Baked bread, roasting meat, human feces, urine, decaying animal intestines, smoke from woodfires (there were no chimneys, so buildings were likely filled with smoke that leaked out into the streets) – all of this, plus perspiration, human dirt, rancid and rotten dairy... the list goes on.
Medieval cities were not exactly pleasant places to live in. They stank because they were dirty, crowded, and lacking in hygiene. Citizens often had a poor living condition, which included lack of clean water and proper nutrition. Disease was common because there were no antibiotics or vaccines available - only crude cures such as bleeding people or using alcohol to treat infections.
The most important thing for citizens to remember is that there were no doorknobs, toilets, or running water in medieval homes. People went number one on the street, in front of other people, sometimes right there in your own backyard! The city sewer system didn't exist until much later in history. When you go number two today, think about what Earth's ancient sewers must have looked like!
In conclusion, living in a medieval city was not for the faint of heart. There were frequent battles between towns and villages for territory, which resulted in many deaths. The middle class didn't even exist back then, so poverty was common. Most people lived in terrible conditions with little hope for improvement in sight.
Medieval cities were filthy places. Most local governments did not prioritize public health. Towns lacked sewage systems and fresh water sources, and undoubtedly smelled terrible as rubbish and human waste were strewn into the streets. The majority of people lived in cramped conditions with no running water or bathrooms, so personal hygiene was extremely difficult if not impossible.
Cities also had a large population of poor people who could not afford to live anywhere else. They would have been housed in shanty towns around the edge of town, but these were often polluted too.
In addition, cities were infested with rats and other rodents. These animals carried many diseases that could not be caught from person to person - instead they passed through contact with contaminated food and water. Rats spread plague and malaria-carrying mosquitoes, for example.
Finally, cities were prone to violence. There were frequent battles between different cities over territory and resources, which usually ended in favor of the winner. This means that the most powerful city in terms of weaponry and military might would also be the most polluted and dangerous.
In conclusion, medieval cities were dirty, crowded, and dangerous places to live in. There were attempts by some city-states to improve things by building modern cities with walls and broad avenues, but for the most part urban living in the Middle Ages was very unpleasant.
Some residences were heated using inner pipes put beneath floors and within walls during the Roman era, while bakeries had flues that piped smoke outside the structure. However, until the Medieval era in England, a dense cloud of smoke hung about the ceiling beams was a continuous characteristic of dwellings. The Romans built their homes with narrow streets and tight spaces; they also didn't have fireplaces or chimneys so there was no way for heat to escape except for by opening windows or leaving them shut.
During the Medieval era many towns in England passed laws requiring houses to be built with open courtyards and areas under roofs where animals could roam free. Houses were also not allowed to have more than one floor level unless it was an attic. Attics were used as storage space and often had steep roofs to prevent water from collecting.
The need for larger houses with multiple rooms led to the creation of chimneys. Chimneys are holes in the roof of a house through which smoke escapes. They were originally used for cooking food over fires but later became used for heating houses as well.
People began to complain about the bad air quality inside homes, so builders started creating ways to improve ventilation without opening up walls or doors. One method used today is to install fans. These days most houses are built with central heating systems which use pipes to transport hot water or steam into living spaces via radiators attached to walls or to floors.
The Shambles in York was previously a butcher's street. It is believed that it received its name because it resembled a battlefield - hence "shambles" meant a slaughterhouse at this time.
People lived in highly congested conditions, which allowed for little privacy. Householders would have shared common kitchens and bathrooms with their neighbors. Childcare was unavailable at home, so children were brought to work sites or schoolrooms across the city. This may explain why there are so few records of illness during the Middle Ages, since patients were often sent back to work with no time off. A severe epidemic could quickly spread through a town, but there were only so many sick beds and latrines available.
Towns also had limited access to medicine. Physicians were rare individuals who practiced abroad in large hospitals or within their own offices. They treated wounds, fractures, tumors, and other physical ailments with herbs and primitive instruments such as leeches and trepanning tools. There were no anesthetics during this time, so pain was usually avoided by either amputating limbs or giving patients strong medications that made them sleepy.
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