That was a point made in one of the Connections TV shows about privacy -
the replacement of central fires under holes in the roof by fireplaces with
chimneys allows for the separation of functions by room, as it goes along
with interior walls. Bedrooms become standard instead of everyone sleeping
in the hall. Likewise, the hall itself, which had been an all-purpose room,
starts to clone in larger palaces - dining halls become distinct from
dedicated rooms for dancing to instrumental music. The romances of the 13th
and 14th century still show a culture where most of the common life was
still in the dining hall, though (though they may have been deliberately
archaizing).
It's also worth remembering that this is still a period with no fixed court
- down to the Elizabethan period the royal court keeps moving around, and
much of the time was staying with prominent nobles rather than at the royal
palaces (for fiscal as well as social reasons). So local conditions would
have varied considerably.
no subject
That was a point made in one of the Connections TV shows about privacy - the replacement of central fires under holes in the roof by fireplaces with chimneys allows for the separation of functions by room, as it goes along with interior walls. Bedrooms become standard instead of everyone sleeping in the hall. Likewise, the hall itself, which had been an all-purpose room, starts to clone in larger palaces - dining halls become distinct from dedicated rooms for dancing to instrumental music. The romances of the 13th and 14th century still show a culture where most of the common life was still in the dining hall, though (though they may have been deliberately archaizing).
It's also worth remembering that this is still a period with no fixed court - down to the Elizabethan period the royal court keeps moving around, and much of the time was staying with prominent nobles rather than at the royal palaces (for fiscal as well as social reasons). So local conditions would have varied considerably.