Weird 'Trends' From The Middle Ages That Have Us Scratching Our Heads

If you need perspective on your modern-day concerns, be grateful that you didn’t have to live through the tumultuous and strange Middle Ages. People were still figuring out the whole "being human experience" in Europe, and, in the process, engaged in some pretty weird traditions. From odd thoughts on moles and freckles to gross alternative hair sources, here are the strangest trends from the Medieval era that we're glad never stuck.

Courtly love

Since their marriages were for political gain, people of the court needed some outlet to express their feelings of romance. This was “courtly love,” a system that allowed the royals to show affection for their crushes while remaining married.

Messy divorce

The most popular way to resolve a serious spousal dispute in Germany was trial by single combat. The unhappy couple went into a ring and fought each other, while following another bizarre set of rules for fighting. Whatever works, we guess.

Animal laws

Animals were held to the same judicial process as humans. If they were accused of a crime, they had a trial. If they were convicted of their crime, they were sentenced to death by either being burnt at the stake or hanging. This hopefully taught the animals that crime doesn’t pay.

Look at those shoes!

Rich people loved to show off their wealth by wearing fancy clothes. For instance, European men had a period in which they all wore long, pointed shoes. The lengthiest shoes were stiffened with whalebone to hold their shape.