#medieval musings

[that-fellow-from-dres]

hai ari whats ur dream fashion style? not like what you dress like now, but what u wish u could wear? :33

Well, 15th century armour of many varieties...

This is the early 15th century style -note the smooth, short breastplate and the relatively long fauld or 'skirt of plates' to protect the lower abdomen. This is the kind of armour that would have been worn by Jeanne d'arc, and indeed her English enemies.

The early 15th century is also where we start to see the dying out of cloth coverings for most soldiers, like these rather fetching fellows and their excellent tabard. There's a move towards bare metal as the 1400s progress.

Further forward we see the Burgundian style come into its own, and I really do like their look. I do love me some brigandine, something like what the fellow in white is wearing.

Something that also appears in Burgundy are various depictions of the armour people belived the great heroes of the past wore -this is fantasy armour in a time when plate armour was arguably at its peak importance, and it looks cool as fuck.

Following this, we have the pinnacle of the German Gothic style. And goddamn is that shit sexy.

Special mention to brigandine again. That shit slaps So hard, it's almost as proctective as full solid plate (there's not much in it), it's more flexible and it looks SO GOOOOOD like look at this shit

(this is a more fantastical design but it still holds up)

Plus, they can get SUUUUPER fancy too!

The second of these isn't a super high quality image but I've seen it in person and it is stunning. The fabric it uses is actually an off-cut from the late Queen Elizabeth II's sofa!

Plus, special mention to chinese brigandine armour, of which there are so many cool styles. this is a Ming dynasty example, and man I gotta learn more about chinese arms and armour it looks cool as shit

Aside from medieval armour, I do very much dig the sorta fantasy-piratical aesthetic. Tall boots, corsets, funky hats, big long flowing coats and frilly shirts... What's not to love!?

[the-knight-sir-dres]

Crotal Bells are a kind of small metal bell that were common in the Medieval period.

Aside from being the inspiration for the pokémon Chingling, crotal bells were used on horses as way to warn pedestrians that they were approaching. Their fairly high pitched jangle let them be heard from a reasonable distance, and it would also let any pedestrians know how fast the horse was travelling, as the patterns of ringing would be different depending on whether the horse was walking, trotting, cantering or galloping. Pretty useful stuff in a crowded street where you'd rather not be run over when you turn the corner.

We think they may have also been used by knights as a way to get their horses used to the clanking and clacking of plate harness later on.

Depictions of court jesters during the Medieval period show them with bells on the end of their hats:

This produced much the same jangling effect when the jester walked as when they were attached to a horse. In fact, the long pointy parts of a jester's hat were originally imitating the ears of a donkey, before eventually becoming its own thing. In other words, the fool's hat worn by court jesters is essentially an equivalent of and a precursor to a modern person (furry?) wearing a dog's collar and leash.

WE'VE BEEN DOING IT FOR CENTURIES, FELLAS

[cowboyscaviar]

thinking soooo many crazy thoughts rn

[calisources]

𝐖𝐇𝐎 𝐈𝐒 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐇𝐄𝐈𝐑? 𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐄 𝐎𝐅 𝐒𝐔𝐂𝐂𝐄𝐒𝐒𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐒𝐔𝐂𝐂𝐄𝐒𝐒𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐁𝐋𝐄𝐒.

All these quotes are taken from different media and some made from scratch about the royal succession line and the troubles it brought during a medieval/fantasy period. Change pronouns, names, titles and locations as you see fit.

You poison a king so that they may take his place.

Have no fear, Stark. I was only keeping it warm for our friend Robert. It's not a very comfortable seat, I'm afraid.

I swear to you, sitting a throne is a thousand times harder than winning one.

Seat Stannis on the Iron Throne and I promise you, the realm will bleed.

I will claim the Iron Throne by myself, with your swords and your allegiance.

If Daenerys is no more than a sweet young girl, the Iron Throne will cut her into sweet young pieces.

Princess Catherine. Your loss has endeared you to the people. They share your grief.

