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MEDIEVAL - Coggle Diagram

- - - - Outside of literally describing the era, the most common usage of the word is to portray something as particularly brutal/uncivilised.
        
        This is a fairly accurate description of the conditions people had to live in during that era, yet interestingly contrasts the average idea of what medieval life was like. The normal medieval person barely washed or left their village, and weren't taught chivalry like the upper-class, who in turn were not taught respect for people born in lesser circumstances. Brutal/uncivilised is a fitting summation.
    - - This is largely because, even in real life, people in the medieval period genuinely believed in many forms of the supernatural. Whether it was prayer, witches, or herbal cures, people had superstitions about it all. Magic's existence was just accepted as a fact. Combining that with the medieval history of warfare and conquest, and the fantasy genre's addiction to quests and kingdoms, you get why they so often come in tandem.
        
        Because of this, it is rare to see a piece of media set in medieval times that doesn't involve some element of fantasy in it.
        
        Even set in worlds with no supernatural aspects, historical fiction can often take inspiration from what is seemingly a known fact about the era without realising that it's simply run-off from fantasy stories.
        
        An example of this is the cliché of the honourable, kind knight raising a peasant as an apprentice. This simply would never be allowed to happen, as status and class were even more dominant over a person's daily life back then compared to today.
        
        Similarly, how taverns exist in popular culture, as meeting-spots, places to do business, and the local social club, is entirely fictional and taken from how taverns are used in fantasy stories. In reality, they were much rarer than is made out, as mass-production of alcohol was impossible. This also meant they were reserved only for people with money, meaning your average villager would maybe go once a fortnight, if there was one close enough at all.
        
        This connection with fantasy causes people to view the medieval era as far more comfortable than it ever truly was. In most instances, upon utterance of the word 'medieval', the audience will imagine grand castles, honourable battles, vast forests/fields, and a world with unspoilt nature. They will not hear the sounds of unending work under feudal lords, but the swish and clang of opposing blades.
      - For example, sword fighting in a castle is definitively aesthetically medieval, but could be perceived as fantasy easily due to its overabundance in that genre despite nothing supernatural/fantastical happening.