6 myths about the Middle Ages that everyone believes

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Stephanie H. Smith |

TED-Ed

• March 2023

Medieval Europe. Where unbathed, sword-wielding knights ate rotten meat, thought the Earth was flat, defended chastity-belt wearing maidens, and tortured their foes with grisly gadgets. Except... this is more fiction than fact. So, where do all the myths about the Middle Ages come from? And what were they actually like? Stephanie Honchell Smith debunks common misconceptions about the time period. [Directed by Avi Ofer, narrated by Christina Greer, music by Stephen LaRosa].