Mattresses during the Renaissance

It feels like at times the metal spring mattress has been with us forever, but in reality, it evolved from some pretty old fashioned designs from back in the days of the Renaissance. Often used on top of metal beds, the feather-stuffed mattress was often filled with bugs and other living creatures, which often led to bites and other infestation issues. Depending on who you were and how wealthy you are, your mattress could be stuffed with different things. If you lived out in the country, your bed was likely stuffed with straw or with grass.

If you were a lord or a duke of some kind, chances are, you might have had an old fashion mattress pad of moss or soft fabric like wool to help cushion the feeling of your not so wonderful mattress. If you were wealthy or royalty, chances are, your mattress could be stuffed with feathers or goose down, but even these mattresses were nothing compared to the ones we enjoy today. There was nothing to compare with modern memory foam or other types of mattresses. It goes without saying that we have it much better today than people did back in the Renaissance.

Of course, it is important to remember that problems such as homelessness and poverty were much worse back then compared to what they are now. Millions of people back in the olden days had no mattress to speak of at all. Back then, an organic mattress really was organic, but thankfully, we’ve moved on from straw, grass and feathers to modern memory foam and other advanced materials.