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To: SunkenCiv
Hey, quibble away! I agree the English were engaged in a whole lot of Medieval warfare. The Hundred Years War must be some kind of record. The key for me is that it was abroad so that the Isle did not see the same foreign invasions many on the Continent saw. Sure, there was occasional unrest like good ol' Wat, but for the vast majority of the time the citizens could concentrate on fattening up sheep and living large off the wool trade.

The Wars of the Roses interrupted things to be sure, but that was mostly aristocrats and their retainers cutting each other up, which was probably welcomed as much by the people as we enjoy our politicians leaving Washington for whatever reason so they can't do any more damage to us. Come to think of it, there was probably an advantage to having the monarchs out of the country fighting so much - it limited the time they could come home and dream up stupid decrees to limit business and competition to line their own and their syncophants' pockets, as Medieval monarchs were want to do.

Now, you've got me when it comes to the turmoil surrounding the Tudors and particularly the Stuarts. But that's not the Medieval period, we're to the Early Modern by then. And by that time the English had bested the Flemish merchants and had seized the preeminent role in the wool trade and textiles.

65 posted on 12/07/2010 9:26:34 AM PST by colorado tanker
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To: colorado tanker

There are those who attribute to the returning troops from the Hundred Years War (and they must have been pretty old by then) the beginning of the Wars of the Roses.


80 posted on 12/07/2010 1:04:00 PM PST by SunkenCiv (The 2nd Amendment follows right behind the 1st because some people are hard of hearing.)
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