What age was actually considered ‘old’ in Medieval Europe?

What age was actually considered ‘old’ in Medieval Europe?

Picture a stereotypical scene in a medieval village. What do you imagine? Children playing in the dirty unpaved street perhaps, maybe two men on top of a cottage fixing the thatch, perhaps a young woman sweeping the front step, worrying about her elderly 35-year-old mother who is dying in the back room… of old age.  What’s wrong with this picture? According to many articles discussing popular misconceptions about history, there’s a pervasive myt…