writings such as the treatise by Archdeacon Juan de Toledo, chamber physician to King Henry the Sufferer, entitled De sanitate corporis conservanda [twenty-one]. Developing in the Modern Age with works such as that of Juan Luis Vives, entitled Diálogos:Lingua Latinae Exercitatio , framed in the Hispanic proto-renaissance and oriented towards a new man who had to force personal attention in the private field[22], where polishing had to be both physical and spiritual; In addition to having said work with two vestiges of ancient authors skilled in medicine, such as the case of Galen.
Thanks to his writings we can find references to daily hygiene such as the following, of a general nature:
Or this, more specific:
Which, in a society as deeply devout as that of his time, would be strongly linked to the cleansing of the soul:
As we have seen, Vives refers only to the visible parts of the body, something very typical of medieval morality, not forgetting that the rest of it would receive equal treatment, extending Said care for clothes, highlighting the change of the same, both for the interior, dedicated to dry cleaning, and for the body:
Not forgetting the footwear, which could be simple leggings with soles, whole or half, or leather shoes, sometimes coarse[27].
And in the field of food:
As we have verified, the body and clothing in the Modern Age received a lot of attention from its people , which breaks a good part of the negative affirmations that have had so much depth even up to our present. Even so, looking at Madrid de los Austrias, other topics can also be demolished, such as the famous "agua va", whose emptying could only take place at night and when the nights were deserted (which could not prevent satirical literature from of the time took advantage of it, falling under mephitic surprises stragglers and flirtatious passers-by who were under the windows of their lovers[30]). The infraction of its regulations was not trivial, since the penalties reached four years of exile for the owners of the house, plus a whipping in the case of the servants.
Finally, it should be noted that the soap market continued in these centuries, serving as an example soap from Castile, exported to America [31], with the one produced in Seville gaining importance (with important public baths such as that of Reina Juana and San Juan de Palma[32]), which could be dark or white, and was produced using olive oil, potash and algae[33]. Without hesitation, it was also another product in internal markets such as Medina del Campo, where merchants from Portugal, Aragon, Genoa, Florence, Ireland and Flanders[34] attended.
The conquerors and their paradigm in the study of hygiene
One of the many clichés that have been blamed ad nauseam to the conquerors of the nascent Hispanic Monarchy has been their supposed lack of hygiene, being something promoted by pure ignorance both by the common people and by professionals. This myth will arise at the beginning of the 20th century when certain authors used the term "surprise" to compare the hygiene of the Spanish and Aztecs , this astonishment not appearing in the sources of the time, where the word used is "wonder", without alluding to an apparent bad smell[35] in the Castilians, but to the astonishment that the cleanliness caused in the conquerors themselves. of the new people they had just met.
Generally, the reception of Cortés with incense by the tenochas is pointed out as an argument to support the chimerical belief that they were frightened by the stench that the conquerors gave off, having to be aware that Said incense was copal, a resin used for offerings to the Mexica gods, with whom they initially confused the members of the courtiers host, this religious custom being witnessed by Bernardino de Sahagún in his writings[36].
With this, it would be necessary to refresh this other vision that unfortunately has reached our future, not only with the previous study of medieval-modern cleanliness, but also with other texts of the moment, like those of the well-known Bernal Díaz del Castillo. This conqueror participated in various expeditions throughout the Caribbean and Mesoamerica, such as the one to Florida, where the first thing he does together with his companions after reaching the mainland is look for fresh water for consumption and wash cloths. Already in the campaign for Tenochtitlán, where he actively participated, the following quote can be found after the fateful Noche Triste in his writings:
This will be an example of the importance of personal care even in warlike circumstances in which it would have a series of convenient complications from a practically unknown terrain, an environment of continuous stress, and the fatalities of war itself. Once the conquest crystallized, not a few Castilian customs arrived in New Spain with a huge and interesting miscegenation of customs and habits[38] in which Díaz del Castillo highlights the arrival and production of peninsular soap in New Spain :
Other samples could be found after minimal investigations, as in Magellan's expedition, where, despite the unhealthy ships, tasks such as scrubbing the decks were mandatory[40], while, in calm times, bathing in the sea was frequent[41]. All this leads us to reconsider the old conceptions about the fallacious lack of hygiene in the conquerors , which, as such, were men and women of their time, with lifestyles analogous to those of the people who had preceded them in time.
Conclusion
This micro-essay briefly shows the importance of cleanliness and hygiene in Western Europe throughout the Middle Ages and modernity, clarifying some of its main aspects. Considering these of vital necessity when implementing a new vision of both historical stages beyond cinematographic aesthetic conceptions or fables embedded in general culture, thereby improving our vision of a past, cleaner than believed so far. , and as remote as it may seem, it is an attractive and genuine ancestor of the world we tread.
Bibliography
Physical bibliography:
- AMASUNO SÁRRAGA, MARCEINO V. Alfonso Chirino, a doctor of Castilian monarchs . (1993). Valladolid. Ministry of Culture and Tourism. pp:66.
- CALVO, JOSE. This is how they lived in the Golden Age . (1994). Madrid. Anaya. pp:34.35.
