The Middle Ages It was a period not quite as dark as we have been led to believe. Yes, there were very complicated periods, wars, diseases, plagues and climatic calamities.
But what should be highlighted is that in those years a lot of inventions were discovered that helped the evolution of humanity in years to come.
Of all those here are the 10 medieval inventions that changed the world .
1. The mechanical watch
Devices for measuring time have been known since ancient times.
But it was not until the Middle Ages that technology allowed mechanical watches to accurately measure time.
Knowing not only what time it was, but what minute and second it was, would change the way people organized their days and work schedules, especially in urban areas.
2. The printing house
In China, the technology to be able to print on materials such as paper was developed in the 11th century.
But it was in the fifteenth century, halfway between the Middle Ages and the Modern Age, when the German Johannes Gutenberg and his printing press began a new era in the production of books in significant quantities.
3. Gunpowder
Gunpowder was invented in China sometime between the s. IX and XI, and it did not take long to be used in weapons.
The Mongols spread their knowledge throughout Eurasia in the s. XIII, which would revolutionize the art of war, leaving much of the military technology obsolete.
4. The water and windmills
Mills have been used by man since Neolithic times but it was in the early Middle Ages that they became very popular.
In this medieval period, new and ingenious forms of mills were invented, allowing the population to use the energy of elements of nature such as water from rivers or the wind.
5. The coffee shops
The custom of drinking coffee arose around the fifteenth century in the Arabian Peninsula. There and in Ottoman lands cafeterias became very popular.
These establishments would not reach Europe until the early Modern Age, changing not only the way people ate and drank, but also creating new ways of social interaction.
6. The glasses
We are not sure who invented glass glasses, a device that came into use in Western Europe in the late 13th century.
These glasses allowed to correct vision problems, being one of the most useful medieval inventions.
7. Public libraries
The Malatesta Novello Library in Cesena (Italy) is considered the first public library in the world.
It opened in 1452 in a building that belonged to the city commune; there, readers were allowed free access to consult his book collection.
8. The flying buttresses
One of the architectural innovations of the Gothic architecture of the s. XII were the flying buttresses, which allowed churches to have much higher ceilings, lighter walls and larger windows.
This novelty in construction would be an influence on architectural design in modern times, allowing the construction of larger and more spacious buildings.
9. The paper money
The first time that there is news of the use of paper money is in the s. VII. It was a great and important advance with respect to coins made of precious metals, since it was much easier to transport with the consequent benefit for merchants.
However, the concept of attaching value to a marked sheet of paper did not catch on.
The Mongols in the 13th century tried to introduce paper money in the Middle East but it was unsuccessful. Bank notes would not circulate in Europe until the s. XVII.
10. The quadrant and the astrolabe
These devices have been known since ancient times but during the Middle Ages the Arab astronomers perfected and improved them.
They were able to measure the distance between two objects and became very useful instruments in astronomy, navigation and surveying.
These instruments were later superseded by other modern inventions, but the concepts behind the quadrant and the astrolabe have remained important to science and technology.