Tea at Trianon: Traffic Problems in the Medieval City

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

Thursday, October 5, 2023

Traffic Problems in the Medieval City

Accidents happened then as now. From Medievalists:

City officials also had to watch out for property owners who wanted to expand their buildings, often by taking away bits of the street. Noting that the narrow streets would be impeded, mayors and aldermen would order building owners not to proceed with their expansion plans, and in some cases, even had parts of buildings torn down.

The efforts to stop these building extensions even meant having to say no to the king at times – during the year 1312 King Edward II wrote to the city of London that he wished to make an addition to one of the houses he owned. The Mayor and Sheriffs responded, denying the request. Among the numerous reasons, they cited “that such carts as are wont to load firewood at Castle Baynard’s wharf, have been in the habit of passing through that place, as along a common way; whereas, if it were built upon, those same carts, when meeting there, would not be able to pass, by reason of the narrowness of the road.” If that was not enough, they added, “if it should happen that the Queen should pass along that road in her chariot, such building would in like manner be a nuisance there, on having to turn the chariot, or in case of her meeting another chariot there.”

Another problem for city authorities was the habit of residents keeping animals, and then letting them out onto streets. The most troublesome of these were pigs – people would let them out, knowing that these animals would forage through the trash for food, but this could also lead to them creating more mess in the streets and even knocking down people. Officials throughout England were trying to find ways to stop this practice, with London and other cities issuing orders that if a pig was found wandering the streets, it could be killed automatically – and if the owner wanted to have the carcass afterwards, they would need to pay four pence for it. Other towns also had laws to keep dogs on chains or leashes.

Carts and wagons could be another big traffic problem in the Middle Ages, starting with the fact that many had wheels shod with iron, which would rip up the pavement of the streets. These were often banned. On occasion, one would also see limits placed on how many carts could be in a certain area or go through city gates, as people complained there were too many of them. (Read more.)