Top all-time · #3416
Going Medieval
Personal blog · going-medieval.comhistoryculture
Going Medieval is a personal blog at going-medieval.com about history and culture. Since 2019, 21 different Hacker News readers have linked it 24 times, most often “There’s no such thing as the ‘Dark Ages’, but OK (2017)”. It is still writing: the last post was on 2025-11-25, and you can follow it by feed.
Too few sampled comments (8) to say how often HN recommends it.?
Why HN links it
HN readers link this blog to challenge popular myths about the Middle Ages, such as the Dark Ages, medieval bathing, cats and vernacular sermons, and cite its posts as sources in threads.
Summarised by Claude from a sample of 8 HN comments that link here. Each comment is marked recommending, critical or neutral (citing without judging); how this works.
Medieval History, Pop Culture, Swearing
Most-linked posts?
- There’s no such thing as the ‘Dark Ages’, but OK (2017)4 people · 5 mentions · first linked 2019-08-15
- On Successor States and Websites3 people · 3 mentions · first linked 2023-07-28
- I assure you, medieval people bathed (2019)3 people · 3 mentions · first linked 2019-08-02
- On Medieval Cats2 people · 2 mentions · first linked 2023-11-09
What Hacker News says?
In fact, maybe they bathed TOO much: https://going-medieval.com/2019/08/02/i-assure-you-medieval-... But they also gave us soap, there's that.
Comment linking /2019/08/02/i-assure-you-medieval-people-bathed/
on “I assure you, medieval people bathed (2019)”Submitted I assure you, medieval people bathed (2019) as a story · 364 points
HN discussionThe dark ages simply refers to the loss of texts. There are few surviving texts from that period, so it is “dark”. Later the term was re-branded to mean “bad time when no new science was done” but that’s a viewpoint that doesn’t fit the facts. Source (a very enjoyable read at that!): https://going-medieval.com/2017/05/26/theres-no-such-thing-a...
Comment linking /2017/05/26/theres-no-such-thing-as-the-dark-ages-but-ok/
on “Why didn't the Romans contribute much to mathematics?”Submitted Medieval people bathed regularly as a story · 298 points
HN discussionThe article I quoted (by someone who calls herself a doctor and a medieval historian, but I have no way of checking her credentials) contradicts yours: https://going-medieval.com/2017/05/26/theres-no-such-thing-a... Of course, I don't claim to be an expert myself and can't readily judge which of the two articles is more accurate.
Comment linking /2017/05/26/theres-no-such-thing-as-the-dark-ages-but-ok/
on “What If the Singularity Does Not Happen? (2007) [video]”Submitted On Medieval Cats as a story · 10 points
HN discussionI know this is totally not the point of TFA, the parent comment or yours, but apparently the current consensus is that there was no such thing as the "Dark Ages", and it wasn't a particularly illiterate or barbaric age: https://going-medieval.com/2017/05/26/theres-no-such-thing-a...
Comment linking /2017/05/26/theres-no-such-thing-as-the-dark-ages-but-ok/
on “What If the Singularity Does Not Happen? (2007) [video]”Submitted There’s no such thing as the ‘Dark Ages’, but OK (2017) as a story · 4 points
HN discussionThe last paragraph is one of those commonly-believed things which did not, in fact, happen. https://going-medieval.com/2023/05/16/on-cats/
Comment linking /2023/05/16/on-cats/
on “The First Cat War”Submitted That’s not what sodomy is, but OK as a story · 4 points
HN discussionA recent weblog post going over the history of this starting back in ~1200: > However, the term “doctor” wasn’t usually used to speak about those who subsequently went on to work with patients in the field of medicine. Why? Well, the term “doctor” comes from the Latin verb “docere” meaning to teach. So, if you were called a medical doctor it meant that you were teaching at Salerno, not that you were out in the field…
Comment linking /2023/11/29/doctor-does-actually-mean-someone-with-a-phd-sorry/
on “BC Supreme Court bars man from calling himself an 'engineer'”Submitted On the myth of medival short life expectancy, and Covid complacency as a story · 4 points
HN discussionRites were in latin yes. But sermons were generally in vernacular. Otherwise there would be little engagement between priest and his parish during the mass. The somewhat, odd, obsession of some Old-Catholic sects with latin is notable but not entirely orthodox. Some info on the subject: https://going-medieval.com/2020/09/04/on-sermons-and-the-ver...
Comment linking /2020/09/04/on-sermons-and-the-vernacular/
on “French was the official language of England for 300 years, from 1066 till 1362”Submitted AI and the Golem as a story · 3 points
HN discussionNot explicitly mentioned in the article, but alluded by the sexually-suggestive title, is the fact that St. Hildegard is not solely recognised by the Catholic Church for her extraordinary sanctity and heroic virtues, she is also lionized and sexualized by the LGBT community as a historical Queer Icon, including favorable modern comparisons to the likes of Janelle Monáe. https://queersaints.wordpress.com/3-saints-and…
Comment linking /2018/06/05/considering-bad-motherfuckers-hildegard-of-bingen-and-janelle-monae/
on “The unknown language (and letters) of Hildegard von Bingen (2015)”Submitted There's no such thing as the 'Dark Ages', but OK (2017) as a story · 3 points
HN discussionSubmitted On fake medieval devices – both torture and sexual as a story · 3 points
HN discussionSubmitted On Body Count – Going Medieval as a story · 2 points
HN discussionSubmitted On Successor States and Websites as a story · 2 points
HN discussionSubmitted On Sex, Logic, and Being the Subject as a story · 2 points
HN discussionSubmitted On colonialism, imperialism, and ignoring medieval history as a story · 2 points
HN discussionSubmitted On women's anatomy and the power of paying attention as a story · 1 points
HN discussionSubmitted On Successor States and Websites as a story · 1 points
HN discussionSubmitted On Successor States and Websites as a story · 1 points
HN discussion
