How Royal Women Hid Bad Smells (and Failed)

Boring History for Sleep takes you inside the lavish—and frankly, stinky—lives of royal women in the Middle Ages. From animal fat perfumes to secret musk blends, they tried to mask body odor during the Middle Ages… and mostly failed. If you're into Boring History for Sleep, don’t miss this oddly soothing scent journey through the royal courts of the Middle Ages.

Want more sleepy medieval stories? Watch this next 👉 [   • 20 WORST Hygiene Practices of Royal Women ...  ]

00:00 - Perfumed Power
13:09 - The Nose Knows
16:33 - Rosewater Everything
24:38 - Hair That Held History
33:10 - Scented Gloves, Rotten Hands
41:35 - Perfume as Politics
50:13 - Poisoned by Perfume
57:31 - Bathroom? What Bathroom?
01:05:02 - Fruit, Furs, and Flatulence
01:12:18 - Gowns That Trapped Odors
01:18:57 - Queen Elizabeth’s Face Paste
01:25:52 - Marie Antoinette’s Toilette
01:32:38 - Medieval Mouths and Bad Breath
01:39:27 - Royal Feet, Regal Reek
01:46:40 - Corsets and Sweat
01:53:37 - Musk: From Sexy to Skunky
02:00:15 - Church Incense Overload
02:06:02 - Courtship by Nose
02:12:19 - The No-Bathing “Health” Trend
02:18:42 - Secrets of the Bedchamber
02:24:00 - Royal Children and Baby Stink
02:29:04 - Fragrance Fails in the New World
02:34:42 - The Fall of the Fragrant Throne

This special episode in the Boring History for Sleep series uncovers what royalty really smelled like behind the velvet curtains of the Middle Ages. Every drop of perfume and palace whisper is told in a soft, sarcastic tone—perfect for drifting off to sleep while learning something weird.

🎵 Music used in this video:
"Daytime Forest Bonfire"
Source: YouTube Audio Library

#boringhistory #historyforsleep #medievallife