RP ideas for the new year in Spain

[Rivan]

Hola Everyone!

Wow it's the New Year in Espana, 1698 to be exact, and the
tension within the countryside (historically speaking) is growing. At this time in history, there were small skirmishes already flaring across Spain leading to the impending war of succession for the Throne. Barcelona is rebuilding after a peasant revolt was squelched by the Hapsburg dynasty currently defiling the
monarchy. The Spanish Inquisition is a mockery of its former self with the corruption and self serving denizens running the show. There are people allying themselves with either side of the ruling factions and of course the opportunistic that find their gold amongst both sides of the rapier.

The slave trade was in full illegal swing as the navy of many countries were far to involved in the gambles of their imperialistic homelands. There were all sorts of smuggling, pirating, naval battles, and land campaigns and so on. At this time as well, there is a minor conflict going with Greece and the Dutch for the
Spanish colonies along the Mediterranean coast as well as for the eventual emergence of the Dutch East Indian Co.

The gypsy culture was also a sub sect of society. They were paganistic mixed with some traditional catholic beliefs in their society. Gypsies traveled from town to town performing dances, impromptu plays, some had marionette shows, music, and horsemanship displays and so on. They also produced unique clothing and dyes, and instruments. They were essentially like a traveling carnival of hardy self reliant people.

To add to this, the hunt for witches and warlocks by the church not only was happening in the Americas, it was also happening here to some degree. However most of that was for selfish purposes of a few individuals instead of any real
deep seeded beliefs.

The clergy at this time in history was deeply catholic and unfortunately corrupt as well. They were vying to keep indirect control of the monarchy by forging secret alliances with the Holy Roman Empire (eventually Germany/Poland) and the
Papacy in Rome that held a lot of power still at this point in history. They were supporters of the Hapsburgs while France and Portugal were on the side of the Bourbons. (Eventual winners of the war of succession.)

There are lots of things to branch off of here from history alone. I hope this helps those of you that might be looking for a catalyst to spur on your RP.


~Rivan Corte del Leon~
*Dueno Hacienda del las Rosas*

[fbg]

Oooooh I think it would be fun if Esme became an advocate of slave reform....I think that would be hilarious.

[Michelle]

looks over Slave reform LOL now that should be hilarious.. but then Esme would um have to um keep doing Manual Labor and you know how much she hates that

[fbg]

Ok....I don't know about that....but just some basic things like teaching the slaves to read, by reading romance novels...I was thinking along those lines. Besides she needs her people that will do work, so she can sit and look pretty right Michelle?

[Margarete]

Ummm.....Esme, what makes you think all slaves can't read? Many could, and did. After all, Scribes used slaves for copy work, and other buisness people used slaves in jobs that required the ability to read and even cipher. Some jobs held by slaves would today classify as Middle Management type jobe.

Margarete

[fbg]

I know that slaves could be quite educated, but not all of them, and I am just making that observation of not reading, from the perspective of my character, who wasn't in a place to really observe that someone could be intelligent outside of the fact that her hair looks perfect and just so...so I was by no means implying that any of the slaves here are ignorant, but Esme probably thinks it.

[Artero]

Some thing you both need to remember in this time almost 40-50% of all people are illiterate including the free. The peasant class still are are very superstitious, this has fueled the end of the Inquisition. These are times of dangerous leasions, clandestine meetings and many illegal activities. The King is turning his back on most of what is common mans needs and desires in exchange for his own. Slavery though illegal, still went on even though most turned a blind eye. How ever it does not mean that at times there was not raids by local magistrates and such from time to time for those that they thought owned slaves and had failed to pay proper bribes. The church had its nose in everything it could, most illegal activities were on one way or another santioned or ignored by the Pope unless it went against his authority. Pope Innocence the 3rd was in rule at this time ((if I remembermy time line)) A sexual deviant with a penchant for pain. He was a mover and shaker in tha he went to great legths to promote his agenda of world domination through religious ferver and bribes both subtle, and not so subtle.

[Margarete]

Thank you Artero,

had kind of slid over the vast amunt of lack of eucation in my need to remind that there was SOME education, often in unexpected places.

