### 10 True Stories From the Dark Ages
**1. The Knights Templar – Power, Wealth and Fall**
The Knights Templar were one of the most powerful organizations of the Middle Ages, founded in 1119. They were famous for their white robes with red crosses and their excellent fighting skills during the Crusades. Not only were they a military force, they were also pioneers in the financial system, and are even considered the first multinational corporation.
However, their great wealth and influence made them a target of King Philip IV of France. The king, eager to seize their assets, forced the Pope to dissolve the order in 1312. The last leader, Jacques de Molay, was burned alive after refusing to reveal the secret treasure. To this day, the treasure and mystery surrounding the Knights Templar remain a historical mystery.
**2. Iron Maiden – The Horrifying Torture Machine**
The Iron Maiden is one of the most terrifying torture devices of the Middle Ages. This is an iron coffin, lined with sharp spikes. The victim is locked inside, the door is closed, the spikes pierce the body, causing extreme pain and slow death due to blood loss.
The purpose of this device is not to kill immediately but to prolong the pain, breaking the victim’s will. Although famously associated with the Middle Ages, the true origin of the Iron Maiden is still debated, possibly appearing as early as 200 BC.
**3. Mummy Brown – Paint made from mummies**
Mummy Brown is a special type of paint that was popular during the Middle Ages and Renaissance, famous for its transparent brown color that is perfect for painting shadows and human skin. The creepy thing is that the main ingredient to create it is ancient mummies ground into powder.
Mummies from Egypt and even the Canary Islands were ground up and mixed with aromatic resins and white powder. Demand grew so high that some mummy dealers even produced fakes from criminals and slaves. By the 20th century, Mummy Brown had disappeared as the supply of mummies dried up and the public became disgusted with the truth about its origins.
**4. Animal trials**
In the Middle Ages, animals were tried just like humans. Pigs, rats, and even insects were tried for crimes ranging from murder to crop damage. They even had lawyers to defend them.
One of the strangest trials was the trial of a rooster in Basel in 1474 for laying an egg that was considered a sign of the devil. Some trials were so serious that animals were sentenced to death or banished from the village.
**5. The Great Famine of 1315-1317**
During the period of 1315-1317, Europe experienced a terrible famine due to prolonged cold rains, crop failures and epidemics that devastated livestock. Food prices skyrocketed, famine spread, pushing the people into despair.
Malnutrition made the population susceptible to disease, crime increased, and even cannibalism appeared. Social disorder, conflicts between farmers and nobles became tense, laying the foundation for later uprisings such as the English Peasants’ Revolt in 1381.
This famine also weakened the feudal system and caused distrust in the Church, because the Church could not provide effective relief. This was also seen as the opening sign of a long period of crisis, including the Black Death pandemic that followed.
**6. Sweet Topic – Royal tragedy**
There was a famous member of the European royal family who met a tragic end. Just because he donated money to help the poor – an act considered an insult to the family rules, he was imprisoned and starved to death. The family coldly said: “If you love the poor so much, become poor yourself.” This heartbreaking story reflects the cruelty of some royal families at that time.
**7. Preformationism – A strange biological theory **
In the Middle Ages, understanding of biology was very limited, leading to the birth of Preformationism. According to this theory, humans already existed in the form of a tiny (homunculus) inside a sperm or egg, and only needed to grow.
This idea was very consistent with the religious concept of God’s creation and was illustrated by the image of a tiny person in a sperm drawn by Nicolaas Hartsoeker in 1695. It took many centuries for science to prove that living things were formed from the gradual combination and development of cells, not from pre-existing tiny creatures.
### 8. Changing Views on Organisms and Life
In the Middle Ages, it was believed that all living things in the natural world were created with a fixed purpose according to an immutable design. However, by the 18th century, this view was facing major challenges. The work of scientists such as Caspar Friedrich Wolff and later Jean-Baptiste Lamarck began to question the idea that organisms were pre-formed from the start.
Wolff’s studies of embryonic development showed that organisms do not grow from miniature, fully formed versions of themselves, but instead develop from undifferentiated lumps of matter that gradually form complex structures over time — a concept known as **epigenesis**. This was a major turning point in biology, laying the foundation for a broader understanding of human development.
Although preformationism was eventually discredited, its influence still resonated in contemporary scientific and cultural thought. The idea that a miniature human being was already inside the spermatozoon remained popular for a long time, influencing not only biology but also art and literature. The debate between **preformationism** and **epigenesis** laid the foundation for later studies in developmental biology and genetics, helping to clarify the processes of cell division, differentiation, and gene expression.
Although preformationism was eventually disproved, it played an important role in the formation of early biological thought, and paved the way for further explorations of human life and reproduction.
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9. Strange hygiene habits in the Middle Ages
Personal hygiene in the Middle Ages was very different from modern standards. Many of these practices would be considered unhygienic or bizarre by modern standards. One of the strangest was the **use of urine** as a method of cleansing and healing. Physicians of the time believed that urine had antiseptic properties, so it was often used to clean wounds or treat illnesses.
During the reign of King Henry VII, the royal physician even advised soldiers to wash their battle wounds with urine to prevent infection. Urine was not only used in medicine, but also played an important role in the tanning industry. The high ammonia content helped soften animal skin and effectively remove hair. The ancient Romans even used urine (both human and animal) as a mouthwash to whiten their teeth.
Lacking soap and modern cleaning products, urine was also used in laundry, helping to remove dirt and grease from clothing. In addition, women in the Middle Ages were pressured to remove body hair. They often plucked hair with tweezers or used hair removal products made from… dried cat feces.
Bathing was also very limited, leading to widespread body odor. Public baths existed but mainly served the needs of social interaction, not focusing on hygiene. Some baths even had a reputation as places of depravity, associated with vices and diseases. The church’s views also gradually changed, considering bathing as a luxury that could threaten the purity of the soul.
The poor could only wash roughly in rivers or streams or use very little water, while the upper class, although better off, still used very rudimentary hygiene measures, mainly relying on scented oils or perfumes to cover up odors. In general, medieval hygiene habits not only reflected a lack of scientific knowledge but also exposed a deep gap in living conditions between social classes.
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10 Judas Cradle – Brutal Torture Instrument
The Middle Ages were notorious for their brutality, especially in punishing those who opposed the law or religion. One of the most horrifying torture instruments of this period was the **Judas Cradle** — a torture instrument created in Spain in the 16th century, associated with the Spanish Inquisition.
The Judas Cradle is shaped like a chair with a pyramidal peak. The victim’s hands and feet are tied, suspended above the peak. The weight of the body is pushed down, causing the spike to slowly penetrate the most sensitive areas, causing extreme pain. To increase the torture, sometimes people also hang heavy objects on the victim’s feet or continuously lift them up and then lower them.
The purpose of these forms of torture was not only to extract confessions, but also to instill fear and consolidate the power of the government and the church. Judas Cradle is a testament to the brutality of the medieval justice system, where human life was despised and torture became an effective tool of rule.