 You've had your courses for days, but you do not tell anyone. I don't understand.

God would have me wed Prince Harry.

But you are his brother's widow. It is impossible. It is forbidden.

I am every inch the soldier... And commander.

In England, widows don't handle swords, much less a widow carrying a prince in her womb. 

And I'll wager that you were praying for a boy.

My mother is already planning my next marriage, though in God's eyes it will be my first marriage.

If you are still a maid, then, Catherine, I can be your husband. 

I will raise you up, you... you and all of England. You will be my princess and... and my queen.

Ten years since the king has been on the throne and there is no heir apparent. Only his brother, gods forbid. 

Daughters don’t inherit, sons do. 

You have a son but you must have a spare too. Gods know what would happen if the boy dies.

The line of succession is clear on these matters. Girls are the last resource.

I am a woman, whoever I marry must be clear on his duty. He is not the crown, I am.

His Majesty has no male heir and will have none but he, Buckingham will succeed to the throne.

By assassinating His Majesty.

Right of Conquest is still a rightful way to gain a throne. Has anyone banned it as a law?

Will you like it when an old man tries to make love to you?

 God forbid that the king should abandon her just to ease his own conscience. I don't think the English people would ever forgive him.

She is threatening the peace in this realm by playing the king with empty promises. No one can predict a son. 

Perhaps the succession must change, this dynasty is large and will survive.

Your Majesty, I beg that you yield to the King's will.

To your wife, the mother of your child. You treat me so unkindly and in public neglect me.

You think he might invade England in support of the queen?

You underestimate the support he/she has with the smallfolk and highborn alike. They would  go to war if you dismiss them.

Perhaps, one day this little girl will preside over empires.

Now I am indeed Queen.

Perhaps Elizabeth isn't even mine! 

Perhaps there should be reasons to annul the marriage and make the king consider marry another. He is still young. 

Nothing like a young bride to make a man forget his troubles. 

He will have his heir or else he will have my head.

Tell Sir Francis to double the guards around the Princess Mary and defend her with their life- for if the King dies, some will be for the boy, others for her.

There shall be a proclamation soon, the king shall announce his heir and the realm will rest.

A lifetime of building an empire can fall in a day because of the wrong successor to the empire.

It is not by blood, anyhow, that man's true continuity is established.

He became their king by right of blood; he's held the position by beating the crap out of anyone who tries to take it away.

When the crown is weak and struggles, anyone can come and sweep it away. And in this world, it is allowed.

This small council tried to work out what that meant for the line of succession.

If she were to wed him, her claim to the throne will increase, as her popularity. 

While the king entertains the highborns, the prince/princess makes friends with the people they rule. The decision is easy.

Whoever he marries is as important as how many heirs he can produce. 

Sons are good for the realm, Daughters are good for alliances. 

My father chose me, his firstborn child, to succeed him. He held to his decision until death.

They stole my crown and murdered my daughter, and they shall answer for it.

I would rather feed my sons to the dragons, than have them carry spears and cups for your drunken, usurper cunt of a king.

I understand why you're angry. And you are my sister and technically have a claim to the throne. And believe me, I would love for someone else to rule. But it can't be you.

Father would hate to see you sit in his seat, when it was never you he chose.

The pretty decent king split the crown between his heirs.

Proclamations are good, but this should have been in written, send to every corner of the world. Now we have war.

When the king needed to be replaced, one of the royal family would be elected to be the new king.

Succession is never peaceful. The King new this and the reason he called a council for his new heir to be chosen.

The line must always continue.

That little bit of dragon blood in him allowed Robert Baratheon to sit on the throne and continue.

Our son is a wastrel and a halfwit. We shudder to think of the throne in his hands.

My greatest hope is that you will surpass me in every way, consigning my name to some forgotten corner of history.

What's most important is what he isn't like—his father. I think you'll find him to be a reasonable man.

The King is easily controlled by those in his council. All too happy to give some of the power away to another.

A king is a martyr to their ideals.

