00:00This is Alex. He's a regular, normal guy, working a 9-to-5 job.
00:06He doesn't make an impressive six figures a year, and he could only afford a used Honda,
00:11even though he's always been dreaming about something more extravagant.
00:16And this is Henry. But it's more correct to pronounce his name as Henri, since he's French.
00:24You might have noticed from his clothes that he's, one, old-fashioned, and two, quite rich.
00:31Yep, you're looking at Henry II of France, a medieval monarch straight from the 16th century,
00:37who could afford anything he wanted back then.
00:41And he's not old-fashioned. He actually looks pretty edgy for his time.
00:47Sure, Alex and Henry never met, and will never meet each other.
00:52After all, they're from different time periods, and their statuses are pretty different too.
00:57But what if I tell you that Alex leads a way more luxurious life than Henry II of France?
01:06This one may not sound too convincing, but any of you who's watching this video
01:11leads a more luxurious life than a medieval king. Let's dive in.
01:17Royal carriages seem romantic and all, but no matter how advanced a carriage was in medieval times,
01:23it will never be a decent rival, even for the rustiest and most decaying car of today.
01:29I'm not speaking about AC, car audio systems, and other fancy features.
01:35It's more about the quality of the roads, and the overall comfort.
01:39Modern suspension works wonders, and even though there's evidence many carriages back then did have suspension systems,
01:46they still can't be compared to what we have today.
01:50Next on the list is pretty obvious, medicine.
01:54Yeah, insurance today costs a pretty penny, and sometimes it's cheaper to extract a tube than to cure it.
02:01But at least you won't be treated with the help of herbal cures.
02:05These can be good indeed, though sometimes we need something more advanced.
02:11I mean, a headache is more likely to go away with the help of a pill we have in our emergency kits at home
02:17than with the help of sweet-smelling herbs.
02:20In medieval times, cures used rose, lavender, sage, and hay to help someone with headaches.
02:27And should something more serious happen to anyone today, they'll see someone with an actual degree, not a magician.
02:34Yeah, that was pretty common in medieval times.
02:38Okay, enough about the sad things.
02:41Plus, something cool's going on right now.
02:44Alex has recently met a girl on a dating app, and it's their first date today.
02:49Henry II of France would have been terribly jealous if he had known such a thing was possible.
02:55He got married at the age of 14, and his wife was from the prosperous family of Medici.
03:01Henry couldn't simply choose any peasant girl he liked.
03:04Royalty was supposed to get married wisely, taking into account all the financial and political advantages.
03:12Seems like in terms of love, Alex from the 21st century wins.
03:17But in terms of wealth, there's no doubt it's Henry.
03:20Have you ever heard of the term usury?
03:23It's something totally normal today, but quite prohibited in the Middle Ages.
03:28Basically, usury is when someone makes money from money, a.k.a. charging interest.
03:34Usury was banned due to religious issues in many medieval places.
03:38But still, you couldn't just go get a loan from a bank.
03:42But as always, some people did find a way out, so loans technically existed.
03:48The easiest way was to issue a binding bond for, let's say, $20, while the borrower would only get $15.
03:57Voila! There's no interest mentioned on papers, but still, the borrower got the money and the loaner got their interest.
04:04So Alex would have trouble with his credit card back in medieval times.
04:08Henry wouldn't need such a thing as a credit card. He's full of his own funds.
04:15Alright, and what about other money things?
04:18Today, we can send and receive money instantly to and from anyone.
04:23Thank you, almighty Internet!
04:25But in the Middle Ages, things were pretty complicated.
04:28So a young prince couldn't text his father king, so he sent him a bit of money to cover that tavern bill.
04:35The first almost-fast money transfers appeared in 1851, thanks to the invention of the telegraph and Western Union.
04:45Ah, as for taverns and food in general, trust me, the paintings showing incredible feasts sometimes exaggerate.
04:53Before Photoshop and other editing programs appeared, those were the artists themselves who retouched the painting.
05:00I mean, everyone wants to look good, even food.
05:04Going back to meals, if you fancy spices, you know it's not a big deal to find them in the closest convenience store, and they don't cost much.
05:14But back in the medieval times, they were so expensive and hard to transport that only the noblest people could afford them.
05:22Sure, kings did have access to all of them, but, you know, if they saw today's spices section in the supermarket, they'd think it's sorcery.
05:31By the way, there was even a special department at the royal court called the Spicery, and it's not hard to guess that it was entirely devoted to spices.
05:40As for the main course, medieval kings would typically eat wild game, and they didn't have much of a choice.
05:49Now let's peek at a typical king's menu.
05:52First off, on the king's table, there was a stuffed chicken, a quarter of stag, and a loin of veal that was generously covered in sauce.
06:01Next, a huge meat pie adorned with smaller pies.
06:05All of that would form a crown.
06:07And for dessert, there were some jelly, cream, cheese, and strawberries stewed in rose water.
06:15That probably sounds fancy, but remember that, even so, there wasn't much choice.
06:20The food highly depended on the region where the king lived.
06:23Plus, he couldn't just pick up the phone and order sushi delivery.
06:29Hey, what do you do?
06:31Anyways, no matter what we do, in most cases, modern people are often free to choose their profession.
06:38At least, we can technically do that.
06:41But a medieval king didn't have such an option.
06:44He had his royal duties.
06:46New laws?
06:47Yep, the king probably didn't have to create them himself.
06:50But he needed to approve of new ideas and implement them.
06:54Protecting the kingdom from enemies?
06:56Absolutely.
06:57And I guess that must have been tiring.
06:59I mean, even Alex is quite burnt out with his 9-to-5 job.
07:04But at least he doesn't need to plan any protection strategies.
07:07And it's not that millions of people in the kingdom depend on him.
07:11And don't forget that the king is the person who would have negotiations with foreign ambassadors,
07:16settle down new relationships, and sometimes even stop those relationships.
07:21Sounds like a lot of responsibilities.
07:25But even if all these points didn't convince you that you're way more luxurious than a medieval king,
07:30and you still want to be one,
07:32these are some pieces of advice for you on how to be a good king.
07:36Just in case scientists finally invent a time machine.
07:421. Be dominant.
07:44A real king should know how to show strength and power.
07:47Nobody cares what personality you have.
07:50You need to show how potent you are.
07:53Or at least fake it.
07:562. Be protective.
07:59There are a bunch of people in your kingdom looking for your help.
08:02They probably want to have an audience with you.
08:05And you gotta be caring, helpful, and generous.
08:08Generosity is a trait of a real king.
08:11At some point, it will probably seem to you that you're a kind of therapist.
08:16But having audiences is a royal duty.
08:213. Be wise while choosing people around you.
08:25Royal duties are hard.
08:27And one can hardly carry them out all on their own.
08:30So you'll need people to delegate your duties to.
08:33Like, you can't control that all the taxes were collected,
08:37and all the disputes are fairly resolved.
08:40But beware.
08:41Not all trustworthy agents are that trustworthy.
08:45Some of them may even want to poison you.
08:48Like King John, who was rumored to have been poisoned by a monk.
08:52Even though the official records claim he passed away because of gluttony.
08:56The official version seems plausible.
08:59After all, you know a medieval king menu.
09:03So, Alex, you still want to be a king?
09:06That's it for today.
09:07So, hey, if you pacified your curiosity,
09:09then give the video a like and share it with your friends.
09:12Or if you want more, just click on these videos and stay on the Bright Side.
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