- Time of past OR future Camino
- To Santiago + back
2400 km + 950 nmi
160 days
I am interested in but not very knowledgeable about long-distance pilgrimages in the middle ages. I know that there is a scholarly debate about the question of how many millions actually walked all the way to Santiago in the middle ages from very far away. Some obviously did, like from Antwerp, from Denmark and from German cities, there is no debate about it at all. But they certainly did not fly somewhere or travel somewhere to start their pilgrimage as the modern traveller does.
I was amused - and admittedly a bit irked - to read someone writing on this forum of often thinking of the medieval pilgrims who had very little protection against weather, thieves, illness, or starvation "but that this was all seen as part of the adventure". I think nothing could be further from the reality and the thinking of people living in the middle ages than such a statement. I do know that it was not all praying and misery all the way. In fact, I know what proper modern local pilgrimages that last a few days are like - I think they may have more in common with the medieval pilgrim than the 21st century camino walker has.
I was intrigued to read that in the 16th century the Catholic Kings of Spain established a zone of a width of 4 miles along the old Camino Francés. Any pilgrim who left this zone lost his right to claim priviledges as a pilgrim. The reason was apparently the fact that a considerable number of pilgrims were convicted criminals or similar who had been sentenced to walk to Santiago and this had become a problem. In Spain, foreign pilgrim was sometimes synonym with convicted criminal, it seems.
How do you imagine life on the St James's ways in the middle ages? Any good sources that are historically accurate but still not to difficult to read?
I was amused - and admittedly a bit irked - to read someone writing on this forum of often thinking of the medieval pilgrims who had very little protection against weather, thieves, illness, or starvation "but that this was all seen as part of the adventure". I think nothing could be further from the reality and the thinking of people living in the middle ages than such a statement. I do know that it was not all praying and misery all the way. In fact, I know what proper modern local pilgrimages that last a few days are like - I think they may have more in common with the medieval pilgrim than the 21st century camino walker has.
I was intrigued to read that in the 16th century the Catholic Kings of Spain established a zone of a width of 4 miles along the old Camino Francés. Any pilgrim who left this zone lost his right to claim priviledges as a pilgrim. The reason was apparently the fact that a considerable number of pilgrims were convicted criminals or similar who had been sentenced to walk to Santiago and this had become a problem. In Spain, foreign pilgrim was sometimes synonym with convicted criminal, it seems.
How do you imagine life on the St James's ways in the middle ages? Any good sources that are historically accurate but still not to difficult to read?
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