There's a reason we share so many history memes on this site. Sure, they're almost always funny. But the real reason is that there is just so much material to choose from. Memes are being made using crap that has happened over the span of thousands of years. And that means there's something for enthusiasts of nearly every period of history. Into memes about Ancient Greece and Rome? Well, they're everywhere. Prefer memes about the Middle Ages? Those are pretty prolific as well. Don't even get us started on World War II memes. There are plenty, but we have to be a little more careful with 'em due to the utter bleakness of the subject matter. So if you're looking for some historical entertainment, chances are we'll have a good meme for you in here. Don't thank us - thank the past.
middle ages
We've got a real treat for anyone who has a deep appreciation for both art history and internet culture. These memes put a contemporary twist on renaissance, medieval and classical art. The combination of these two disparate visual mediums is funny in itself and many of the dramatic expressions of characters depicted in old paintings can really transcend time with the right funny caption. It's pretty to fun imagine Byzantine artists as epic memelords of the Middle Ages.
Throughout the history of civilization, art has been an unparalleled tool for understanding the zeitgeist of a given era. Call us crazy, but we like to think that memes are a lot like classical paintings if you think about them as cultural documents of the time. A lot of art from the past have even been reappropriated into memes. The scenes captured in Medieval and Neoclassical paintings often depict expressive and dramatic characters that one would be crazy not to try and meme today. Was Caravaggio just a pioneer of the Baroque or was he actually a 17th century memelord? We've got a bunch of great classical art memes that prove art is truly timeless.
Sick and tired of history memes from the twentieth century? Well you're in luck - this gallery contains 20 dank memes from the times of the Wild West, also known as the Middle Ages. What the f*ck people were doing back then, we'll never truly understand.
Gesǣlig Eastordæg! Or something like that.
At this point we're all aware of the cursed nature of medieval cat art. Their strangely human painted faces are the stuff of bad trips, or for the innocent, nightmares. While we've learned to accept their demonic yet depressed vibe, Twitter user @DannyDutch has clued us into some more fascinating (and slightly freaky) medieval animal art. His thread boasts 17 examples of medieval artists saying "f*ck it, i think this is what xyz animal looks like." And while sometimes the artists hit the nail mostly on the head, some have left us either laughing at their absurdity or feeling slightly disturbed. However these artifacts make you feel, we can be sure of one thing: art and world travel have both come a long way since the Middle Ages.
It's either a joint or a delicious burrito.
First of all, what the f*ck was up with artwork in the middle ages? It's like no one had any idea what a cat actually looked like. Luckily for us, it's provided for some excellent entertainment and ridiculous meme-age. Click here for some more medieval memes that made us wonder what the hell was going on back then.
If we're just going by the artwork created, the middle ages were a f*cking strange time, but we're kind of a fan given how many great memes have resulted from it.
These memes contain a solid mix of bizarre art, interesting history tidbits and of course, trebuchets - because memes about Medieval times wouldn't be complete without those.
The Middle Ages, which lasted from the 5th to the 15th century, was no doubt a fascinating period of time for any history nerd out there. But perhaps one of the most fascinating parts of it was some of the extremely WTF-worthy art that came out of it. If you're not sure what we're talking about here, just scroll down to see!
