[tomtud]

Full title: You are dropped penniless into a village in England in the 1500s ....you maintain all your current knowledge, how would you make it to the top?

Saw this article on reddit...... Thought many of you would enjoy....

I would become friendly with a powerful and influential group (the church) and slowly introduce my knowledge,,,,,,then try to get access to the harems of the sheiks in the arab lands.

[Vaun]

immediately go find one of those curly red headed chicks, find some wine and a chalice, then think about my next move, I suppose it would be to find a loaf of bread.

[T and A Man]

The 'top' in the 1500's still ain't grand... unless I managed to like to at least the 1960's/70's.

But I'd somehow get to California, where I'd claim all the 1849 gold rush to myself

[Parlay44]

I'd go find the blacksmith and get some work and a place to sleep first.
I'd keep my mouth shut of what I know out of fear of being killed as a
witch or something.

[Teedub]

Fantastic thread.

You could become a sage or sorts, but actually be perceived as truly supernatural as you could accurately tell the future. Do you get to read a book about the 1500s before you go, because thinking about it, I don't know anything that happened off the top of my head.

Anyway, if you did have good history knowledge, eventually after a few years wowing peasants, kings and the like would seek your advice on battles. However, if you knew that the king would lose...:

1) He may kill you for questioning his prowess
2) By listening to your advice he may not go into battle, this changing history and possibly meaning all your future predictions would no longer be accurate.

Thus meaning whatever future you came from doesn't exist and then, how do you explain how you went back in time in the first place? Yes, I watched a lot of sci-fi growing up! Fascinates me.

Or... you could be an AMAZING story teller. Imagine re-telling star wars to people in the 1500s! The possibilities are endless.

I'm trying to think if I posses any skills that could help me invent something we have now, but back then.

[Slim Shady]

Show them a water heating and filtration process. Start a convenient and cheap bath-house so that the girls I fucked would be not super grim. Also really play up the whole Jesus fervour, so again, not killed as a demon.

Plus, use knowledge of basic medicine to cure otherwise fatal disease, while the whole time yelling, "the power of Christ compels you", again so as not to be killed as a demon. Instant cult hero status = poon [like Rasputin].

[eradicator]

The fact that I can read and write would put me ahead of 90% of the populace, I should think. I would start by trying to get work either as some sort of translator or scribe with the local lord. I would try to work with him to try to strengthen their lands, build up the infrastructure and local army and militia.

Since I don't have any titles or lands in my own name, I would try to work behind the scenes to strengthen whoever my lord was, assuming they were worthy. If they weren't, I would have them killed until I found someone I could work with.

edit
OH, one of the biggest problems in 16th century england was the lack of drinking water. I would put a real effort into building quality wells so that people would have enough water to drink.

I would also see about improving the waterworks and sewage systems.

[Parlay44]

Well it's 1500 so America would have already been discovered. Everyone was scurrying trying to get
to the new world. It wouldn't be too hard to hop a ship over there.

[Saga]

Rewrite as much of Shakespeare's work as I could remember and then deviously take credit for it.

[Mage]

If I had time to prepare I would learn about history and metallurgy to be able to predict future and to be able to construct primitive gattling guns, which should enable me to conquer large countries with a handful of men worshipping me for my prophetic powers.

But with no time to prep I would probably perish or become a beggar - the truth is that the modern man is ill suited for life without technology - how many men know today how to skin game, start fire, build a shelter? Even how to arrange a meeting without a smartphone?

[Duke Castile]

I'm sure we could get along with this:

1509 England – Henry VIII crowned and married to Catherine of Aragon
1513 England and Scotland – James IV and thousands of Scots killed in defeat at Flodden
1521 England – Lutheran writings begin to circulate.
1525 England – Henry VIII seeks an annulment of his marriage, which is refused.
1526 England – Cardinal Wolsey orders the burning of Lutheran books.
1529 England – Henry VIII severs ties with Rome and declares himself head of the English church.
1532 Scotland – Creation of the College of Justice and the Court of Session.
1534 England – Act of Supremacy passed by Henry VIII
1534 England – Treasons Act 1534
1535 England – Execution of Thomas More and Cardinal John Fisher.
1536 England – Execution of William Tindale in Antwerp
1542 Scotland – Mary, Queen of Scots, accedes to the Scottish throne
1547 England – Edward VI crowned King
1549 England – Prayer Book rebellion in south-west.
1553 England – Mary I accedes to the throne.
1558 England – Queen Elizabeth I accedes to the throne
1559 England – Act of Supremacy 1559
Scotland – John Knox returns from Geneva to promote Calvinism.
1560:Scotland – Parliament legislates protestant reformation of the Church of Scotland.
1567 Scotland – The Catholic Mary, Queen of Scots, abdicates and flees Scotland after an uprising by Protestant lords
1571 England – Treasons Act 1571
1578 Scotland – James VI takes over government from his regent, James Douglas.
1582 Scotland – Establishment of the University of Edinburgh by Royal Charter.
1587 England and Scotland – Execution of Mary, Queen of Scots, at Fotheringay Castle in Northamptonshire on 8 February
1588 England – Spanish Armada destroyed on 8 August
1592 Scotland – Presbyterianism becomes the established form of church government in Scotland by Act of Parliament.