If the world of men is to survive, a Targaryen must be seated on the Iron Throne.

Women can rule as wise as men, perhaps even more.

Men would sooner put the realm to the torch than see a woman ascend the Iron Throne.

Have you never imagined yourself on the Iron Throne?

We have royal wombs, you and I. The child bed is our battlefield.

Ten years you’ve been king, and yet not once have you asked me to be your Hand.

The princess remains your best bet to step closer to the throne. Seduce her, marry her. 

In the end, history will remember little, as history is written by the winners.

You have not one son now but two, Your Grace. Perhaps some changes to the successions are to be made.

I know why you are here. Men want my crown as much as they want the pleasure of a woman. 

I need to give the realm an heir and plenty of spares. 

What use is to gain a throne if you are already in crisis by having no heir by blood?

I can give you what she never gave you. Another son. 

Are the rumors true, then? There is a child in your belly? 

All of my father’s work will crumble if I leave it all to a weak sickly child.

[pyramultimuse]

@lostxndbroken liked the Starter Roulette, the characters are Grell and Geralt and the theme is Horror AU [Currently Accepting]

Where there is life, there is death. A beginning and an end. But recently peoples ends were coming too soon and were meeting a bloody fate. Woman, or atleast what they could tell from the remains, were being slaughtered in the night. The sounds of screams and a nasty whirling, growling sound of something ripping through flesh and sawing through bone. What was left of the victims would be scattered all over the street and the walls of making an incredibly gruesome sight.

A few had caught sight of the killer on occasion, someone dressed in all red with long flowing red locks. A person? But when they were spotted they could leap effortlessly onto high rooftops and bound from roof to roof and disappear into the night, laughing maliciously as they escaped. The killer had been dubbed Crimson Death, unknowing very appropriate. This murderer was no human, atleast not anymore, they were death incarnate. Reapers, meant to be silent and hidden as they collected the souls of the dying. This particular one had gone rogue, killing people before their time and had a fixation on slaughtering beautiful women. Though more recently men and even children had been killed. Possibly having gotten too close or tried to stop the Crimson Death.

There was only one who could possibly stop the killing spree as the victims were nearing triple digits, who better to deal with the monsters and supernatural than a Witcher. It was their only hope as they feared that the whole city was in danger. People were staying off the streets at night in fear of the Crimson Death, silent and empty like a ghost town. This would make hunting harder.

Grell, the red reaper everyone feared sat atop the rooftop across the street from a brothel. One leg up with his arm resting on his knee as the other leg dangled off the edge, watching like a gargoyle waiting for a possible target. There were definitely people inside, the glow of candles could be seen through the windows and chatter and a lute could be heard. But only a man would enter or leave, no one fitting of a beautiful bloody death.

[lionofchaeronea]

Joan of Arc on Horseback (illumination from fol. 76v of Antoine Dufour's Lives of Celebrated Women), Jean Pichore, 1506

[medieval-elephants]

Medieval chess, or medieval Kinder Surprise?

As mentioned in the previous post, chess originated in India and early chess boards often included a bishop. When the game was popularized in northern Europe, the original pieces continued to be used, although they lost their meaning or were reinterpreted over time. The elephant's tusks eventually became two bumps. Eventually, elephant, chariot, and vizier pieces were given names of officials at northern courts: bishops, knights, and queens. These transitions and designs happened in different ways in different places.

An interesting piece that showing one moment of transition, acquired by Musée de Cluny in 2011, has the abstract elephant shapes with bumps on the outside-- plus a surprise bishop holding a crozier and a book on the inside!

