In this post I'll focus on writing plot taking place in a city setting. I'll focus on medieval cities in general, so if you have a specific time setting you want to focus on, you'll be better to research that particular timing. After all, centuries have proven how changeable things can be. Location is also another aspect we should acknowledge.
If you're interested in writing about a general medieval city, for example for your fantasy story, this is a perfect place for you - whether the city will be a center to the story or not. I'll be writing from an European point of view, since I'm from Europe and it's what I know most about.
This post is a part of the "Writing locations" series. Make sure to check out writing a medieval village, writing a travel story and writing a castle as well.
A medieval city - place of numerous social interactions and countless activities going on at all time. People were spending time storytelling, listening or playing music, attending festivals and communal feasts. Religious festivals were very significant too.
Among the citizens there were knights, lords, merchants, craftsmen, laborers and beggars. The richer people lived in better houses and held more power over the life of the city, while the poorer folks often struggled with making the ends meet.
If you want to describe a knight: to become a knight you'd start your training as a child. They would spend time training with weapons and horses, participating in tournaments and serving their lord. They were higher in social structure than merchants and craftsmen.
If you choose to write about a merchant: merchants were usually the richer social class. They often traveled between the cities, selling and buying products. Things could also be sold at the marketplace. A merchant would teach his son to become a merchant one day, too.
If you write about a craftsman: they were people who dedicated their lives to mastering a specific trade, such as carpentry or blacksmithing. They began their training as teenagers, moving up the apprenticeship ladder. The craft would take the most significant part of their time.
If you focus on a laborer: a significant part of laborers would work at the agriculture. They were taking care of the fields from dawn to dusk. A laborer could also be someone who made the buildings in the city. Their lives were full of hard psychical work.
When it comes to the city's layout, it was usually surrounded by walls. The most important places in the city were the castle, the cathedral, the guildhall (meeting place of the various guilds; significant role in trade) and the marketplace. Of course, there were many more interesting places to be found within a city. Taverns, workshops, bakeries etc.
The most prominent guilds were blacksmiths - creating tools and weapons, weavers - producing textiles, carpenters - constructing buildings and objects, and cobblers - creating footwear.
In a medieval home it was typical for various servants or apprentices to live with the family. The responsibilities were divided, defined by gender and age - similarly to medieval villages. Men would take care of the trade, craft or labor and conducting business, women managed the household, contributing to the economics through home-based crafts or by assisting their husbands.
Medieval cities had their challenges as well. They often experienced outbreaks of diseases (plague, smallpox, leprosy...). There wasn't a functioning waste disposal system, which contributed to the poor health conditions. Additionally, crime rates were high.
Why would you choose a city as the location for your story?
• there's rich social life you can describe
• you can comment on the living conditions and differences between the social classes
• you can describe an ongoing conflict or some forces trying to take over the city
• there are a lot of places for adventures and mysteries
• you can describe a character visiting a city for the first time. Perhaps they deserted from army. Perhaps they grew up in a village and want to make more money. Or, a city can become a place someone wants to run away from - for whatever reason.
Some interesting tropes connected to medieval cities:
Aristocrats are evil - it might have been an early way to appeal to the masses, or just due to the way aristocrats tended to look down on the general public. But it was then and is now really popular to cast aristocrats as villainous, malevolent, or evil.
Stock medieval meal - when the character stops for a meal, they don't get much of a choice on what to eat. They'll be handed cheese, loaf of bread, boal of stew and a tankard of ale. Rich aristocrats might have a join of meat.
Black knight - an enigmatic warrior, clad head to toe in armor black as night, which he is never seen without. Usually ridiculously powerful, he is feared by all who know of him.
Intrepid merchant - a merchant that goes to the far corners of his world, bravely seeking profit. He is a treasure-hunter but the treasure is not hidden, it is in the bazaar waiting for him after he has crossed the deserts, mountains and seas.
The dung ages - streets covered in mud, winding between cottages just barely not falling apart. The castles of the nobles are likelier to be dingy, poky, smokey things, with the nobles themselves just as smelly and pustule-ridden as the peons beneath the armor.
This post was written with a big help of the book "Life in a Medieval City" by Frances Gies.
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