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In reality though, feudalism was just one notch above pastoral slavery. You had no rights, most people were trapped into poverty and bound to a plot of land to
by chrisco255 1y ago
In reality though, feudalism was just one notch above pastoral slavery. You had no rights, most people were trapped into poverty and bound to a plot of land to work on the rest of their lives. The vast majority were not nobility so were given breadcrumbs. Wars were brutal and constant, bows were as deadly as firearms for a couple centuries, as evidenced by the Commanche even into the 1800s (they took more skill to train though). Only after capitalism and factories did anyone get empowered to improve this situation.
- crazygringo 1y agoOh, absolutely. But here everybody gets to cosplay as nobility -- knights and princesses and such. Or the "saucy wench" in the tavern, or the court jester or whatever. And merchants. It's definitely about the pre-industrial courtly romanticism of it, not the reality of an average person at the time.
- bluGill 1y agoEveryone at a fair is a noble, or merchant. Very had very different rights, and a much better lifestyle (realistically common merchants were probably worse off, but we pretend they were better). The peasants were not invited to see a joust - some did see it, but only because they were servants who's job happen to put them in the right spot.
- IAmBroom 1y ago"Invited to see" is not "allowed to see". I suspect tournaments were heavily attended by any peasants who could get there. Their money, however hard-scramble, was just as useful to merchants selling meat pies, fried sweetened breads, and beer/wine.