PYF Historical Fun Fact: (USER LOSETH POSTYNG PRIVILYGES FOR FOUR AND TWENTY HOURS)

The Something Awful Forums > Main > Post Your Favorite: Carefully Curated > PYF Historical Fun Fact: (USER LOSETH POSTYNG PRIVILYGES FOR FOUR AND TWENTY HOURS)

Siivola: Dec 23, 2012

System Metternich posted:

What is today Venezuela belonged for a while to a German banking family, the Welsers. Instead of properly governing the country, their agents only concerned themselves with looking for the fabled city of El Dorado instead, leading to Emperor Charles V. revoking their licence in 1546 after 16 years of Welser "rule". Maybe I'll be doing an effortpost about that next, because it's a pretty fascinating story.

Don Rosa made a really cool Uncle Scrooge comic about that one, by the title of The Last Lord of El Dorado.

# ¿ Nov 11, 2015 18:30

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# ¿ May 7, 2024 09:47

Siivola: Dec 23, 2012

ToxicSlurpee posted:

Fencing was primarily done using weapons more geared toward thrusting than slashing. Some could do both (and of course saber fighting was entirely slashing) but even so a parry with a fencing weapon was less "bash weapons together" and more "redirect the blow." Even then you'd prefer to use the flat of a blade rather than the edge of one. You wouldn't likely break the weapon but you'd dull or notch it, which you didn't generally want to have happen.

Fencing is also very different from the sword and board fighting that you'd see on a battlefield.

Oh for crying out loud. If you'd clicked the dang link provided, you would've seen dudes doing dope poo poo with big two-handed longswords, including explicitly parrying with edges and wrestling and everything.

Perestroika posted:

Perhaps fencing isn't the right term, but those treatises I mentioned deal primarily with longswords, arming swords, greatswords, and messers. All of which were absolutely weapons of war, and instructions for fighting fully armoured enemies (like on the battlefield) were a common part of those treatises.

It is absolutely the correct term. "Fencing" as an English term dates back to at least the late 16th century, and was used by one George Silver back around 1605 to describe his method of fighting that most certainly was not thrust-oriented, but instead relied on removing bits of your opponent until they gave up. And yes, he advocated parrying with the edge. In fact, he was very much against that dangerous Italian nonsense called the rapier.

Snapchat A Titty posted:

A historical maker? I would be interested in that if you can remember more.

They are known as Ulfbehrt swords, after the inscription on the blade.

Siivola has a new favorite as of 23:02 on Feb 27, 2016

# ¿ Feb 27, 2016 22:57

Siivola: Dec 23, 2012

A double-leg takedown, what does it look like? :colbert:

# ¿ Feb 27, 2016 23:05

Siivola: Dec 23, 2012

SeanBeansShako posted:

I assume you mean lightly armoured like leather or thick cloth?

As you'll need bodkin arrow heads and heavy clubbing weaponry to damage the proper stuff.

Nope!

Mostly it's just trying to sneak your point into an opening, like the armpits, palms, under the visor or in the nads. And a whole lot of wrestling. But yeah, carrying a big-rear end pollax sure helps.

# ¿ Feb 27, 2016 23:13

Siivola: Dec 23, 2012

Do share.

# ¿ Apr 8, 2016 17:27

Siivola: Dec 23, 2012

Doffen posted:

"...Either I'll be court martialed or I'll be decorated."

Well, which one was it?

# ¿ Jun 25, 2016 10:41

Siivola: Dec 23, 2012

According to wikipedia, Alabama's flag is a "crimson cross of St. Patrick on a field of white", which is a popular national symbol in modern Northern Ireland.

# ¿ Jul 4, 2016 16:14

Siivola: Dec 23, 2012

The Portugese ran a massive slave trade network during the 16th century. It was big enough that Toyotomi Hideyoshi got really mad about Japanese people being sold to slavers.

# ¿ Oct 2, 2016 10:46

Siivola: Dec 23, 2012

A/T would be a good fit.

# ¿ Oct 2, 2016 22:12

Siivola: Dec 23, 2012

Platystemon posted:

So the y‐axis increases in the upward direction because that�s where the Abrahamic god lives?

I sincerely want to know.

I just imagined a graph where the axes increased left and down and :psyduck:

# ¿ Oct 29, 2016 15:10

Siivola: Dec 23, 2012

Okay, that's actually super fascinating. How's all that intersect with modern-day societies where things like witchcraft, possession and such are still accepted as valid? For instance, Turner's work among the Ndembu springs to mind.

# ¿ Oct 31, 2016 16:03

Siivola: Dec 23, 2012

I've only been studying anthropology for bit over a year so a lot of that goes over my head, but thanks!

# ¿ Oct 31, 2016 17:29

Siivola: Dec 23, 2012

I had to go look up the painting of Marie Antoinette you mentioned.

Scandalous.

# ¿ Nov 5, 2016 01:45

Siivola: Dec 23, 2012

Fencing women were in the minority back then, but people like Col. Thomas Monstery did have female students, such as this lady known as Jaguarina.

As for the quality of the fencing, well, probably no better than this.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rElNQuBvFeQ

# ¿ Nov 12, 2016 18:14

Siivola: Dec 23, 2012

Back in the 19th century, some German students had to come up with alternative ways of proving their manliness, because the scars would be inconvenient if you became, say, a priest.

So they took up fencing foils, sharpened them and dueled with those instead. Because your sleeves would cover the scars, see. :stonklol:

(It died out because someone finally conviced everyone that punctured lungs were not actually cool nor good.)

# ¿ Nov 14, 2016 15:06

Siivola: Dec 23, 2012

I've heard the same thing attributed to the clothes washer.

# ¿ Dec 5, 2016 16:31

Siivola: Dec 23, 2012

learnincurve posted:

horrible backbreaking manual labour

As opposed to the horrible, quite literally backbreaking digital labour of office work. :v:

# ¿ Dec 5, 2016 17:31

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# ¿ May 7, 2024 09:47

Siivola: Dec 23, 2012

He made a follow-up post after a lot of people went "ehhhh" at the idea. Includes a link to a (German) article on gait and a short film of people walking around: https://www.patreon.com/posts/heel-first-or-of-13680059

Tl;dr: Actual archeology or anthropology do not support his idea.

# ¿ Oct 30, 2017 20:10

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