What Was It Like When Medieval Commoners Met Royalty

In the medieval world, encounters with monarchs were not reserved for the nobility alone

Though it might seem surprising, even commoners were, on occasion, able to meet their lords

Today, we're going to take a look at what it was really like when medieval commoners met their kings and queens

Okay, I'm a little nervous here. Do these shoes work? Where's my hair look? Oh, the video's starting

You're probably thinking we wrote that card backwards. Surely it was the beggar who had to wash the royal's feet, right

Well, no. As figures who derived their authority from religion, kings and queens often performed rituals with religious roots

And one such ritual was the washing of beggars' feet. The ritual was exactly what it sounds like

A king or queen would literally wash the feet of a beggar. This ritual was adapted from the biblical story of Jesus bathing his followers' feet

European royals, ranging from England's Edward II to Maria de Luna of Aragon

typically performed the ritual around Easter. In these instances, commoners were props in royal performances of piety and religious devotion

There's no record of whether or not there were bragging rights associated with having the king wash your feet

but we'd like to imagine there was. Medieval kings often claimed divine authority

and liked to show off their God-given powers by healing the sick

One royal ritual, touching for the king's evil, was performed from around the 11th to the 17th centuries

It involved people with scrofula, a lymphatic disease, lining up before their monarch to be healed of their illness

Scrofula was known as the king's evil at the time because it was considered an evil a king could cure

The king or queen would place their hands on the person and present them with a specially made coin

Theoretically, the person would then be cured, or get to play super Pac-Man

King Edward the Confessor of England is often credited with kickstarting the ritual

in the 11th century. Edward attended to a woman suffering from scrofula

by dipping his hands in a vessel of water and using his fingers to sprinkle the woman's face

as well as the areas infected with the contagion. He would do this over and over while making the sign of the cross

The process would make the diseased parts soften, and loosen the scabs

Then worms would come out from several openings, along with, and we're quoting here, much bloodier matter

The king would then draw out the matter with his hand until he had removed all the noxious plague

He would then pay for her care until she was restored to full health For what it worth the witness claimed the process worked saying God has wiped away all her unsightliness and fashioned her with sweet comeliness

I'd like that for my PPL. The idea that Edward could heal the woman

suggested he was in direct communication with God, a belief most monarchs were happy to spread in the Middle Ages

However, though the practice continued for several centuries, not all monarchs participated

William of Orange, for instance, was skeptical of his ability to heal anything. Meetings between common subjects and sovereigns

could be political in nature. Indeed, one such meeting occurred in 1381 against the backdrop

of the so-called Peasants' Revolt, a political and economic uprising in England. King Richard II

met with the movement's leader, Watt Tyler, on June 15, 1381. The meeting did not go well

The Lord Mayor of London attacked Tyler, who then attacked his attacker

Tyler was apprehended and executed that day. If you're not surprised that a commoner was the only one who wound up dead after this meeting

well, neither are we. Relationships between royals and commoners sounds like the stuff of romance novels

but they did happen sometimes. Kings and queens not only took untitled lovers, but sometimes they even married commoners

Take King Edward IV of England, for example, who had multiple romantic relationships with commoners

His mistress, Jane Shore, was quite well off, especially by late medieval standards

But she wasn't titled, which technically made her just a very rich commoner

Edward's wife, Elizabeth Woodville, was officially a commoner as well. A medieval monarch's most public event was the royal entry into cities and towns

and civic officials and tradesmen would often serve key roles in these processions

According to medieval chronicler Jean Foissart, when Isabella of Bavaria, who was King Charles VI

royal bride, entered Paris in 1389, no less than 1,200 citizens of Paris participated in the

spectacle. High-ranking wealthy commoners may have gotten an audience with, or at least an

introduction to, the monarch during such royal visits. These royal entries were massive spectacles

Cities and towns would be decked out in regalia and might even host street performances

Commoners could even enjoy free alcohol, so you can imagine these events were popular

In fact, during Isabella's procession, Foissart recalled that a fountain near Saint-Denis was repurposed to mark the occasion