Material: Ivory Date: 12th century? Origin: Cologne? England? Now Paris, Musée de Cluny Cl. 23885

You can play with a 3D version at https://www.musee-moyenage.fr/collection/collections-3D/piece-d-echec-eveque-en-3d.html

[runaway-royals]

༻¨*:·. CROWN PRINCE KENJI SERIZAWA .·:*¨༺ ‎‎

[peculiarbeauty]

also !!! just to say this because it is important to me .. i do care about creating affiliate bonds here w/ people i care about. if you also happen to care about this and want to expand with my blog and ME specifically - please feel free to like this post.

i know i have a couple people featured already on my pinned. they are actually some of my besties here atm !! i care about creating bonds that last for a long time though. affiliation with me doesn't mean exclusivity unless i say otherwise next to their specific name. i currently do not have exclusives here !! only mains. and for the foreseeable future , i probably will not do exclusives. i just like to commemorate people who matter to me and have written countless threads with my belle. the people who stick out and the stories we tell together matter to me.

anyway , sorry for being sappy on main !!! i just LOVE to expand with writers and inevitably , i do keep my circle small with the people's portrayals that stick out. :) <3

[alwaysaqueene]

Open Starter — Test Muse: Prince Alastair — V: Reign of the Phoenix Queen / Phoenix Queen

“Is it childish of me to hope for one true love someday?” Prince Alastair inquired of his companion, sighing as he knew the council would eventually push an arranged marriage on him. His eldest sister, the queen, had promised she’d fight for him to be able to marry for love, but the years were passing and the prince had yet to find someone he genuinely romantically loved.

[the-knight-sir-dres]

If I had to be around any group of people in the Medieval period it would be around autistic knights. They would absolutely thrust their whole pussies into the code of chivalry and would be epic to have around

[calisources]

𝐌𝐄𝐃𝐈𝐄𝐕𝐀𝐋 𝐓𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐌𝐀𝐍𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐏𝐄𝐓𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒 𝐒𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄𝐒 𝐌𝐄𝐌𝐄𝐒.

All of these sentences are mostly taking by my own mind and i'm not joking. It was hard finding material quotes regarding tournaments in historical or fantasy setting. Some are from shows or media but eighty percent is all from my own mind, please give credit if use these. Change pronouns, names, locations as you see fit. All of these involve the medieval event of a tournament and what happens around them.

I fear I am already bending far too many rules just by taking you, my young princess.

Show me your hands, you will have blisters soon.

Lady Eglantine doesn’t believe in love, only lust.

In the world of competition, only the strongest shall prevail.

A true champion is not defined by their victories, but by the obstacles they've overcome.

Victory is sweetest when it's earned through sweat, hard work, and determination.

Will you not participate in the tourney, my lord? 

May I have the honor of wearing your favor today, my lady?

Good luck to you, my Prince.

The tournament is not just a test of skill, but a test of character as well.

Is it always this bloody? Will those poor men die? Someone must see them.

I want him to wear my favor.  Only him. 

If he wins, the knight has the right to name his Queen of Love and Beauty. And at the feast, they shall dance.

Be careful. A tourney is a grand place for courtly love, but also, for blood to rise and affairs to appear.

Call me what you like, say I'm without honor, I don't care. I'm not getting on any more horses to whack you people with a stick.

Kings may be chosen by God, but they still make the mistakes of men.

When even those who rule can sink this low, it is not possible to change anything.

It's my lucky charm, be sure to bring it back to me.

My favorite blue ribbon. Take it.

It will bring you good fortune and you will return from joust unharmed.

I was hoping to ask for the Princess's favor.

How about a kiss, for luck?

Courtly love was the culture around the performance of love at court.

And now, rather than admit these feelings, you're dancing around one another with this mind-numbing and frankly boorish mating ritual.

The knights take on the duties of shadows with pride.

Whoever wins the tournament, shall become the prince/princess’ new betrothed.

You want to marry my daughter? Prove yourself worthy.

Petyr survived only because I begged Brandon not to kill him.

When Petyr heard of my engagement, he challenged Brandon to a duel. 

You do qualify to marry my daughter.

What matters most is who she will give her favor to. 

Her face is one that can create dynasties or crumble empires.

I was hoping for a word before you rode on the tourney, my Prince. 

My brother is the one competing against you, please be gentle with him.

The games are done for the day, please, feast and drink as you wish. 

