http://tspwiki.com/index.php?title=1464
Here are some one liners...
Tax Freedom Day and the Miao Rebellions -- Over taxation, castration and a forced labor toll will cause rebellion for decades until people are allowed to pay a fee instead of working off their government debt.
May Day: Sleeping with the Enemy --The King of England is thinking with the little head instead of the big head. And... witches!
The First French Dictionary and a Dying Language -- Breton is a dying language today but back then it was in use in parts of France. I also talk about the revival of a dead language.... Hebrew and a personal story.
Tax Freedom Day and the Miao Rebellions
The Miao and Yao people have been set adrift by the economic devastation caused by the floods of the Yangtze River and the monetary restrictions imposed by the Ming dynasty (read as higher taxes and a fiat currency). The pressure for rebellion has been building as the crack down on wildcat silver mining continues. The government has imposed a labor toll that most people are required to work off. People literally work for the government for a fixed time. For poor people, "Tax Freedom Day," is the day that their obligation for government-imposed labor... like dredging out the canal... is fulfilled. Craftsmen and saltmakers pay a "fee" (read as "bribe") to be excused, but for the poor, there are few choices. This explains why so many are engaged in illegal activities just to survive. A series of rebellions will break out beginning this year. They will erupt on-and-off until 1562 when the Chinese government officially allows people to pay a fee instead of taking their actual labor. [1] [2] [3] [4]
My Take by Alex Shrugged
Just so you know... the rebellions are not all due to economics. In 1460, over 1,500 Miao boys were castrated and made into eunuchs. Hundreds did not survive the mutilation. Nevertheless, the local economic situation was dire allowing people with silver to buy land little-by-little from people who were caught short. It was illegal to deal in unminted silver but craftsmen demanded silver for payment and the local government needed craftsmen more than they needed the law. This is not the first time in Chinese history that the local government looked the other way when reality did not agree with the ideals of the Emperor and it won't be the last time. [5] [6]
Just so you know... the rebellions are not all due to economics. In 1460, over 1,500 Miao boys were castrated and made into eunuchs. Hundreds did not survive the mutilation. Nevertheless, the local economic situation was dire allowing people with silver to buy land little-by-little from people who were caught short. It was illegal to deal in unminted silver but craftsmen demanded silver for payment and the local government needed craftsmen more than they needed the law. This is not the first time in Chinese history that the local government looked the other way when reality did not agree with the ideals of the Emperor and it won't be the last time. [5] [6]
May Day: Sleeping with the Enemy
Edward, the Black Prince, and Joan of Kent had married for love, but marriage for love is a rare event for the high aristocracy. It's about to happen again. King Edward the 4th has entertained an audience with Elizabeth Woodville on the subject of her widow's rights (called a dower). Her husband was killed while battling AGAINST King Edward's men! Some say witchcraft was involved (and it is possible) but Elizabeth is a breathtaking beauty. On May 1st, within weeks of meeting her, the King secretly marries Elizabeth in a pagan ceremony. The King returns to his camp and falls instantly to sleep. (Oh baby!) Whether for love or lust, this marriage certainly isn't for lands or titles. Elizabeth is a commoner and this is the second such marriage between a king and a commoner since the Norman Conquest. This marriage is going to cause a lot of trouble but Elizabeth will play a role in ending the War of the Roses and installing the first Tudor King on the throne of England.[7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12]
My Take by Alex Shrugged
What was the King thinking? He certainly wasn't thinking with "the big head". Edward is a York. Elizabeth is a Lancaster. The King is not only sleeping with his enemy, he has made the aristocracy angry. It is this sort of capricious move that makes the nobles very nervous. The marriage will cause the Earl of Warwick to switch sides to the Lancasters. He is a very wealthy and powerful nobleman as well as a very good commander in battle. King Edward is really ... uh... screwed and so are his future children but that's another story. The title of that story has an ominous title: "The Princes in the Tower." It doesn't end well. [13] [14]
What was the King thinking? He certainly wasn't thinking with "the big head". Edward is a York. Elizabeth is a Lancaster. The King is not only sleeping with his enemy, he has made the aristocracy angry. It is this sort of capricious move that makes the nobles very nervous. The marriage will cause the Earl of Warwick to switch sides to the Lancasters. He is a very wealthy and powerful nobleman as well as a very good commander in battle. King Edward is really ... uh... screwed and so are his future children but that's another story. The title of that story has an ominous title: "The Princes in the Tower." It doesn't end well. [13] [14]
The First French Dictionary and a Dying Language
Brittany is now a French province since they took it away from England but the people don't speak English. They speak a Latin derivative called Gallo and a Celtic [KELL-tick] language called "Breton". This year a local priest complies a Breton-French-Latin dictionary called the Catholicon meaning "universal". It is considered the first French dictionary ever compiled but it won't be published until 1499. An English-Latin dictionary will be complied in 1483 and will also be called the Catholicon. In the modern day only 35,000 people use the Breton language and most of those are over 60 years old. It is a dying language. [15] [16] [17] [18]
My Take by Alex Shrugged
Hebrew is the only dead language ever to be revived. Although used in daily prayer, it fell out of use in common speech until the early 20th century when it was revived by Eliezer Ben-Yehudah [el-ee-AY-zer ben yeh-WHOO-dah]... a newspaper editor and a very, very stubborn man. He was opposed by some Orthodox Jews who believe that Hebrew is the Holy Tongue and not appropriate to be used for common speech. The Jewish historian, Cecil Roth, remarked, "Before Ben-Yehuda, Jews could speak Hebrew; after him, they did." [19] Alex Shrugged personal story (optional as always): I am a Modern Orthodox Jew. I once visited my doctor, an enthusiastic Christian man. He greeted me loudly, and blessed me using one of the names of God in Hebrew. It was the BIG ONE... the one Name you NEVER, EVER vocalize... not even in prayer. All the blood drained out of my face and my wife grabbed our children as we were all going to be hit by lightening. I know Christians use this name in their attempt to promote fellowship between Christians and Jews but don't do it that way. I'll spell out the Name but please don't vocalize it... Y-A-H-W-E-H. My heart flutters just spelling out. No kidding.
Hebrew is the only dead language ever to be revived. Although used in daily prayer, it fell out of use in common speech until the early 20th century when it was revived by Eliezer Ben-Yehudah [el-ee-AY-zer ben yeh-WHOO-dah]... a newspaper editor and a very, very stubborn man. He was opposed by some Orthodox Jews who believe that Hebrew is the Holy Tongue and not appropriate to be used for common speech. The Jewish historian, Cecil Roth, remarked, "Before Ben-Yehuda, Jews could speak Hebrew; after him, they did." [19] Alex Shrugged personal story (optional as always): I am a Modern Orthodox Jew. I once visited my doctor, an enthusiastic Christian man. He greeted me loudly, and blessed me using one of the names of God in Hebrew. It was the BIG ONE... the one Name you NEVER, EVER vocalize... not even in prayer. All the blood drained out of my face and my wife grabbed our children as we were all going to be hit by lightening. I know Christians use this name in their attempt to promote fellowship between Christians and Jews but don't do it that way. I'll spell out the Name but please don't vocalize it... Y-A-H-W-E-H. My heart flutters just spelling out. No kidding.
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