Medieval Banquets – what to expect, 10 Fabulous Medieval Idioms and what they mean, and Powerful Medieval Women who ruled from behind the throne – a spotlight on Isabella of France, in September’s issue of ‘The Chastity Belt’

For our 2022 advent calendar, we decided to create a set of magazine covers in the likeness of Dolly or Cosmopolitan that capture the medieval essence. If such a journal could have existed, what sort of articles would it have contained? Anything and everything to assist the young maiden about to set out on her life’s journey as a wife and mother, and once there, all the information needed to be a good spouse and keep her husband satisfied, and at home when not away soldiering.

Such were our efforts that we now find ourselves tasked with writing some of these articles! Well, why not? It might be fun… So please enjoy the snippets below from the September issues of The Chastity Belt.

It must also be mentioned that some articles in these blogs are written as they would have appeared directly in the ‘magazine’, whilst others, due to wanting to be as informative as possible, are written from the present-day point of view. Either way, please enjoy.

MEDIEVAL BANQUETS

Just as we enjoy a good get-together with friends and family, so did our medieval ancestors who took the opportunity to celebrate weddings and funerals, coronations and ecclesiastical days that were important to both the ruling gentry and their humble servants, by hosting lavish and often decadent feasts of enormous proportions. Guests attending a medieval banquet expected something special, dishes that were ‘out of the ordinary’, wine and ale of exceptional quality and dazzling entertainment from far afield.

So, what exactly would you expect had you received an invite for such a gala?

FEASTING

The food offered at a banquet was quite different in quantity and quality from what would be considered ‘every day’ meals. Vegetables (often served as soups or stews) were the standard daily fare, particularly for the lower classes, so only found their way onto the banqueting menu as decorative accompaniments, displayed around platters of roasted meats or fish. Guests were not expected to eat from this lesser class food group, rather marvel at the manner in which the vegetables were presented.

Similarly, peasants were not able to access the variety of game available to the Lord and Lady of the manor, with rabbit, fish and occasionally pork and deer being the staple of the day. However, no animal, no matter how exotic, was safe from the banqueting menu. Swan, dolphin (porpoise) peacocks, badgers and hedgehogs were all stuffed, dressed and roasted, then staged in life-like poses to be admired before they were consumed.

Over-indulgence was most certainly expected, with multiple dishes served over numerous courses. Two extreme (and vastly differing examples) are that of the event held to celebrate George Neville’s installation as Archbishop of York in 1465, which had a first course containing seventeen dishes, a second with twenty, and a third with twenty three compared to the coronation feast of Richard III, where three courses were served to the high table, two to the lords and ladies, and only one for the lesser guests, which included the Lord Mayor of London!

DISTRIBUTION OF DISHES

Guests of lower rank not only got fewer courses but were also served smaller portions. Only the host and any exceptionally high-ranking guests received an individual serving. The lower down the pecking order you fell, the less you received, so a 2^nd tier guest would share a platter or ‘messe’ with one or two other people. The lowest ranking guests were more likely to share a messe between four to six persons.

The lord (or lady) of the house was also expected to give some of the choice dishes to others. The thirteenth-century “household rules” for the Countess of Lincoln, attributed to Bishop Robert Grosseteste, advised that her “dish be so filled and heaped up, especially with the delicacies, that you may courteously give from your dish to right and left, to all at high table and to whom else it pleases you.”

ORDER OF SERVICE

Generally, there was soup or rich pottage to start with, followed by more commonplace meats that had been boiled or roasted. The substantial yet “delicate” items, such as roasted wild birds and fresh fish, came next, followed by sweet or richer foods including tarts and fritters.

The basic order is described in the Latin poem Modus Cenandi (The Way of Dining), which calls for pottage to be followed by meat of large animals and fowls, then smaller ones, and finally “better dishes” (fercula dant meliora). This “natural rule” is one that is still adhered to today in most western cultures.

French banquet menus varied in the number of courses, but the basic model consisted of four. The first course was much like an English first course with roasts and some accompaniments in the second course, and more elaborate dishes (entremets) in the third.

Italian banquets ran to more courses: eight, ten, and sometimes twenty or more, generally with two or more dishes in each. Sometimes they began with pasta dishes, but otherwise the order was much like the French: soups and meats in sauces, followed by roasted meats.

SETTINGS AND PROTOCOLS

Diners were presented with water and a towel for washing their hands, usually before they were seated at the table, however that was not always the case. Guests were seated strictly according to rank at tables which, for a large banquet, were arranged in a U-shape. The host and honoured guests sat at the head (high) table, facing into the centre of the gathering, which provide the best view of any entertainment. The nearer a guest was placed to the host, the greater the honour.