You have been staring all day, my lord. I was beginning to wonder if I had something in my face.

Any damsel that's in distress - she'll be out of that dress when she meets Jim West.

Great men do not seek power... they have power thrust upon them.

My daughter seems. . .infatuated with you. I have yet to see why.

The princess is naive and thinks any man who is kind means well. A tournament will only show her the reality of life.

You honor the arena with your combat. May your swords and shield preserve the peace.

In the songs all knights are gallant, all maids are beautiful, and the sun is always shining.

I will be brave for Princess Pea.

As a squire, your first duty is to your knight’s armor. Your knight’s armor is more important than your own life. 

You will be knighted and you will have earned your knighthood.

You are hurt. At least let me tend to your wound.

The men laugh and fight and the ladies search for husbands.

Nothing like a good tournament to find a husband, or a companion for the night. 

Rumors are always spread with ease in these.

Can I have your daughter for the rest of my life?

You say I'll never get your blessing till the day I die.

We're married now, but we still haven't told your dad. This is the right time.

Are you promised to someone?

My sister's getting married. It's a love match. A rare thing. I’m not so lucky. My husband is to be chosen by who can hold a sword the longer.

Why can’t women participate in the games?

There are games for the ladies, Your Grace. But they are less. . .gruesome. And of course, the dancing.

Princes and Princess all over the realm and across the sea are coming for this event. You must shine brighter.

Let me help you with your armor. It appears loose.

As I promised, I return your favor to you, my lady. 

The Prince never loses a joust. He will crown his queen and then all will be well.

I do not understand the appeal of this. 

I spend days making these favors, let me stay a little longer.

My lady, I do not need your favor to win, but perhaps, a kiss of good faith. 

I do not care who wins these games, your hand is already arranged for another.

Men are scoundrel, specially when blood runs hot after a good battle, stray away from them.

These games are done in honor of the king’s heir.

The lord’s daughter is said to have bloomed, and the man chooses to announce it like this. 

A tournament is for men to boost their strength, fathers sell their daughters like mares and for affairs to happen.

I saw you on the stands today, my lord. But you did not participate on the games.

My brother wishes to dance with you, my lady. He is all too shy to ask himself.

You were injured. Have you allowed someone to heal them or are you too stubborn to let them?

Princess, you must not stray too far away. 

Mother is too drunk and annoyed to care, she won’t mind. 

[zakaeis]

Museé de Cluny

[ad0rati0ns]

open to: m/f/nb (all can be eventualy romantic if we want!)

verse: medieval/fantasy

plot: your muse is a more rugged type. used to living in the woods or on the move. sara has been on the move for days and is desperate for food. i imagine she's escaping a battle or a bounty hunter. will your character let her join your little camp set up? we can plot if needed!

wincing as a twig snapped under her boots, sara stops and raises her hand in surrender. "stop- please. i mean no harm. i am just passing through." her eyes take her to the large campfire in front of her. "do you have any extra food? i don't require much. i can heal you if you need. i'm a healer." she offers a friendly smile in return.

[joyfulmagic]

Open Starter — Muse: Lady Jane Grey — Verse: Generic/Adaptable Medieval Fantasy Open to: anyone

“You know, with shapeshifters being real in this world, I can only imagine other types of magic are as well!” Lady Jane exclaimed excitedly, yet to be named the heir so able to have such care free thoughts. She beamed at her companion, holding the book up that she was reading and pointing out a symbol. “I wish to investigate this, as it’s been in every book I’ve gotten my hands on regarding shapeshifters,” she informed them, as if she’d had the revolution of the millennia.

[bells-of-black-sunday]

I do not know enough about horses to talk about horses Tar would've owned and interacted with, but what I can talk about is what I do know what he owns in modern verses.

Tarhos is a big guy, so naturally his personal horses that he owns and aren't used just for work/public interaction on the "the farm" are draft breeds. He owns two belgians and a percheron. They're broke to ride and drive, but he mainly does trail riding on his days off.