Position:Home>History> What was the average life span of men and women from the years 1450a.d. to 1600

Actually not as low as you might think!. It's true that the average life expectancy for a person AT BIRTH (that's a major qualifier) was about 30-35 , BUT that's because it's figuring in all of the children who died in infancy and early childhood, and childhood mortality was high!. Once you made it to adulthood, your odds of living a long life went up very sharply!.

35 was not considered old in most places; most women were still having children at that age!. 50 was not particularly old either; it's true that Henry VIII died in his 50s but that's because he had a number of health problems related to STDs and obesity; his daughter Elizabeth lived to 70 and several of his other relatives and advisors and courtiers lived to be what we today would consider old (70s, 80s)!.

From the link at the bottom:

"Average life expectancy at birth for English people in the late 16th/early 17th centuries was just under 40 –39!.7 years!. However, this low figure was mostly due to the high rate of infant and child mortality – over 12% of all children born would die within their first year!. A man or woman who reached the age of 30 could expect to live to 59!."

In Plimoth, Massachusetts only a few years after 1600, and where life was HARDER than it was in Europe due to the starvation and Indian attack, etc!., the average life expectancy for a young adult (i!.e!. somebody who had lived past infancy and childhood illnesses) was in the 60s!. That's shorter than today's lifespan (which is in the 70s in America) but not that much!.

also remember that's the 'average' life span, so there were many people who lived much longer than that in the Middle Ages and early America!. 70 was not uncommon at all even in the poor classes (you probably wouldn't have many teeth but otherwise!.!.!.), 80 wasn't that rare (certainly any goodsized village would have at least a couple of 80 year olds) and believe it or not 100 was not unheard of; there was a peasant woman in Queen Mary I's England whose 100th birthday the queen herself attended as a matter of fascination!.

also, while deaths in childbirth were a lot more common then than now, they weren't as common as a lot of novels and movies imply!. Only a small minority of women died in childbirth; most died of natural causes!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

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I think not more than 120 years because it's says so in the Bible God won't allow people to live for more than 120 yearsWww@QuestionHome@Com

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The average life span at that time was 35 to 37!. The age of 50 was exceedingly old!. Members of a monarchy staff generally aged to 45 with members of the king's staff to 50!. Rarely did anyone live beyond 50-55!. Read about Henry VIII, or Mary or Elizabeth!. Overall age was curtailed because they burned so many at the stake, but normal life was 37 due to lack of medicines, withdrawal of blood treatments, influenza, plague and unsanitary conditions!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

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Short and brutal!. If you lived past 35, you were lucky!. If you made it past 50, WOW!

Just think, if you have had penicillin in your life, you'd probably be a dead medieval peasant!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

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