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It depends on the era but it wasn't uncommon for nobles to be six inches taller than their vassals. The serfs would raise the pigs and the nobles would get to
by samatman 4y ago
It depends on the era but it wasn't uncommon for nobles to be six inches taller than their vassals.
The serfs would raise the pigs and the nobles would get to eat them more than a few times a year.
We saw in the 20th century what adequate protein can do for a population, many times. Nobles were often genetically distinct from the people they ruled as well, conquest being what it was, but that part isn't necessary, the surplus of protein is sufficient to explain it.
- oblio 4y agoThe average male height in Spain grew from 163cm to 177cm between 1910 and now, with most of the growth happening after Franco's fall. For reference the average male height in the US is 175cm. Young male Spaniards apparently have an average height of about 179cm but Spain has a super high life expectancy so the older generations are around for a really long time (ergo lower average) :-) In the past there were a ton of jokes about Southern Europeans being short. Guess what, they were just malnourished, it seems. I've seen the same thing in Romania. After the fall of communism in 1989, the average height went up (I don't know the exact numbers) and at least in developed parts of the country the average male height seems to be going towards 180cm or even taller... (rural areas tend to have shorter people, still, again, because of nutrition issues).