You know, I stumbled into this whole thing, not because I’m some dedicated historian or anything. Nah, it was way simpler: I wanted to win an argument. One of those silly ones you have with a mate down the pub, or more likely these days, in some endless online comment thread. We were on about some movie or TV show, one of those epics set in ye olde medieval times. And I just couldn’t get over how everyone, even the dirt-poor farmers, looked like they were seven feet tall and built like brick outhouses.
So I piped up, “No way were people that big back then! They were all shorter, surely.” And of course, someone bites back with, “Oh yeah? Prove it. Got a TARDIS hidden away, do ya?” Annoying, right? But it got me thinking. Or rather, it got me stewing. I hate not knowing, especially when someone calls me out. So, I figured, right, let’s actually try and dig into this. That was the start of my little “practice session,” if you want to call it that.
Down the Rabbit Hole I Went
First off, I did what anyone does: I hit the internet. Typed in something like “average height medieval times.” And whoosh, a deluge of stuff. Some sites were dead certain: “They were all tiny!” Others were like, “Nah, not that different from today.” It was a proper mess. Everyone seemed to have an opinion, but solid proof? That was harder to come by.
I quickly realized just browsing wasn’t going to cut it. I needed to get a bit more, I dunno, methodical? So, I started looking for actual studies, papers, anything that looked remotely academic. Let me tell you, that was a slog. Most of the good stuff seemed locked away behind university paywalls, or it was written in such dense academic-speak, my eyes started to glaze over. I’m just a regular bloke, remember? Not trying to write a PhD thesis here.
So, what did I try looking at? Well, a few things:
- Old bones: This seemed like the most direct route. Archaeologists dig up skeletons from medieval cemeteries, measure the long bones, and use formulas to estimate height. Sounds easy, but then you find out a skeleton from one village in England might not be representative of someone in Italy, or even a noble versus a peasant from the same place. Plus, you need a decent number of bones to get any sort of average.
- Written records: I thought maybe old chronicles or documents might mention people’s heights. And sometimes they do, but it’s usually for kings or knights, people who stood out. Not your average person. And even then, descriptions can be vague, like “a man of tall stature.” Tall compared to what?
- Armor and doorways: This was a popular one I saw mentioned. “Look at the suits of armor in museums, they’re tiny!” Or “Old castle doorways are so low!” And yeah, some armor does look small, but it was custom-made for the wealthy, not your everyday serf. And doorways? Maybe they just liked to duck? Or maybe smaller doorways are easier to defend? It’s not as clear-cut as it seems.
Honestly, it was pretty frustrating. There wasn’t one simple, clean answer. It’s not like they were lining people up against a wall with a measuring tape back in the 12th century and writing it all down for future bloggers to find easily. Shocking, I know.
What I Sort of Pieced Together
After a fair bit of this “practice,” sifting through bits and pieces, I started to get a general feel for it. Most of the more sensible sources seemed to agree that, yeah, on average, people were shorter than they are today. We’re talking a few inches, maybe. Not like they were a race of dwarves, which is the impression some of these fantasy shows give you. And it varied massively. A lot. Depending on where you lived, what you ate (big one, that), whether you were rich or poor. A well-fed lord was likely a good bit taller than a peasant who was struggling for food. Stands to reason, but it’s a crucial detail often missed when you’re just hunting for a single number.
It wasn’t the “Aha! Gotcha!” moment I was hoping for to shut down that online argument. The reality, like always, was more muddled, more complicated. But it was a surprisingly interesting journey. My little “practice” in historical detective work really showed me how tough it is to pin down even seemingly simple facts about the past. You have to wade through so much speculation and so many variables.
So, the original argument? I basically had to admit that while the giants in the TV show were probably an exaggeration, I couldn’t give a definitive “everyone was X height.” My online adversary probably just shrugged and moved on. But me? I actually learned something. And I suppose that’s the real takeaway from these little personal deep dives, isn’t it? You start off trying to prove a point, and you end up with a bit more understanding of how complex things really are. And maybe a bit more respect for the folks who do this for a living.
