The book by historian and reenactor Ekaterina Mishanenkova is dedicated to debunking popular myths about the Middle Ages. In the Middle Ages, people were terribly dirty and smelly - they never washed, they never washed their clothes, knights went to the toilet directly under them, in their armor. Wide-brimmed hats were worn to protect against the slops and contents of chamber pots that were constantly pouring out of the windows. Queen Isabella of Castile vowed not to change her linen until the Moors were driven out of Spain, and only washed herself twice in her life. Louis XIV smelled “like a wild animal.” King Frederick Barbarossa almost drowned in sewage. And scented curtains were hung on the windows of the British Parliament to protect against the stench emanating from the Thames. Which of this is true and which is fiction? How was a medieval bathhouse or toilet actually constructed? How often did they wash their clothes and what kind of incense did our ancestors use? Let's look at the facts.