“Weird medieval guys” posting a 1350 AD type of headline: “Keeping swans safe from catapults.”
This is pure medieval energy. While modern headlines are about budgets and elections, the 14th century was concerned with the pressing issue of swan preservation in an age of siege warfare. Because when you’re building trebuchets to hurl 90kg projectiles over 300 meters, you need a protocol for the local swan population.
Swans were actually a big deal in medieval England — the monarch owned all unmarked mute swans (a tradition dating back to the 12th century), and harming one was a serious offense. So yes, keeping them safe from stray catapult stones was probably a genuine logistical concern.
Gorgocutie’s Verdict:
The Middle Ages: a time of plague, war, famine — and surprisingly detailed animal welfare regulations. In 1350, King Edward III was smack in the middle of the Hundred Years’ War with France, siege engines were everywhere, and yet someone was asking the important questions about swan safety.
Peak medieval energy is caring deeply about both trebuchet range and the royal swan population. Priorities were different then. Not wrong. Different.
0 Comments