Status Updates From A Distant Mirror: The Calam...

Late century Turk threats on Constantinople and Hungary

Richard II impulsive abuses actions against his own nobles led to his own demise. Also he may have been neurotic by the issues of his time. The peasants revolt, the lollard heresies, lawless bandits throughout his kingdom.

Charles VI’s wife Isabaeu of Bavaria took full advantage of his madness and essentially lived as extravagantly and decadently as possible. Looting Charles’s estates and putting them into her own german family’s hands, being a glutton and dying obese. She favored the crown of Henry V over her own son for France. Insane decadence and abuse of government

When King Charles of France started becoming mad for the last 20 years of his life starting in the 1390s, it led to all sorts of investigations and interest in remedies, which also gave more public attention on sorcery and the occult and eventually condemning of witches. One thing leads to another.

European powers seek peace between England and France in the late century but England absolutely refuses to give up the Port of Calais and they complain that the French use over flowery and complex language, whereas the English are more direct and to the point in their speech, even though both parties technically are speaking French since the English nobles are of Norman stock.

European powers seek peace between England and France in the late century but England absolutely refuses to give up the Port of Calais and they complain that the French use over flowery and complex language, whereas the English are more direct and to the point in their speech, even though both parties technically are speaking French since the English nobles are of Norman stock.

“On the downward slope of the middle ages, man had lost confidence in his ability to construct a good society.”

While the population of europe dropped 40-50% between 1300-1400, there was pros and cons for the survivors. There were less people to repair and maintain infrastructure and buildings of society, but people had more food and more money circulating. Its like living well enough in a world leftover that was way larger than now.

Decadent fashions in one court: men curling their hair, pointing their beards into two points, women putting huge elaborate shells over their ears so that they had to turn sideways to enter doors. Interesting.

1389 mass Catholic issues over the immaculate conception, even though Thomas Aquinas said she was conceived in original sin and that was the orthodox position. The strife and controversy of the time led the Pope to accept immaculate conception. And some background on King Wenceslaus’s drunken reign and how the hussite rebellion cause him to die in a fit of apoplexy

Knights were waging war for the chivalric opportunity to do valor, not merely for a goal. They enjoyed the struggle of war itself. The Crusades added a religious element to this same impulse.

Chaucer repented of everything he wrote that was not pious before he died so that he might be saved “on the day of doom.”