h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Just finished reading a translation of selected passages of Froissart's Chronicles. A book I've been meaning to read for ages.

It is a fascinating insight into the mentallity of the times and truly european in its outlook. You really get a feel for how all the different nations were basically a bunch of different families vying for position and control.

The bit about the Jacquerie in france was really interesting - but what really got me was a) the families involved - some of these families are still current in the movers and shakers of our time over 700 yrs later and b) the attitudes.

There was one bit that really caught my eye where Froissart was staying with a King whose base was somewhere on the modern border of France and Spain. He was talking to a squire of about 55 yrs who'd been there and done that. He'd been in most of the major battles of the 100 yrs war and many of the local derby's in europe (no mean feat to have survived that!) and was telling Froissart about his life. Like when he was kicked out of a castle he had won and ended up back on the road with his men. Realised he had got nothing and wanted the lifestyle back he sent men out to survey the local area and focussed on a local castle with not much defence. Decided to raid the castle and grab the Lord's kids for rasnom. Didn't quite manage it but what got me was that this was OK. This was how things worked.

And the Jacqurie as well. Marauding bands of middle class persons leading working class forces who raided castles and killed and raped those who owned them. Yet once in - they became the same as those they had replaced. Just goes to show that the idea that the noble families of europe are just robber barons made good.

But there was a social justive to this. The way the kings and knights and squires and barons (etc) dealt with each other could be most humane. Strange times it must be said. But fascinating - especially the power of the people at the time when most assume they had none at all.

redent = recent of course. Beer is the cause as well as the cure of all problems

Yes, of dource it is. Darry on.

I was expecting something salient about the architecture of fortresses and battlements....

Alright, I'll read his chronicle. The 15th century is usually reserved by me for pot boiler fiction, but I will DOB, DOB, DOB.

As for a salient response, that will depend on my temper, availability and cumulative alcohol ingestion.

Actually, seeing as the book deals in part with besieging a castle, I thought the typo was apropos:

A redent is an architectural design in a fortification in which two parapets are configured so as to present a unified face, forming a salient angle toward the enemy...



Drink on!

a fortuitous typo then for I didn't know that

The extracts translated are more to do with who fought who and where, who married who, who killed who etc. Interesting as my interest is in the 15th century and this stuff from the 14th century gives some useful insights into what happened next.

Although the speech, as translated, is a bit monty python holy grail ish Had to laugh at some of the dialogue between knights being all chivalrous and honourable