The simplicity of life back then is appealing today, as long as you don’t mind Church hegemony, the occasional plague, trial by gossip — and the lack of ibuprofen. (Part two of a three-part series, “Cradle to Grave.”)

SOURCES:
- Jordan Cavalier, performer at the New Jersey Renaissance Faire.
- Matt Schwarz, harpist at the New Jersey Renaissance Faire.
- Phillipp Schofield, professor of history at Aberystywth University.
- Neslihan Şenocak, professor of history at Columbia University.

RESOURCES:
- A People's Church: Medieval Italy and Christianity, 1050–1300, co-edited by Agostino Paravicini Bagliani and Neslihan Şenocak (2023).
- The Routledge Handbook of Medieval Rural Life, edited by Miriam Müller with a contribution by Phillip Schofield (2021).
- Monty Python and the Holy Grail, film (1975).

EXTRAS:
- "Are You Having a Midlife Crisis?" by No Stupid Questions (2022).

“Razor-Wire Dharma: A Buddhist Life in Prison”