- CARMONA BALLESTERO, EDUARDO. (2008). History of Castile:reflections from the century Burgos. ACCEPT. pp:135.
- CASTELLS, LUIS. WALTON, JOHN. (nineteen ninety five). The Story of Daily Life Madrid. Contemporary History Association:Marcial Pons. pp:103. 106.
- DEFOURNEAUX, MARCELLIN. (1983). Daily life in the Spain of the Golden Age . Barcelona. Argus Vergara. pp:62. 63.
- DIAZ DEL CASTILLO, BERNAL. (1991). True story of the conquest of New Spain (two). Madrid. American Library. History 16. Information and magazines S.A. pp:476.
- DIAZ DEL CASTILLO, BERNAL. (1991). True story of the conquest of New Spain (4). Madrid. American Library. History 16. Information and magazines S.A. pp:460.
- ESPINOSA, ROSA MARIA. MONTENEGRO, JULIA. (1997). Castile and Portugal at the dawn of the Modern Age . Ministry of Education and Culture:University. pp:56. 66. 67. 68. 69.
- GREUS, JESUS. This is how they lived in Al-Andalus . (1988). Madrid. EG Anaya. pp:36. 38.
- LUCENA SALMORAL, MANUEL., and others. History of Latin America. Volume II. Modern History . (2002). Madrid. Chair Editions. Grupo Anaya S.A. State Society for the execution of programs of the fifth centenary. pp:284-286.
- DE SAHAGUN, BERNARDINO. General history of things in New Spain . Volume 1. Robredo, P. Mexico. 1938.pp:230.
- THOMAS, HUGH. The Spanish Empire. From Columbus to Magellan . (2003). Barcelona. Editorial Planeta S.A. pp:603. 618. 619.
- ZARAGOZA, GONZALO. Heading to the Indies . (1989). Madrid. Daily Life Collection. Grupo Anaya S.A. pp:28. 32.
Digital bibliography:
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- Sanz de Bremond Lloret, Consuelo. June 12, 2019. THE SOAP , medicine domestic . Stories for curious minds. Retrieved from:https://revisioneshistoricasopusincertum.blogspot.com/2019/06/el-jabon-medicina-domestica.html
- Sanz de Bremond Lloret, Consuelo. May 14, 2020. Not so thirsty for gold, NOT SO MUCH DIRT . Stories for curious minds. Retrieved from:https://revisioneshistoricasopusincertum.blogspot.com/2020/05/conquistadores-ni-tanta-sed-de-oro-ni.html
- Sanz de Bremond Lloret, Consuelo. June 17, 2021. Garbage that swarms through Social Networks:IN THE YEARS 1600 AND 1700… Stories for curious minds. Retrieved from:https://revisioneshistoricasopusincertum.blogspot.com/2021/06/basura-que-pulula-por-las-redes.html
- Sanz de Bremond Lloret, Consuelo. February 21, 2019. Isabel the Catholic's shirt:Certainties and hoaxes . The asterisk. Opinions and notes in the margin. Retrieved from:https://www.elasterisco.es/isabel-la-catolica/
- Sanz de Bremond Lloret, Consuelo. May 28, 2018. Hygiene and clothing . Clothing and customs in medieval Spain until the 17th century. Retrieved from:https://opusincertumhispanicus.blogspot.com/2018/05/la-higiene-y-la-ropa.html
- Sanz de Bremond Lloret, Consuelo. April 4, 2017. Dental hygiene . Clothing and customs in medieval Spain until the 17th century. Retrieved from:https://opusincertumhispanicus.blogspot.com/2017/04/la-higiene-dental.html
- Sanz de Bremond Lloret, Consuelo. April 4, 2019. The Middle Ages and the Golden Age:Hygiene and its myths . The asterisk. Opinions and notes in the margin. Retrieved from:https://www.elasterisco.es/la-higiene-y-sus-mitos/
Notes
[1] SANZ DE BREMOND LLORET, CONSUELO. June 17, 2021. Garbage that swarms through Social Networks:IN THE YEARS 1600 AND 1700… Stories for curious minds. [Blog Post].
[2] SANZ DE BREMOND LLORET, CONSUELO. February 21, 2019. Isabel the Catholic's shirt:Certainties and hoaxes . The asterisk. Opinions and notes in the margin. [Blog Post].
[3] CASTELLS, LUIS. WALTON, JOHN. (nineteen ninety five). The History of Daily Life. Madrid. Contemporary History Association:Marcial Pons. pp:103.
[4] CASTELLS, LUIS. WALTON, JOHN. (nineteen ninety five). Op. Cit, pp:106.
[5] SANZ DE BREMOND LLORET, CONSUELO. April 4, 2019. The Middle Ages and the Golden Age:Hygiene and its myths . The asterisk. Opinions and notes in the margin. [Blog Post].
[6] SAN JOSÉ BELTRÁN, LAIA. September 7, 2013. Aspect of a Viking (I):The hygiene of the Vikings, paganly clean or paganly pigs? The Valkyrie's Vigil. [Blog Post].
