Tearing Down Twain?

[Martin Hash]

Kill the knights and then what? Democracy?

Hell, you got to come a long way up the civilization curve before there’s an alternative to being enslaved.

[Speaker to Animals]

Kill the knights and then what? Democracy?

Hell, you got to come a long way up the civilization curve before there’s an alternative to being enslaved.

Why kill the knights?

Just hide for a year and a day. I get the impression you haven't really been very exposed to actual history of the medieval period.

[Fife]

Why kill the knights?

Just hide for a year and a day. I get the impression you haven't really been very exposed to actual history of the medieval period.

You realize you're talking to an accounting student there, right?

[Martin Hash]

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

[Speaker to Animals]

Why kill the knights?

Just hide for a year and a day. I get the impression you haven't really been very exposed to actual history of the medieval period.

You realize you're talking to an accountant, right?

Most of them hid for a year and a day in the cities!

[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.

[Martin Hash]

Who the fuck you talking about? Your mom? Your sister? Your 14-year old nephew? Your grandpa? Jesus, man, even a strong man has little chance on their own. Everyone else, after the menfolk have been killed, slavery is better.

[Hanarchy Montanarchy]

Living in the forest?

Nothing but road agents and cut-purses poaching the Lairds hares.

To the racks with them.

[Speaker to Animals]

Who the fuck you talking about? Your mom? Your sister? Your 14-year old nephew? Your grandpa? Jesus, man, even a strong man has little chance on their own. Everyone else, after the menfolk have been killed, slavery is better.

Are you talking about serfs escaping to the cities?? Dude, that's literally how the cities were populated.

[GloryofGreece]

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?