So, I got a comment on my post about travelling.
YAY!!!! I love it when people give me feedback; it lets me know that people are
reading the post and are enjoying it. The commenter asked me which era
I would like to travel to. The answer is a no-brainer for me — it would have to be the
High Middle Ages. For those who are unaware, it is
the period between 1066 and 1500. Vlad the Impaler lived right at the end of
the High Middle Ages. I know that a lot of people call this period the Dark
Ages as well, mainly because they believe that nothing of significant importance happened during this era. They are very wrong, though. So much happened during
the Middle Ages.
For me, the draw to Transylvania in that time period would be the people more so than the events that took
place. Compared to the rest of the world, the Middle Ages were pretty quiet for
the people of Transylvania, at least in the number of "major historical events" that took place.
There were not too many major battles, so it would have been a relatively
safe place to live. Sure, there were a lot of the small battles where
people tried to seize power or maintain a hold on power. These
battles were inevitable during the Middle Ages. But the people would have kept daily life interesting for themselves. They did not have television
or movies or the internet. Their entertainment was the gossip or news that was circulating at the time.
Another
draw for me would have been the activities that did take place; for example,
the fairs or even just the day to day life of the common people. Yes, I would
choose to live life as a commoner, not a person of nobility. Sure, life would be
harder for a commoner than a member of the nobility. I love doing
crafts like knitting, crochet and sewing. These are skills that would have
been used on a daily basis in the Middle Ages. Each region or village had their own
styles and patterns that they would have used. The Transylvania styles and
patterns can be hard to come by now a days, so the idea of having the opportunity
to learn them is something that I would not be able to pass up.
The
final thing that would bring me to the Middle Ages in Transylvania would have
been the people who did become famous. I would love to have a chance to meet
both Vlad the Impaler and his father, Vlad Dracul. I would like to meet Vlad Dracul to learn what kind of father Vlad the Impaler had. I am also somewhat obsessed with anything that involves dragons, so learning more
about the Order of the Dragon from those who were actually in the Order would
be another temptation that I could not pass up. The desire to meet Vlad the Impaler comes more from a curiosity to comparing the man he was to the character
of Count Dracula that Bram Stoker created.
This
was a post I had a lot of fun with. I really enjoyed looking things up and deciding when I would travel if there was a time machine available. For those of you
wondering why I did not name Elizabeth Bathory, it’s because she was not alive
during this period. Well, that and I would be afraid that she would want to
kill me and bathe in my blood. Please feel free to comment and leave more ideas
for future posts.
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