[7] SANZ DE BREMOND LLORET, CONSUELO. April 4, 2019. Op. Cit. [Blog Post].
[8] SANZ DE BREMOND LLORET, CONSUELO. May 28, 2018. Hygiene and clothing. Clothing and customs in medieval Spain until the 17th century . [Blog Post].
[9] SANZ DE BREMOND LLORET, CONSUELO. May 28, 2018. Op. Cit. [Blog Post].
[10] SANZ DE BREMOND LLORET, CONSUELO. May 28, 2018. Op. Cit. [Blog Post].
[11] SANZ DE BREMOND LLORET, CONSUELO. June 12, 2019. SOAP, domestic medicine . Stories for curious minds. [Blog Post].
[12] SANZ DE BREMOND LLORET, CONSUELO. June 12, 2019. Op. Cit. [Blog Post].
[13] SANZ DE BREMOND LLORET, CONSUELO. June 12, 2019. Op. Cit. [Blog Post].
[14] GREUS, JESÚS. This is how they lived in Al-Andalus . (1988). Madrid. EG Anaya. pp:36.
[15] GREUS, JESÚS. (1988). Op. Cit, pp:38.
[16] SANZ DE BREMOND LLORET, CONSUELO. April 4, 2017. Dental hygiene. Clothing and customs in medieval Spain until the 17th century. [Blog Post].
[17] SANZ DE BREMOND LLORET, CONSUELO. April 4, 2017. Op. Cit. [Blog Post].
[18] SANZ DE BREMOND LLORET, CONSUELO. April 4, 2017. Op. Cit. [Blog Post].
[19] SANZ DE BREMOND LLORET, CONSUELO. April 4, 2017. Op. Cit. [Blog Post].
[20] SANZ DE BREMOND LLORET, CONSUELO. April 4, 2019. Op. Cit. [Blog Post].
[21] AMASUNO SÁRRAGA, MARCEINO V. Alfonso Chirino, a doctor of Castilian monarchs. (1993). Valladolid. Ministry of Culture and Tourism. pp:66.
[22] ESPINOSA, ROSA MARIA. MONTENEGRO, JULIA. (1997). Castile and Portugal at the dawn of the Modern Age. Valladolid. Ministry of Education and Culture:University. pp:56.
[23] ESPINOSA, ROSA MARIA. MONTENEGRO, JULIA. (1997). Op. Cit. pp:66.
[24] ESPINOSA, ROSA MARIA. MONTENEGRO, JULIA. (1997). Op. Cit. pp:67.
[25] ESPINOSA, ROSA MARIA. MONTENEGRO, JULIA. (1997). Op. Cit. pp:66.
[26] ESPINOSA, ROSA MARIA. MONTENEGRO, JULIA. (1997). Op. Cit. pp:67-68.
[27] CALVO, JOSÉ. This is how they lived in the Golden Age. (1994). Madrid. Anaya. pages:34-35.
[28] ESPINOSA, ROSA MARIA. MONTENEGRO, JULIA. (1997). Op. Cit. pp:68.
[29] ESPINOSA, ROSA MARIA. MONTENEGRO, JULIA. (1997). Op. Cit. pp:69.
[30] DEFOURNEAUX, MARCELLÍN. (1983). Daily life in the Spain of the Golden Age. Barcelona. Argus Vergara. pp:62.
[31] DEFOURNEAUX, MARCELLÍN. (1983). Op. Cit. pp:63.
[32] THOMAS, HUGH. The Spanish Empire. From Columbus to Magellan. (2003). Barcelona. Editorial Planeta S.A. pp:603.
[33] THOMAS, HUGH. (2003). Op. Cit. pp:618-619.
[34] CARMONA BALLESTERO, EDUARDO. (2008). History of Castile:reflections from the 20th century. Burgos. ACCEPT. pp:135.
[35] SANZ DE BREMOND LLORET, CONSUELO. May 14, 2020. Not so thirsty for gold, NOT SO MUCH DIRT. Stories for curious minds. [Blog Post].
[36] DE SAHAGÚN, BERNARDINO. General history of the things of New Spain. Volume 1. Robredo, P. Mexico. 1938.pp:230.
[37] DIAZ DEL CASTILLO, BERNAL. (1991). True history of the conquest of New Spain (2). Madrid. American Library. History 16. Information and magazines S.A. pp:476.
[38] LUCENA SALMORAL, MANUEL., and others. History of Ibero-America. Volume II. Modern History. (2002). Madrid. Chair Editions. Grupo Anaya S.A. State Society for the execution of programs of the fifth centenary. pp:284-286.
[39] DIAZ DEL CASTILLO, BERNAL. (1991). True history of the conquest of New Spain (4). Madrid. American Library. History 16. Information and magazines S.A. pp:460.
[40] ZARAGOZA, GONZALO. Heading to the Indies. (1989). Madrid. Daily Life Collection. Grupo Anaya S.A. pp:28.
[41] ZARAGOZA, GONZALO. Heading to the Indies. (1989). Madrid. Daily Life Collection. Grupo Anaya S.A. pp:32.