My next questions would be on the existance of Romance Novels.

Yes, the printing press had been invented prior to this time. However, even printed books were still very expensive and unaffordable by most. If memory serves, even during the Elizabethan period some Nobles who proudly proclaimed that they had a "library", had managed to purhase only one book and had a whole room devoted to its display.

Also, printed books were most often religious and/or philosophical writings, a few epic poems, Aristotle and Plato, Homer and so on. William Shakespeare's works were also published, but those were an exception.

I am not sure if Shakespeare's works would have been available in Spain. And I would imagine trying to teach slaves to read by reading them the Bible, The Iliad and the Oddyssey woud be counter-productive, in that it would be more likely to put a tired, over-worked slave to sleep.

The sparse availability of books would need to be considered in this issue also.

Margarete

[Myra]

To add to Margarete's History on Books...I had ran across this:

Little bits of Spainish History

picaresque novel


early form of novel, usually a first-person narrative, relating the adventures of a rogue or low-born
adventurer (Spanish pícaro) as he drifts from place to place and from one social milieu to another in
his effort to survive. In its episodic structure the picaresque novel resembles the long, rambling romances of medieval chivalry.

At one extreme there was the picaresque novel, with its implicit satire of a society in which one c
ould make one's way by cleverness and roguery rather than by honest work—that is, if one did not
happen to be born a nobleman. Thus, the hidalgo in the Lazarillo de Tormes (published 1554; doubtfully
attributed to Diego Hurtado de Mendoza), the first of the picaresque novels, is down and out but would
rather starve than work, and he expects his servant, the boy Lazarillo, to scrounge for them both. In
Don Quixote (published 1605 and 1615), the author, Miguel de Cervantes, raised the novel to a
completely new level of social and psychological insight. It is, among other things, a parable of
Cellorigo's “republic of enchanted men,” living in a world of illusions and tilting at windmills.

At the other extreme, there was the drama from exponents such as Lope de Vega to Tirso de Molina and
Pedro Calderón de la Barca. As with the picaresque novel, the comedy of the “Golden Century” was
concerned with the contemporary social scene. The psychological problems faced by its characters arose
nearly always directly out of social conflicts. But the social purpose of these plays was essentially
conservative: the defense of the highly structured Spanish society of the time. This was achieved by
insisting for all social ranks, from the king down to the peasants, on the special dignity and honour
of their status. Thus Lope, for the first time, introduced the common people as fully rounded
characters on the stage, allowing, for instance, to the daughter of a blacksmith the emotions of love
formerly reserved on the stage to aristocratic ladies. Heredity and blood are the principles of a
social order that in the comedies may be threatened but that are always reaffirmed in the end. Here
may, perhaps, be seen a link with the visual arts of the age and with the Baroque style.


in full Lope Félix De Vega Carpio, byname The Phoenix Of Spain, Spanish El Fénix De España born Nov. 25, 1562, Madrid
died Aug. 27, 1635, Madrid
Lope de Vega.
Bettmann/Corbis
outstanding dramatist of the Spanish Golden Age, author of as many as 1,800 plays and several hundred
shorter dramatic pieces, of which 431 plays and 50 shorter pieces are extant.


Pedro Calderón de la Barca
born Jan. 17, 1600, Madrid, Spain
died May 25, 1681, Madrid
Pedro Calderón de la Barca.
Bettmann/Corbis
dramatist and poet who succeeded Lope de Vega as the greatest Spanish playwright of the Golden Age.
Among his best-known secular dramas are El médico de su honra (1635; The Surgeon of His Honour),
La vida es sueño (1635; Life Is a Dream), El alcalde de Zalamea (c. 1640; The Mayor of Zalamea), and
La hija del aire (1653; “The Daughter of the Air”), sometimes considered his masterpiece. …


JUst a little thing I found on Writers in Spain and the dates fit The cetuaruary we are in.

[Margarete]

Great Myra, thanks.

Always good to learn something.

I had actually read Don Quixote in the original Spanish in High School. Had jsut not at that time been aware of the dates.

Margarete