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WERE MEDIEVAL CHILDREN REALLY SEEN AS MINIATURE ADULTS? Ben H, U6VLS In Centuries of Childhood (1962), Philippe Ariѐs asserts that ‘in medieval society the idea of childhood did not exist’, arguing that children were seen as ‘miniature adults’, on the basis that children tended to be depicted in adult dress by artists. 1 The view that childhood did not exist in the medieval period has since become ingrained into the popular imagination, yet this is perhaps a misconception. Ariѐs argues that during the medieval period, people were not aware of their exact age, there didn’t exist a culture of childhood and education was limited; essentially, childhood was not distinct from adulthood. The first statement is of little significance, as people would have been roughly aware of their age and when their birthday was. Moreover, the evidence suggests that there did exist a culture of childhood and, whilst education was limited, this was a result of the social hierarchy and not because children were not seen as intellectually indistinct from adults. Another commonly held view is that children were not loved by their parents due to high rates of infant mortality, but the evidence suggests otherwise. The medieval period can be defined as lasting from the fifth to midsixteenth centuries, but due to the availability of evidence, this examination of childhood will focus on the twelfth century onwards. The balance of evidence from this period indicates that childhood was recognised as distinct from adulthood and that children were not seen as miniature adults. There is little to suggest that there did not exist a unique childhood culture, as toys from the period have been recovered. The Museum of London displays a toy knight, dating from c.1300, which is described as 1 Anastasis Ulanowicz, ‘Philippe Ariѐs’, https://www.representingchildhood.pitt.edu/pdf/ aries.pdf [accessed 21/11/21], p. 2 8 | Gateway Chronicle
‘one of the earliest examples of a massproduced medieval metal toy.’ 2 Another toy knight, dating back to the thirteenth century, can be found on display at the Walters Art Museum. The existence of mass-produced toys indicates that it was common for children to play, which detracts from the argument that children were seen as miniature adults. A mechanical bird from the late medieval period, ‘capable of pivoting on a frame so that the tongue moved in and out’, has also been recovered, as have toy utensils. 3 Similarly, children played games and doodled, with ‘Handy-dandy’ being referenced by the poet Langland in the 1360s, and the childhood drawings of Onfim Wuz, dating back to the twelfth or thirteenth century, having been recovered in Novgorod. 4, 5 Moreover, the crown levied a tax on imported ‘puppets or babies for children’ in 1582, reflecting the money generated by the toy industry. 6 In addition, the account of Bartholomeus Anglicus, translated into English by John Trevisa in 1398, indicates that children preferred the company of those their own age: they love talkynges and counsailles of suche children as they bene, and forsaken and voyden companye of olde men 7 As such, there is a wealth of evidence suggesting that a distinct childhood culture existed, even paralleling the experiences of children today. Children had toys, played games, drew, and preferred the company of those their own age. In fairness, contemporary artwork depicting this is limited, but this in itself shows the limit of using art as the basis of a conclusion about childhood. Paintings of children dressed in adult clothes do not represent the childhood culture that existed in the medieval period. Rather, evidence of toys, doodles and games demonstrate the existence of a distinct childhood culture. Ariés’ conclusions about education are similarly unsubstantiated. Whilst education was limited to the upper classes, the fact that children were seen as intellectually distinct from adults indicates a recognition of childhood. It is to be expected that educational opportunities were limited, as working-class children continued to be employed late into the nineteenth century, with the framework for the schooling of all children between the ages of five and twelve only being set out in 1870. As such, it would be unfair to claim childhood did not exist in medieval times on the basis that few children attended school. Despite the 2 Museum of London, ‘Miniature knight on horseback’, https://collections.museumoflondon.org.uk/onlin e/object/145021.html [accessed 21/11/21] 3 Nicholas Orme, ‘The Culture of Children in Medieval England’, Past & Present, No. 148 (Oxford University Press, 1995) pp. 57-59 4 The Vision of William concerning Piers the Plowman, ed. W. W. Skeat (Oxford, 1886), p. 106 5 Paul Wickenden, ‘The Art of Onfim: Medieval Novgorod Through the Eyes of a Child’, http://www.goldschp.net/SIG/onfim/onfim.html [accessed 21/11/21] 6 Hugh Cunningham, ‘Histories of Childhood’, The American Historical Review, Vol. 103, No. 4 (Oxford University Press, 1998), p. 1200 7 Nicholas Orme, ‘The Culture of Children in Medieval England’, Past & Present, No. 148 (Oxford University Press, 1995) p. 48 9 | Gateway Chronicle
Page 1 and 2: YOUNG VOICES GATEWAY CHRONICLE 2022
Page 3 and 4: CONTENTS FROM THE EDITORS 5 MEDIEVA
Page 5 and 6: FROM THE EDITORS Jonathan B Ben H H
Page 7: MEDIEVAL PERIOD 7 | G ateway Chroni
Page 11 and 12: The fact that the biographer saw th
Page 13 and 14: Bolingbroke’s ambition, both driv
Page 15 and 16: Bolingbroke fuelled his ambition wh
Page 17 and 18: THE MAID OF ORLEANS Zaid J, 2.4 Joa
Page 19 and 20: attempts to burn Joan before she ev
Page 21 and 22: he turned to the Pope for a way out
Page 23 and 24: MODERNPERIOD 23 | G ateway Chronicl
Page 25 and 26: of infant and child mortality; over
Page 27 and 28: PHILLIS WHEATLEY Matthew M, 2.3 Phi
Page 29 and 30: 29 | G ateway Chronicle
Page 31 and 32: many schools to keep boys and girls
Page 33 and 34: HOW SIGNIFICANT WAS THE 1870 EDUCAT
Page 35 and 36: was responsible for 400 schools. Mo
Page 37 and 38: MODERN PERIOD 37 | G ateway Chronic
Page 39 and 40: the policy only really began in 190
Page 41 and 42: YOUTH AND THE EASTER RISING Aiden C
Page 43 and 44: CHILDHOOD IN THE EARLY SOVIET UNION
Page 45 and 46: hand, they did attempt to alleviate
Page 47 and 48: own families and testing the loyalt
Page 49 and 50: to the rebellion of circles of like
Page 51 and 52: There was also a lesson broadcast o
Page 53 and 54: virtues such as rén (humaneness) a
Page 55 and 56: and inexperienced teachers resorted
Page 57 and 58: A PIONEER OF AMERICAN EDUCATION: TH
Page 59 and 60:
VICTIMS AND PROTAGONISTS: CHILDREN
Page 61 and 62:
children in its cause. For example,
Page 63 and 64:
THE HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF LEGO
Page 65 and 66:
THE HISTORY OF CHILDHOOD Daniel O,
Page 67 and 68:
67 | G ateway Chronicle
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