Freedom, Feuds, Purgatory

Today my Nijmegen brother and I visited the exhibition "Vrijheid, Vetes, Vagevuur - de middeleeuwen in het noorden" (“Freedom, Feuds, Purgatory - the middle ages in the north”) in the Fries museum Leeuwarden. The exhibition presents insights about life in the North during the full and late Middle Ages (1067-1567). At that time, Friesland (Tota Frisia) extended from the present province of Friesland, the Netherlands to the Weser River in Ostfriesland, Germany. Unlike elsewhere in Europe, the Frisians governed themselves, elected their own judges, spoke their own language and had their own distinctive clothing style.

In Tota Frisia they didn't have a landord like a Duke or a Count. They were free men. Of course, those with money were more free than those without money... In the exhibition we saw a lot of old weapon finds. I remarked that being free didn't make them more friendly. My brother remarked that being free led to the law of the jungle. Makes sense.

There were also many churches at the time and later on monasteries. In my blip some rubble found at the site of a monastery. With two little clay heads. Only one building out of all those monasteries is still there, now a museum.