Tables settings included bread, and often a knife (though guests often brought their own) a spoon, and a napkin, but not a fork: fingers or pieces of bread were used to pick up food not eaten with a spoon. “Trenchers” – slices of coarse bread, were cut and placed in front of each diner which acted as plates, on which diners could place pieces of meat or fish.

Jugs of wine and ale were either placed on the table for guest to access for themselves or would be served by either serving staff or squires.

SALT CELLARS

In medieval England salt was expensive and only affordable to the higher ranks of society. Its value rested on its scarcity. Salt was extracted from seawater by evaporation and was less easily obtainable in northern Europe than in countries with warmer climates, where the evaporation could be brought about by the action of the sun rather than by boiling over a fire. This method was abandoned in England in the mid-1600s when natural rock-salt began to be mined commercially in Cheshire.

Salt was placed in the centre of the high table and only those of rank had access to it. Those less favoured on the lower tables were below (or beneath) the salt.

The term ‘salt’ is used for the container the salt was kept in as well as for the condiment itself. The ornate design and costly materials used for the peuters reflected the importance that salt was accorded. Strictly speaking, to be ‘below the salt’ was to be below the salt cellar, from which the term ‘worth one’s salt’ is derived.

ENTERTAINMENT

The entertainment provided at banquets was often considered to be the highlight of the event. Good entertainers were long remembered, and excellent reviews meant more work. Whether it was minstrels blowing fanfares or mummers playing to entertain the diners while they ate, a good show really was the lynch pin to hosting a successful event.

The poem ‘Sir Gawain and the Green Knight’ references singing and dancing, by both the entertainers and guests, with everyone joining in to belt out several well-known Christmas carols.

But the pièce de resistance, the pinnacle of the nights entertainment was actually culinary in nature. Known in England as a subtlety, it was usually a creation of sugar, marzipan, or pastry depicting one or more birds, beasts, or people and had to be absolutely stunning so as to evoke both shock and awe from all who viewed it.

At the coronation feast of Henry V, one subtlety consisted of a swan surrounded by cygnets, all of whom carried messages in their bills that were lines of verse. This was followed by twenty-four additional swans each one carrying the last line of the poem.

So next time you are thinking of hosting a dinner party, perhaps you might like to include something from the past as a way of entertaining your guest, whether that be a stuffed peacock perched in the centre of your table, or a group of jugglers displaying their talent, or perhaps just a bread trencher – at least it would cut down on the washing up!

10 FABULOUS MEDIEVAL IDIOMS

I am sure you must have heard the old saying ‘pig in a poke’ or even ‘by hook or by crook’, but what exactly do these old sayings mean and how did they originate?

“The apple of one’s eye”

In early medieval England the pupil of the eye was known as the apple since it was thought to be an apple-shaped solid. Since the delicate pupil of the eye is essential for vision, it is a part that is cherished and to be protected. Thus apple of the eye was used as a figure for a much-loved person or thing.

“Baker’s dozen”

This phrase arose from a piece of medieval legislation, the Assize of Bread and Ale of 1262. Bakers of the period had a reputation for selling underweight loaves, so legislation was put in place to make standardized weights. To make sure that they did not sell underweight bread, bakers started to give an extra piece of bread away with every loaf, and a thirteenth loaf with every dozen.

“To curry favour”

The phrase came from the Middle English words ‘curry favel’, which in Old French was ‘estriller fauvel’. It meant ‘to rub down or groom a chestnut horse’. In Le Roman de Favuel, a 14th-century French romance, a chestnut horse representing hypocrisy and deceit is carefully combed down by other characters in order to win his favour and assistance. The popularity of the work led people to accuse those who tried to further their own ends by flattery to be currying favel. By the sixteenth century the phrase had changed slightly to currying favour.

“To play devil’s advocate”

Devil’s advocate is a translation of the Latin ‘advocatus diaboli’. This was the popular title given to the official appointed by the Roman Catholic church to argue against the proposed canonization of a saint by bringing up all that was unfavourable to the claim.

“To throw down the gauntlet”

The gauntlet was a piece of armour that knights wore to protect their forearms and hands. A gauntlet-wearing knight would challenge a fellow knight or enemy to a duel by throwing one of his gauntlets on the ground.

“By hook or by crook”

Records of this phase date back to the 14th century. One theory for its origin suggests that a medieval law about collecting firewood allowed peasants to take what they could only cut from dead trees by using their reaper’s bill-hook or a shepherd’s crook.

