221. Changes in the Life of a Knight Artwork

Hanging with History

The first season focuses on the origins of the Industrial Revolution or the Great Enrichment, we go deep into history to gain enough background knowledge to actually understand the various theories of the origins of the Great Enrichment. Eventually we learn that we also need to know how the miracle was consolidated, as the many other close approaches to the Industrial Revolution failed.A kwirky style, but intellectually ambitious with the goal of understanding history well enough to understand the miracle that happened that one time. It's gonna be a long series.

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Hanging with History

221. Changes in the Life of a Knight

August 12, 2026 • Harald Hansen • Season 2 • Episode 7

0:00 | 38:48

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We are trying to take a look at the life of a knight. A look at the life in full, stripped of idealizations and self righteous outrage on behalf of oppressed peasants.

Last episode we were looking at medieval life. There were knights and clerics as relatively free parts of society. We know that west of the Hajnal line, the catastrophe of the Black Death will weaken serfdom a great deal, while they get screwed down even harder in eastern Europe.

The life of a knight is something different than we might expect, if we have drunk too deeply of the Victorian era ideal of the courtly knight, who protects the weak, idealizes women, is always an honest and true member of society. One who upholds the good and meets evil with violence.

We talked of the violence, the love of killing and enjoyment of torture, the fact that emotions like shame and embarrassment only occurred with those of the equal or higher status, you weren’t really embarrassed if peasants saw your private parts or that they know YOU DOUBLE DIPPED your chips in the salsa.

Tacitus, the ancient Germans, the Franks, Vikings, the Crusades all make their appearance in the development of the life of the knight.