Tearing Down Twain?

[Speaker to Animals]

When somebody gets lost in the woods, after 10 days they’re assumed dead.

In the medieval period, it was very easy for the typical serf to survive in the woods. They were tougher than the toughest rednecks in their own way. Most of them ran off to the cities, though. That's how the cities grew so fast in the medieval period, and the Prince-Bishop that ruled over the city probably didn't care about Baron TazorFace's escaped serfs. It would be pretty easy for a guy like you to escape serfdom.

The real issue is that, in England at least, the life of a serf was actually pretty good. To make it in the cities, you had to compete, and be smart. It was a lot of work and only the best managed to secure better qualities of life than they had. In the forest, you don't have many comforts to go with your freedom. Lots of people were quite happy living as serfs. They had better lives, normalized for technological and scientific progress, than the average American worker today. Lots more time with their families. Lots more free time, and they kept a solid portion of their yield.

Shit was a bit different on the continent and as you traveled eastward.

England was special.

What do you think of Ian Mortimer's books? Good/accurate as far you can tell?

So as far as you know life was generally worse for serfs the further east you went through Europe?

Off topic, but do you know why the Spanish didn't conquer Granada until the end of the 15th century? From what I've read the Christens had control of all the rest of Spain by the 12th century. So why'd it take 300 more years to take a city...in fighting between Spanish Lords and Granada was really well defended?

I never read those Time Traveler books. Almost bought one once.

The life of serfs outside England was much worse, but they could still escape to cities in most places. I think the HRE eventually stopped the practice. The lives of serfs in Eastern Europe was awful.

In general, royalty wanted large cities and the only way to populate them was from stealing serfs from manners of their vassals. This was especially true after periodic plague outbreaks in those cities. The rise of urbanization resulted in the decline of mannorialism.

Not sure about Granada.

[GloryofGreece]

In the medieval period, it was very easy for the typical serf to survive in the woods. They were tougher than the toughest rednecks in their own way. Most of them ran off to the cities, though. That's how the cities grew so fast in the medieval period, and the Prince-Bishop that ruled over the city probably didn't care about Baron TazorFace's escaped serfs. It would be pretty easy for a guy like you to escape serfdom.

The real issue is that, in England at least, the life of a serf was actually pretty good. To make it in the cities, you had to compete, and be smart. It was a lot of work and only the best managed to secure better qualities of life than they had. In the forest, you don't have many comforts to go with your freedom. Lots of people were quite happy living as serfs. They had better lives, normalized for technological and scientific progress, than the average American worker today. Lots more time with their families. Lots more free time, and they kept a solid portion of their yield.

Shit was a bit different on the continent and as you traveled eastward.

England was special.

What do you think of Ian Mortimer's books? Good/accurate as far you can tell?

So as far as you know life was generally worse for serfs the further east you went through Europe?

Off topic, but do you know why the Spanish didn't conquer Granada until the end of the 15th century? From what I've read the Christens had control of all the rest of Spain by the 12th century. So why'd it take 300 more years to take a city...in fighting between Spanish Lords and Granada was really well defended?

I never read those Time Traveler books. Almost bought one once.

The life of serfs outside England was much worse, but they could still escape to cities in most places. I think the HRE eventually stopped the practice. The lives of serfs in Eastern Europe was awful.

In general, royalty wanted large cities and the only way to populate them was from stealing serfs from manners of their vassals. This was especially true after periodic plague outbreaks in those cities. The rise of urbanization resulted in the decline of mannorialism.

Not sure about Granada.

If you were recommending 3-5 books on Medieval history to someone with just a cursory understanding of the time which would you say you should read?

[Speaker to Animals]

What do you think of Ian Mortimer's books? Good/accurate as far you can tell?

So as far as you know life was generally worse for serfs the further east you went through Europe?

Off topic, but do you know why the Spanish didn't conquer Granada until the end of the 15th century? From what I've read the Christens had control of all the rest of Spain by the 12th century. So why'd it take 300 more years to take a city...in fighting between Spanish Lords and Granada was really well defended?

I never read those Time Traveler books. Almost bought one once.

The life of serfs outside England was much worse, but they could still escape to cities in most places. I think the HRE eventually stopped the practice. The lives of serfs in Eastern Europe was awful.

In general, royalty wanted large cities and the only way to populate them was from stealing serfs from manners of their vassals. This was especially true after periodic plague outbreaks in those cities. The rise of urbanization resulted in the decline of mannorialism.

Not sure about Granada.

If you were recommending 3-5 books on Medieval history to someone with just a cursory understanding of the time which would you say you should read?

You should ask Alexander that.

[heydaralon]

What do you think of Ian Mortimer's books? Good/accurate as far you can tell?

So as far as you know life was generally worse for serfs the further east you went through Europe?

Off topic, but do you know why the Spanish didn't conquer Granada until the end of the 15th century? From what I've read the Christens had control of all the rest of Spain by the 12th century. So why'd it take 300 more years to take a city...in fighting between Spanish Lords and Granada was really well defended?

I never read those Time Traveler books. Almost bought one once.

The life of serfs outside England was much worse, but they could still escape to cities in most places. I think the HRE eventually stopped the practice. The lives of serfs in Eastern Europe was awful.

In general, royalty wanted large cities and the only way to populate them was from stealing serfs from manners of their vassals. This was especially true after periodic plague outbreaks in those cities. The rise of urbanization resulted in the decline of mannorialism.

Not sure about Granada.

If you were recommending 3-5 books on Medieval history to someone with just a cursory understanding of the time which would you say you should read?

Check out 1453 by Roger Crowly. It is about the siege of constantinople which some marl as the end of the middle ages. Great book! Also check out a distant mirror by Barbara Tuchmann. It is set in 14th Century France. The Tudors by GJ Meyer is really good too. Diarmond McCullough History of Christianity talks a lot about the Middle Ages and the Church. Also Tom Hollands The Forge of Christendom is a great summary do the events around the tenth and eleventh century AD. William Howarths 1066 is about William the Conquerors is about the Norman Invasion. All of these books are totally solid and would be fine places to start

[DBTrek]

If you were recommending 3-5 books on Medieval history to someone with just a cursory understanding of the time which would you say you should read?

Le Morte d'Arthur
Dungeons and Dragons Players Habdbook
Lord of the Rings trilogy

[Speaker to Animals]

Seriously, ask Alexander. You have this resource available. Might as well use it.

[heydaralon]

I haven't seen Flip around lately. He will probably show up after the next Hardcore History is released and tear Dan a new asshole on all of his historical inaccuracies. His critique of Celtic Holocaust was brutal