Things You Didn't Know About Hitler That Will Blow Your Mind

When we think of Medieval times, we often think of knights on their horses setting off on adventures to lands afar. 

But, while there certainly was a tradition of knights and kings traveling vast distances (well, vast by the standards of those days), the life of the average person didn’t involve much travel at all. In fact, written records from the time show that a sizeable proportion of people not only didn’t travel to other countries, but they never even left their region or even the village they were born in!

Even if you did manage to travel, being on the move was fraught with dangers. The average traveler would often sleep out in the open air. Inns or other forms of accommodation were few and far between and usually too expensive for the typical Medieval person to afford. As well as running the very real risk of freezing to death overnight, travelers in the Middle Ages might be robbed or attacked on the road. Many people, therefore, chose to travel in groups. But even then, you weren’t entirely safe – there are countless tales of people being attacked or even killed by their traveling companions.

But even if you were lucky enough to steer clear of bandits, there was still no guarantee of getting to your destination safe and sound. Roads and pathways were rough and even spraining an ankle could prove to be fatal. What’s more, bridges were quite rare, especially outside of big cities, so you might have to cross rivers. Drownings were all too commonplace – even the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick I died while attempting to cross a river in the year 1190. Small wonder, then, that so many people didn’t stray far from their homes – better a boring but safe life than hazardous adventures on the open road.