“Hue and cry”

This phrase dates back to 12th-century England. Hue comes from the Old French ‘huer’, which means to shout out. In the Middle Ages, if you saw a crime being committed, you were obliged to raise ‘hue’ and ‘cry’, that is to shout and make noise, to warn the rest of the community, so they could come to pursue and capture the criminal.

“A nest egg”

By the fourteenth century the phrase nest egg was used by peasants to explain why they left one egg in the nest when collecting them from hens – it would encourage the chickens to continue laying eggs in the same nest. By the seventeenth century this phrase now meant to set aside a sum of money for the future.

“A red-letter day”

During the fifteenth century it became customary to mark all feast days and saints’ days in red on the ecclesiastical calendar, while other days were in black.

“A pig in a poke” or “a cat in a sack”

The term was first used in the Middle Ages, at a time when it was was common to sell meat or small animals in cloth bags or sacks called a “poke”.

Some people simply bought the “poke” without looking inside; and often those who thought they were buying pork or a small pig were surprised to find they had been sold something completely different!

The idiom pig in a poke is what happens when someone does not look to see what is being bought or sold. In addition, the sayings ‘letting the cat out of the bag’ and ‘curiosity killed the cat’, derive from the same expression.

The term/s are so common that a variation has been used across the world, as can be seen from the chart obtained from wikipedia –

POWERFUL MEDIEVAL WOMEN – a spotlight on Isabella of France – The She Wolf!

History tells us that there were many powerful women throughout the medieval period who were able to wield their influence on the men around them, but one stands out above the crowd – Isabella, Queen of England , known as The She Wolf of France.

Born in Paris (c.1295) to Philip IV of France and Joan I of Navarre, Isabella was described as intelligent and beautiful, but also manipulative and deceptive. At the time France was one of the most powerful forces in Western Europe and Isabella’s father sought to bolster his position by seeking international alliances via his daughter. Therefore, Isabella was promised to Edward II and married in 1308 at the age of 12 or 13.

Throughout his rule, Edward II faced numerous challenges, both in Scotland and from his barons at home, all of which Isabella sought to resolve politically, even negotiating an alliance with Piers Gaveston, Edward II’s confidant and lover. Unfortunately, she was unable to cultivate a similar relationship with Hugh Despenser the younger, with whom Edward had also formed a close bond after the death of Piers. At the end of 1324, as tensions grew with Isabella’s homeland of France, Edward and the Despenser’s confiscated all of Isabella’s lands, took over the running of her household and arrested and imprisoned all of her French staff. Isabella’s youngest children were removed from her care and placed into the custody of the Despenser’s.

Pushed aside by her husband and his allies, Isabella left for France in 1325, along with Roger Mortimer with whom she had forged an alliance. Taking a lover during this period was fraught with danger and could have led to imprisonment and execution. But rather than attract the wrath of the church or her peers, Isabella was able to instead rally sufficient support of her cause that she and Mortimer raised an army and invaded England in 1326, which subsequently resulted in Hugh’s death and Edward II’s abdication.

Isabella and Mortimer ruled together for four years, with Isabella’s period as regent marked by the acquisition of huge sums of money and land. Isabella fell from power when her son, Edward III deposed Mortimer in a coup, taking back royal authority for himself. Unlike Mortimer, Isabella survived the transition of power, remaining a wealthy and influential member of the English court, albeit never returning directly to active politics.

In 1330 Isabella was placed under house arrest, however remained extremely wealthy, despite being required to surrender most of her lands after losing power. In 1331 she was reassigned a yearly income of £3000, which increased to £4000 by 1337. She lived an expensive lifestyle in Norfolk but was soon travelling again around England.

In her later years, Isabella became very close to her daughter Joan and doted on her grandchildren, including Edward, the Black Prince. Isabella took the habit of the Poor Clare’s before she died on 22 August 1358 and her body was returned to London for burial. Isabella left the bulk of her property, including Castle Rising, to her favourite grandson, the Black Prince, with some personal effects being granted to her daughter Joan.

The following is a much more in depth look at Isabella’s life during the tumultuous reign of Edward II.

Catherine A Wilson co-writes with Catherine T Wilson (no relation). Their first book, The Lily and the Lion, was based upon their true-life accidental meeting and resulting friendship. All four books in their ‘Lions and Lilies’ series have won first place prizes in the Chatelaine/Chaucer Awards in the US and in 2019, The Traitor’s Noose won the Grand Prize Chaucer Award.