We’re not going to sugarcoat it – Hollywood has lied to us. Big shock, right? Seriously, though, think back to every movie set in the Middle Ages you’ve ever seen. Everyone’s always filthy, their teeth are somewhere between yellow and brown, and personal hygiene doesn’t seem to have been invented yet.
Well, we’re here to tell you that’s pretty much fabrication. Sure, people didn’t have hand sanitizers or antibacterial soaps, but they were fully aware that being clean was preferable to being dirty. Of course, standards were different, but people still did their best with what they had. Well, except some royals. These are the kings and queens of the Middle Ages, and their eccentric hygiene routines.
[post_page_title]The secret to Queen Elizabeth I’s infamously white skin[/post_page_title]
Elizabeth I’s 45-year reign on the British throne was nearly cut short when the Queen contracted smallpox. She recovered, but was left with the disease’s distinctive facial scars. To cover up the scarring, and because tanned skin was synonymous with the lower class, Elizabeth sought a ghostly-white look. She achieved it using “Venetian ceruse.”
There was only one problem – this cosmetic was lead-based, meaning it could lead to lead poisoning. Even worse, the makeup was left on the skin for as much as a week and the available facial cleansers often contained mercury – just as bad as lead.
