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rohirwine

WFG Retired
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Everything posted by rohirwine

  1. Happy birthday Irishstag! Have a good one!
  2. And stay calm, if stick on a point, do not get nervous, pass to another exercise, then try another time. Good Luck!
  3. Yes, i'm curious to know the disasters we could have nurtured...
  4. 30, last march... Seems that me and Bernd lead the race (as long as Gilluin doesn't vote... )
  5. Guardian, it is somehow hilarious, but maybe it's not so suited to the forums since there are some 12ers that roam here from time to time, isn't it?
  6. Basically the same here, but scholars tend to stick with the "discovery of America" for this one. Actually those dates do not matter much if not to have a timeline and a sketchy division of periods (some scholars make the Medieval age end with the Black Death in the middle of XIV cent., as istance): those are subtleties better left to boring erudites.
  7. Well said, the battle was so called because the Flemish captured (or pillaged, form the deads) so many spurs that they had them hung in a cathedral (Burge's or Ghent's one?, can't remember). According to Kelly DeVries's Infantry warfare in the early XIV cent. (who treated also other battles like Arcs, Bannockburn or Halidon Hill), the Flemish won because they prepared the field, stayed firm and compact against the cavalry charge, and because the french did not recognize the danger of retreating in a terrain crossed by dikes, and trenches purposedly excavated by the Flemish. Basically, after the first wave was blocked, the second wave charged in without letting their comrades to retreat, thus ending in a total chaos and loosing the momentum... ...it seems that after that (and some other victories achieved in the same manner) the Flemish did not realize exactly that to stop a cavalry charge, things had to be arranged in the same way, and subsequently lost some important if not decisive fights.
  8. Well, Amy, this is correct if you think about the "modern" period (i intend: from the XVI cent. onwards), when those rules were codified to prevent other influent high-middle class personalities to raise to the aristocracy level. And you're absolutly correct when you state that the term (and the meaning) originates from the greeks. During late Roman period and the middle ages, though, this class was somehow more fluid. It depended heavily on the favours granted by the ruler king (or emperor). Etius (Ezio) one of the best generals of the late western roman empire, was of barbarian origin but was granted the title of Patritius (Patrice) by the emperor (and was killed by other Patritii, when he got too much power). Similarly othe figures emerged during the dark ages and the feudal period, with a tendency to sclerotization though.
  9. I think (but i'm not sure) when industrialization and inhurbation reached the country (surely after 1749, prolly around 1800). The migration of farmers and peasants to the towns and cities, and their growing dependence from english financers and induatrials made the adopting of the english way of life quite easier. BTW: this is the time when the legend of the tartan was created. No clans with a particular tartan colour existed before that time: it was Robert L. Stevenson who forged (or made a document being forged) the proofs of that and spread this hoax. It was the time of the growing of nationalisms, scots needed something to focus their national feelings on: a symbol, the Tartan. A good reading about it: The invention of Tradition edited by Eric J. Hobsbaum.
  10. Magna Charta: it was not the crumble of feudalism, but the victory of the nobles against the king. Sometimes we have to decript things written by medieval men: when they write "freemen" they intend not all men who were free, but basically nobility. The rights they asked for were for aristocracy only, in relation of the king. Sidenote: many nobles were unhappy with John since the loss of Normandy to the french crown, hence the loss of feudal holdings in that region. John conducted a well planned campaign against the french king Philip (IV?) , but could only strengthen his holdings and not regain Normandy, since his allies from Flanders and from the Holy Roman Empire (the Emperor itself) moved so slowly against France that they were fought separately and were defeated. The nobles were veeeery angry about many promises being made by John, much more money being spent (many soldiers were mercenaries) out from their chests and nothing tangible being gained... ...they wanted to be assured not to be forced to give feudal services (money and partecipation to the war) if they did not want to...
  11. Sidenote: after the stabilization of the Norman reign, new classes emerged from the towns. The bugeoises. Not intended in the modern sense, they were free people, who quite often were free from feudal obliges (but owed a tribute and some form of military service to the king) and practiced artisan activities. Not much important in the beginning, but with a growing influence over the years. Nice summing up Klaas!
  12. Yeah it's not always clear when an era ends and begins another (there is the fascinating issue of long duration phenomena: characteristics wich tend to remain influent for over than an historical period). But i'd left out Henry the VIII, since his struggle with the Pope has much more to do with the religion clashes and the founding of the modern state typical of the subsequent historical period (wich in Italy we call "modern", while we call "contemporary" the one starting from the french revolution: as you can see it's diffcult to share the same definitions...)
  13. Then you'll have to find some work very soon: those bankers tend to be greedy...
  14. Be careful not to get too spammy (but there is plenty of spaces where you can "beef up" a bit... )!
  15. *bows* and * to Klaas* (forgot to do that in the previous post, lol) Thanks for the repup!
  16. Hehe, lol. Those are my feelings, i can't help feeling them... ...uh, sorry for the word me*s (can i say me*s on the forums?) *bows*
  17. Wife, please. j/k The greatest thing? Well if i think of my days without her, i can think of them only in greys... ...beside that she has a exceptional will-power, and a great sense of ethic.
  18. Robert stay calm, cool down! j/k I'm sure that Tim will introduce her here as soon as he's sure that we all will behave correctly! (j/k again)
  19. Getting a heart attack, i suppose.... ...paying my loan with the bank (to pay our house). Then who knows? A fair amount of it would go to NGOs surely (Amnesty, Emergency, Med. sans frontiers, Red Cross and so on...) Maybe i'd buy me a sailing boat (not abig one) and save the rest for the future... ...should i wait for the check then? ...when will it arrive?
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