As we revise the study of our human history and find more archival materials and documents, our understanding of how things really happened has often changed. Sometimes rumors started from the smallest of scraps of evidence, or common gossip at the time. Here are some of the bigger historical myths that have been disproven, related to key figures and important events.
Did Marie Antoinette Really Say “Let Them Eat Cake?”
As rumor has it, the story of Marie Antoniette’s infamous comment came about from a simple conversation: an employee came to the Queen explaining that the peasants were starving as there was no bread, a staple for many families. In response, the Queen allegedly said if there was no bread, to “let them eat cake”, instead. The ridiculousness of the comment – if they couldn’t afford bread, they would not be able to afford more expensive cake – showed how out of touch the French Queen was with the “real world.” In fairness, the queen grew up in extremely sheltered circumstances and didn’t even know what was going on in her kingdom most of the time.
One reason this sentence doesn’t make sense is that in French the quote talked about “la brioche” or brioche bread, which is a rich sweet bread but still a bread. This idea of peasants eating bread is a story seen in many parts of the world including 16th century Germany, making it like a more traditional urban legend. However, once the damaging gossip spread that the already unpopular queen had said these damning words, her reputation was in shatters. The earliest written down claim that she said them is after the French Revolution.
This is not the only rumor that circulated about Marie Antoniette that damaged her reputation with the French people. She was also caught up in the Diamond Affair, where an admirer of hers was allegedly buying a diamond on behalf of the Queen of France.
Did Christopher Columbus Discover that the World Was Round?
In a famed bugs bunny cartoon, Columbus wanted to show the world is round, so bugs threw a baseball around the world, and it came back covered in stickers from different countries. All the other issues with this segment aside, Christopher Columbus did not “discover” America and he certainly didn’t prove the world was round by sailing to them.
There is reference to the Earth being round as early as the 5th century BCE. It was recorded in Greek writings. By the Middle Ages it was pretty widely understood by the main European population.
What Columbus had been trying to prove or discover was a ship route. Because the world was round there had to be a way to sail on a straight path from Europe to India. Spices were in high demand for trade, and the best trade route was by sea. Still, it was a difficult journey that required going around the horn of Africa which not only took longer, but was often a difficult place to sail.
Were Witches Burned at the Stake in Salem?
The short answer is no. This idea that witches were burned at the stake is a result of popular culture including films and books. In the case of Salem, at least 25 people are known victims of the trial, and out of the accused not one was set aflame on a pyre. 19 were hung by the neck until dead or if their neck broke on Gallows Hill. One unlucky man, Giles Corey, was pressed to death by stones when he refused to answer whether he was a witch or not. Five died in jail, whether from the conditions of a 17th century jail or potential torture they endured. One died in the middle of being tortured.
According to History.com in Europe, “execution by fire was a disturbingly common practice…church leaders and local governments oversaw the burning of witches across parts of modern day Germany, Italy, Scotland, France and Scandinavia.”
Part of the reason for the burning was that witches were considered to be heretics who consorted with the devil himself to gain their powers. Heresy at the time was a crime. England, especially during it’s back and forth between Catholicism and Christianity, had many executions involving burning to cleanse the soul or send them to a less than peaceful afterlife.
Did Lady Godiva Really Ride Naked?
Lady Godiva is a legendary figure in history. The story goes that the people of Coventry, England were being heavily taxed by the nobleman in charge of the town in the Middle Ages. His wife rode naked on a horse to protest against the taxes. Historical documents say Lady Godiva was the wife of Leofiric, the Earl of Mercia.
The legend was written in the Benedictine abbey of St. Albans centuries after the death of the woman it was based upon. However, the story changed over time (as with any great myth), with one version prevalent in the 17th century in which the public averted their gaze to afford her modesty, except for a “peeping Tom” who was later punished (in a variety of ways) for his sinful ways. Many have also considered the meaning of the term “naked”, and whether that meant the lady was fully nude, or merely devoid of the normal jewels and ornaments that high class women wore.
At a time where men were in charge of making the decisions and women were regulated to the home, it would have been highly unlikely at best that a woman, especially a noblewoman, would defy her husband in such a public manor. The rare women in positions of power were much more subtle in getting their way.
Was the Phrase “Ye Olde” Used?
The phrase ‘ye olde’ appears is in almost every historical reenactment or renaissance fair, and it has become a kitschy phrase that is thought to be the word for “the.” However, was the word “ye” really a term?
Nope. It turns out it is fake.
For starters, the word ‘old’ was never used or spelled as ‘olde’ in the renaissance. It is a term that began cropping up in the 19th century. According to David Wolman, some words that were used at the time for old included ‘alde,’ ‘awld,’ and even ‘ole.’
The word ‘ye’ is actually derived from old English, and the spelling of ‘the’, but not in the way or pronunciation that we imagine. We can trace the word back to the old letter no longer in the English alphabet, ‘þ’ that sounds like th. So, the spelling of the word ‘the’ would have been ‘þ e’, resembling the later ‘ye.’ This letter eventually changed to a letter called wynn, that looked similar in old script to a ‘y’, although it was a separate letter. Hence, one of the largest misconceptions of the English language is based on letters that are no longer utilized, and fancy old-fashioned script.
In time the term “ye olde” became synonymous with a previous time. Places like the Philadelphia Mint put terms like “Ye Olde Mint” on their building during the 18th century, and as a part of their name to give them the air of being an older building.
