Quiz

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Quanto tempo você sobreviveria na era medieval?

Combien de temps survivriez-vous au Moyen Âge?

中世に生きていたら、あなたはどのくらい生きのびるでしょう？

How Long Would You Survive In Medieval Times?

The small fire in your shack won't provide much heat, so your only guaranteed protection during a harsh winter is [several layers](http://www.medievalists.net/2015/12/surviving-winter-in-the-middle-ages/) of clothing. You'll need to wear linen undergarments, with wool on top of that, and then leather to protect you from the rain and snow. If you get wet, tough – it's still warmer than taking your clothes off. Your shack is so small you're forced to share the bed with all your relatives, but this helps keep you warm.   
You can't just chop down trees – they belong to the lord of the land you live and work on. If you're lucky, the lord might offer you [firewood](http://www.thefinertimes.com/Middle-Ages/peasant-life-in-the-middle-ages.html) during a festival when he is feeling charitable.

You'll need to dress up and huddle for warmth!

Winter a-cometh. How will you, a poor peasant, stay warm?

[Plague](http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/middle_ages/black_01.shtml) swept across the world during the medieval period. The "Black Death" lasted from 1348–50 in Britain, and killed 30–45% of the population (in some villages, 90% of people died). Many "cures" were peddled by quack doctors, astrologers, and wizards, but none of them worked. The only way to survive was to avoid infection, and quarantining your family was the best option.

The only way to survive the plague is to not get infected.

A plague is upon your village. How will you protect yourself?

Global crop failures led to the great famine of 1315–17, which killed millions of people. During a [famine](https://books.google.co.uk/books?dq=what+did+you+eat+when+crops+failed+medieval+england&hl=en&id=YRzMnElSh3EC&lpg=PA208&ots=Lfx6cp9l6H&pg=PA208&sa=X&sig=5UidDm0MugSN1fIvL8EwtxQ0ohM&source=bl&ved=0ahUKEwie0ee41ajQAhWqCsAKHTvDCMsQ6AEILTAD#v=snippet&q=famine&f=false), medieval peasants would be forced to eat anything they could – including dogs, cats, rats, roots, even each other. Accidentally consuming poisonous vegetation during a famine was another risk. And if you were caught stealing from the lord, you'd risk punishment and even death.

You're going to need to eat the rats.

The crops have failed. What will you eat to survive?

A serious, festering wound could quickly prove fatal in medieval times. Without antibiotic treatment to kill the bacteria, the infection would spread and destroy living tissue. Washing the wound at this point won't be enough, neither will a herbal remedy from the time, like [white bryony](https://books.google.co.uk/books?dq=treating+gangrene+medieval+england&hl=en&id=vzBIDAAAQBAJ&lpg=PA180&ots=Up76J7jGvR&pg=PA180&sa=X&sig=bl3Iw31JDz3PGleIXq8pnZFvPMQ&source=bl&ved=0ahUKEwi89YvVjqvQAhVHAsAKHUz5BiMQ6AEIOTAE#v=onepage&q=treating%20gangrene%20medieval%20england&f=false).   
In order to survive, you'll probably need to have your foot amputated. The doctor will use a saw, and you will be awake during the operation – at least until you pass out from the pain.

You'll need to have your gangrenous foot cut off.

You’ve got a bad infection in a wound on your foot, which has turned gangrenous. What will you do about it?

Witch hunts peaked in medieval Europe between 1580 and 1630, as various Christian sects fought for supremacy. If you're accused of being a witch, your options are limited. A witch finder might prick you with his " [jabbing needle](https://books.google.co.uk/books?dq=jabbing+needle+witches&hl=en&id=1LeMBAAAQBAJ&lpg=PT91&ots=nf5eMMupj6&pg=PT91&sa=X&sig=tlC8hCShF6eF-xqDoUP2DRIvZT8&source=bl&ved=0ahUKEwi2jp3MlavQAhVFI8AKHVJSDEwQ6AEIGzAA#v=onepage&q=jabbing%20needle%20witches&f=false)" – if you screamed, you were innocent. Except the needle was retractable so it didn't hurt. You'd then be drowned, burned, or hanged.   
Your [best bet](http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-14490790) might be accusing someone else of being a witch and hoping the witch hunters go after them instead. But tbh they'll probably just put you both on trial.

You're probably going to die, but you can try to blame someone else?

You’re accused of being a witch. What do you do?

You'll need to get a lot of people in the town to form a chain from the river to the fire, passing buckets of water along it. But even that won't save you. The most [effective](http://www.pepys.info/fire.html) way to fight a fire raging through a medieval town would be using gunpowder, axes, and [fire hooks](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Fire_of_London#/media/File:Firehooks.1612.png) to destroy the wooden houses in its path, depriving the fire of its fuel.

Water will only get you so far – you're going to need gunpowder, axes, and fire hooks.

A great fire is raging through the town! How do you get it under control?

Streams and rivers could be contaminated by dead animals, tanning, sewage, and other pollution. The tap won't be [invented](http://www.bbc.co.uk/nottingham/content/articles/2009/07/07/thomas_hawksley_feature.shtml) until the 19th century. As long as you have access to a deep well, you should be OK.

You'll need to draw fresh water from the well

Where will you get fresh drinking water?

[Tavern brawls](https://books.google.co.uk/books?dq=medieval+tavern+brawls&hl=en&id=5022p3bhfmEC&lpg=PA97&ots=eZJtS5U-P7&pg=PA97&sa=X&sig=620POsiHGFIte8gXd9VixZKN3ig&source=bl&ved=0ahUKEwjGhP3Cjq3QAhWMK8AKHQQJB9MQ6AEISjAK#v=onepage&q=medieval%20tavern%20brawls&f=false) were a frequent occurence in medieval times. They were bloody and brutal, and everyone would get involved. You might be started on by the tavern owner for underpaying, or for giving him a rude look. Or a drunk punter might get rowdy. Your best bet is to get out of there quickly and quietly before someone (it could be you) gets killed.

Get the hell out of there!

A drunk man is giving you a nasty look in the tavern. What do you do?

With the [child mortality rate](http://www.representingchildhood.pitt.edu/medieval_child.htm) at around 25% in the first year, you'll need to have several children in the hope that at least some survive to adulthood. This is essential, as from the age of about 7 they'll help around the home, and by 12 will start work seriously, either farming the land or learning the family trade. But having too many children survive could be costly too, and child abandonment was [rife](http://nchchonors.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/liu-dana.pdf) at the time.

You want to aim for 5–8.

How many children will you have?

You wouldn't last long in medieval times, sadly. It was a brutal era – don't take it personally.

You'd die before you were 12

You've had sex, got married, had kids – life's just getting good! But then you get the plague and there's just no coming back from that.

You'd die at around 18

[Life expectancy](http://content.ucpress.edu/chapters/11633.ch01.pdf) for a peasant in medieval Europe was around 28 to 35. So getting to 30 was impressive. Well done you for making so many good life choices!

You'd make it to your 30th birthday!

Peste, inverno, acusações de bruxaria... são muitos desafios.

Jusqu'à quel âge auriez-vous vécu si vous aviez vécu au Moyen Âge?

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ペストが発生！さあ、どうする？

【クイズ】中世に生きていたら、あなたはどのくらい生きのびるでしょう？

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How Long Would You Survive In Medieval Times?

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