In the first part of the series, "Birth," Castor takes us through the birthing chamber where life begins. The pregnant mother would take to her room soon after she discovered she was pregnant, and there she would remain in safety with her ladies awaiting her needs. The room was spacious, but shrouded with dense curtains to keep the light from injuring the unborn child.
"Birth" shows us the dangerous task of a young woman giving birth – sometimes at the age of only 13 years. There were no antiseptics or antibiotics to ward off pain or infection, and most pregnant women trusted in the prayers to saints and the blessing of God to endure such suffering with a safe delivery. As a matter of fact, it was believed that labor pains were a punishment for the original sin of humankind. As Castor emphasizes, "For a Queen, as much as a peasant, the experience of childbirth remained eternally unpredictable."
Women were confined to their chamber, but took to their beds weeks before delivery. When the time for delivery came, the pregnant mother was served by the midwives and ladies – for this was a sacred event and no men were allowed. Several artifacts were used to comfort and support the women as they endured labor and delivery: a birthing corset containing Bible inscriptions covered her; a "birthing bowl" made of jet was believed to possess special powers; and, permission from the Church allowed the midwives to baptize the babies should they appear to die before being removed from the birthing chamber, thereby not receiving their baptism which would ensure safety to Heaven.
The second episode of Medieval Lives: Birth, Marriage, Death investigates "Marriage" in this historical time. Marriages were often arranged by the parents, family and friends of the bride and groom, and were guided by the Catholic Church, who finally sanctified the union as a sacrament made by choice as a rite of passage. But, marriage according to the Church was indissoluble. Historian Castor relates that before the 12th century, marriages were easy to enter. Just by verbally acknowledging words of consent as a "vow," a couple could be married anywhere – even in a pub. However, with the control of the Catholic Church, rules were imposed upon human emotions of love and lust in an effort to control society's way of managing sex and establishing the building blocks of society.
In the third episode of Medieval Lives: Birth, Marriage, Death, "A Good Death," we find that the prominent Catholic Church taught with murals and decorated walls of Churches that death was a doorway to everlasting life. That eternity spent in Heaven or Hell was much more important than this fleeting life, and that one should prepare themselves for the eternal life after death. Death was prominent in this harsh age for young and old, poor and rich. An event that left its darkened stamp on this era was the horrible Black Death, taking the lives of millions in just a few months. Death was a part of life in the Middle Ages, since life was so fragile, and they coped with death better than the people of today.
Castor used the example of the 15th century gentry family, the Pastons, living in north Norfolk to contrast the differences and continuities of social hierarchy from royalty to villagers. She revealed that "their letters were the earliest collection of private correspondence in English," and gave a "glimpse of the private experience of life, including birth, marriage and death." Very few records were revealed on birth, since that was a sensitive and private ritual, and only the men wrote the histories at that time. But birth was the awakening on the realization of an eternal afterlife, because death could appear at any moment to mother or to child, or both.
Religion was the framework within which the events of life and death were accepted and understood, but the Reformation changed the structure greatly. During this time, people pondered on the afterlife: either in Purgatory repenting for sins, or Heaven with eternal bliss. With a ritualistic and collective understanding, death was a shared experience. People supported each other and prayed for a "good death," and in turn, hoped that when their time came to die, others would be praying for them as well – for prayers from the faithful would release a soul from Purgatory to Heaven. But with Protestantism came the shattering of the Catholic Church's influence on society. Holy relics in the birthing room were outlawed and destroyed, prayers were considered superstitious, and men were allowed into the birthing room.
Medieval Lives: Birth, Marriage, Death is an educational documentary revealing some mysterious and daily rituals of life in the Middle Ages. Cambridge professor Helen Castor is a historian of Medieval England and presenter of BBC Radio Four's Making History, and the author of the award-winning book Blood & Roses and She-Wolves: England's Early Queens. She covers much material on birth, marriage, and death, and examines the Catholic Church's influence on daily life which comes to an end with the Protestant Reformation.
Castor does describe some text about ancient advice on how to choose the sex of the child, so parents are cautioned to review prior to letting their children watch. Included is a 12-page viewer's guide, timeline, overviews of the Middle Ages and Black Death, with biographies of Medieval figures. Also included is Helen Castor's Biography. I found this documentary very informative with excellent photography, but a little dry and boring at times, if watched during a marathon session. However, upon taking a brief break, once again I was delighted to be entertained by this brilliant documentary, especially since so much television programming today is focusing on events of that time.
