The Dark Side of Being Wealthy in the Middle Ages

During the Middle Ages, the wealthy were able to live in relative luxury in comparison to the lower classes. However, a new research study has found that even while wealthier individuals during this period had plenty of advantages, in one important aspect they were worse off than those living in poverty: susceptibility to lead poisoning.

The striking colored glaze used in plates and cups that only the wealthy could afford was a status symbol during the Middle Ages. However, the glazing used relied on lead as a main ingredient – and this lead routinely found its way into the body, where the toxic metal could wreak havoc on the nervous system after prolonged exposure. 

The new information was uncovered by a cadre of researchers that have examined the skeletal remains left behind in German and Danish cemeteries dating to the Middle Ages. The University of Southern Denmark’s Kaare Lund Rasmussen, an associate professor with the university’s physics and chemistry department, and one of the authors of the new study, said that wealthy individuals or those living in urban environments were highly likely to end up ingesting lead, with the tragic result of reduced intelligence in children.