tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5185876513552272723.post2597676252107414414..comments2024-03-28T03:10:23.679-07:00Comments on Polemarch: Skiing Off PisteThe Polemarchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10958736917525649927noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5185876513552272723.post-23678238905897468802020-04-20T01:49:45.548-07:002020-04-20T01:49:45.548-07:00I'm not an expert either, but I suspect all of...I'm not an expert either, but I suspect all of these are possible, at least in a more localised way than massed devastation.The destruction was in winter, so crops in the fields would be untouched as there weren't any, but seed for the coming season could have been affected.<br /><br />Livestock would be vulnerable, I suppose, at it would have be on the infields in winter, but you can drive livestock into the hills or woods quite quickly.<br /><br />All of this is quite plausible, but I'm still not sure that a smallish medieval army in the area for 2 months could really destroy hundreds of manors, villages and so on. Or even if the leaders thereof would have regarded it as a great idea given the rebellion had been put down.<br /><br />Yes, wiping out the old elite (or displacing them, at least; most of the southern English elite seem to have died at Hastings, hence not much resistance) would be of the most interest. Peasants dying of starvation not so much so for the chroniclers, I guess.The Polemarchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10958736917525649927noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5185876513552272723.post-19735772138892852442020-04-19T08:08:54.700-07:002020-04-19T08:08:54.700-07:00I have no expertise in this (or anything really) b...I have no expertise in this (or anything really) but just thinking through what might be involved here. I can’t see much could be done to make the land infertile (salting it would take enormous quantities of a valuable commodity and in that period I doubt there was much reclaimed coastal land to flood. Breaking tools would help slow down recovery a bit.<br /><br />Burning orchards and uprooting fruit trees would have a longer term effect, so a bit of a longer term effect on people’s health too maybe. And less alcohol to drink water with!<br /><br />Destruction and theft of livestock would I imagine be something easier to achieve. Less milk and cheese for the masses and meat for the nobs.<br /><br />The more intensively farmed land would likely be within a short distance of the roads. We now farm land that would not have been considered viable or worth the effort 1000 years ago. So a bigger proportion of productive land would be affected.<br /><br />So there’s probably a severe famine for the mass of people for a year or two until crops can be resown and regrown depending on which season the destruction was done. Fewer surviving folk (I’m confused by all the different levels of ‘workers’ in feudal times) would have meant less of an absolute surplus in subsequent years until a new generation grew up. <br /><br />I bet it would be this destruction of surplus that had the big immediate effect on rebellious nobles/warriors, and smaller surpluses in subsequent years on ‘taxable’ yields. I dare say it’s the impact on elites that drew the comments about long-term devastation. Similar to the tales of the Saxons wiping out the previous inhabitants of Albion - wiping out the old warrior elite maybe.nundankethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12895608927860103442noreply@blogger.com