Instead of water it ran in great streams of claret an excellent piment for all who chose to drink The French know how to party King Louis IX of France who reigned from 1226 to 1270

took his duties very seriously. He didn't just give daily audiences to commoners

He also came to them and met them in an egalitarian setting. In fact, Louis regularly held a court for commoners

under an oak tree at Vincennes. This move allowed him to directly interact with his subjects

no matter where they fell in the social hierarchy of medieval France

It's like a medieval equivalent of a modern US president doing one of those town hall meetings

It was a pretty cool move for a French king. Royal ceremonies and rituals sometimes depended on the participation of commoners

albeit often just as props for the royals to show off to. For example, on some important occasions, like marriages, coronations, or religious ceremonies

kings and queens would demonstrate their piety by giving out alms to the poor

Though many monarchs would have agents do this for them, some of them participated personally

King Ladislaus I of Hungary, for example, doled out alms himself in front of a basilica in the 11th century

Part of being a medieval ruler meant giving audiences to their subjects, mostly so the subjects could complain about stuff

One ruler who had to take part in such audiences was King Charles V of France, who ruled from 1364 to 1380

Medieval chronicler Christine de Pizan recorded Charles' regimented days, including his daily meetings with commoners to hear their petitions and grievances

According to Christine de Pizan, Charles would meet with commoners after attending religious services

As he came out of the chapel, all sorts of people, rich or poor, ladies or maidens

widows or others who had problems, could make their petitions to him

and he very kindly would pause to listen to their supplications. Charles is said to have usually responded charitably to those that were reasonable or

piteous, while the more doubtful of cases would be turned over to some master of requests to

examine. In the Middle Ages, European monarchies became more closely tied to religion. Kings and

queens were often seen as something akin to gods by their subjects, and they usually demanded to

be treated accordingly. As a result, there were things that subjects could not do in front of

their monarch. Take the aforementioned Wat Tyler. Remember him? The commoner who led the

peasant's revolt in England? He failed to exhibit proper etiquette when he met King Richard II

According to chronicler Jean Foissard, Tyler sent for a flagon of water to rinse his mouth

and when it was brought rinsed his mouth in a very rude and disgusting fashion before the king face The peasant leader also drew his dagger in the king presence Tyler seemingly coarse behavior

in front of his divinely appointed king was enough to provoke the Lord Mayor to strike him

And well, you know how things turn out after that. Kings and queens typically maintained links with religious communities through patronage

This meant that abbeys and monasteries received wealth, gifts, and certain privileges from the

royal household. But surprise, surprise, the wealth and prestige that came with royal patronage

didn't come for free. The kings and queens expected abbeys and monasteries to accommodate

them when traveling their kingdom, an expectation that could put financial and logistical burdens on

the religious communities. Medieval kings and queens technically facilitated the law of the land

but they increasingly relied on traveling agents to dole out justice. In other words

representatives of the crown would travel the kingdom and oversee trials on the monarch's

behalf. However, royals did personally oversee some trials, usually high-profile ones involving

aristocrats and officials, but that wasn't always the case. Francis Louis IX, for example

served as a judge for trials accessible to anyone. As Jean de Joonville recounted in the 13th century

those who had any suit to present could come to speak to Louis IX, without hindrance from an usher or any other person

According to Joinville, the king would ask if anyone had a case to be settled

and anyone who did would stand up. The king would then assure all those standing that they would be heard in turn

He would then turn the proceedings over to his officials to settle. However, if he saw anything needing correction in what was said by those who spoke on his behalf

or on behalf of any other person, he would himself intervene to make the necessary adjustment

Medieval kingship wasn't all royal weddings and foot washings. It was also partly defined by military prowess

Indeed, kings who personally led troops into battle were often revered across Europe

Among the most celebrated warrior kings were Robert the Bruce of Scotland and Henry V of England

That being said, personally leading troops into battle was extremely risky. So even while fighting, kings would have been surrounded

by an elite group of knights and attendants for extra protection. Despite this, kings would still fall from time to time

England's Richard I, famously nicknamed the Lionheart for his regal bravery, was brought down by a crossbow

while managing a siege in France. Richard III was also slain on the field of battle

Contrary to Tom Petty, it's not always good to be the king