I think that's what was meant by "Middle Ages/ early Renaissance" in the comment above. In this time period, literacy was a rare advantage. For instance, in ear

I think that's what was meant by "Middle Ages/ early Renaissance" in the comment above. In this time period, literacy was a rare advantage. For instance, in early modern England, literate people were not subject to ordinary criminal courts on a first offense. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benefit_of_clergy https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benefit_of_clergy