[Sailor]

Would you Bang?

[Duke Castile]

(01-25-2014 10:30 AM)Mage Wrote:  

If I had time to prepare I would learn about history and metallurgy to be able to predict future and to be able to construct primitive gattling guns, which should enable me to conquer large countries with a handful of men worshipping me for my prophetic powers.

But with no time to prep I would probably perish or become a beggar - the truth is that the modern man is ill suited for life without technology - how many men know today how to skin game, start fire, build a shelter? Even how to arrange a meeting without a smartphone?

Nonsense. You're a man, with a creative, resourceful, brain. You would be better suited than anyone after a small adjustment period.

You can read and write. You have cursory knowledge of;

Bacteria (boiling water, avoiding sickness)

How to treat wounds

How to eat properly for health

You don't fear God striking you down or other supernatural revenges

Your understanding of various subjects in science are no doubt much greater than your future (past) contemporaries.

You know Game.

You walk up, AMOG Henry the VIII.

Boom.

You're King.

[Aliblahba]

First order of business would be to track down and fucking kill all ancestors of Piers Morgan.

[Cincinnatus]

It would probably go something like this:

[Marlfox]

(01-25-2014 10:48 AM)Aliblahba Wrote:  

First order of business would be to track down and fucking kill all ancestors of Piers Morgan.

You'd have to catch the first ox-cart to Cardiff. Morgan's a Welsh name.

[Dr. Howard]

The average male height back then was 5.5 feet, that advantage plus hygienic knowledge, knowing how to read and write. I'd be looking for a military career.

[Parlay44]

I'd invent the crossbow and take over the known world and spread my DNA all over the place like Genghis Kahn.

[RexImperator]

Well, first off you're going to have to learn how to speak English all over again. Failing that you'll surely end up arrested for being some sort of spy. But that's a boring answer...

This is the age when knowledge of "guns, germs, and steel" would be most useful. Use your skills to get in a position working for the king. I would say the metallurgy angle is actually not bad...even something simple like knowing how to forge stronger cannons capable of withstanding higher pressure would make you a formidable military engineer of the day. That plus the knowledge of how to build faster warships, if properly applied, would make you quite powerful:

Therefore use your knowledge to create a super army/navy, invade/conquer both Spain and Portugal and thereby take control of the entire Western Hemisphere for England.

But then, think of the consequences for today...Brazil and Columbia would never exist as we know them and would be "anglosphere" territories. Hmmm.

[Aliblahba]

I'd invent the toothbrush.

[mental]

I think I saw book series with a similar premise - 1632.

A small american town from today is transported by something back to the year 1631 in central Germany, while they kept the knowledge, infrastructure and all other modern goodies - they are caught up in the middle of the thirty years war. They don't waste time, and already in 1632, the town founded the Confederated Principalities of Europe. It's not all easy as it seems, as european nations slowly figure out what's wrong.
Didn't read the book yet, but if the reviews are correct, it should be quite interesting!


As for me, game and modern knowledge about history, hygiene, warfare tactics etc. would make me the either a dead man very quick or the biggest alpha of the europe - guerilla tactics would give hell to any medieval army, knowledge about diseases would make me "invincible", coffee and tobacco monopoly would make me a rich man...

[Mage]

(01-25-2014 10:42 AM)Fisto Wrote:  

(01-25-2014 10:30 AM)Mage Wrote:  

If I had time to prepare I would learn about history and metallurgy to be able to predict future and to be able to construct primitive gattling guns, which should enable me to conquer large countries with a handful of men worshipping me for my prophetic powers.

But with no time to prep I would probably perish or become a beggar - the truth is that the modern man is ill suited for life without technology - how many men know today how to skin game, start fire, build a shelter? Even how to arrange a meeting without a smartphone?

Nonsense. You're a man, with a creative, resourceful, brain. You would be better suited than anyone after a small adjustment period.

You can read and write. You have cursory knowledge of;

Bacteria (boiling water, avoiding sickness)

How to treat wounds

How to eat properly for health

You don't fear God striking you down or other supernatural revenges

Your understanding of various subjects in science are no doubt much greater than your future (past) contemporaries.

You know Game.

You walk up, AMOG Henry the VIII.

Boom.

You're King.

Maybe you are right but I am not sure that the people in old times were such supersticious and ignorant doofuses as we think, but we will never know. Or perhaps their stupidity and supersticions are exactly the thing to fear.

[Mage]

(01-25-2014 11:31 AM)Parlay44 Wrote:  

I'd invent the crossbow and take over the known world and spread my DNA all over the place like Genghis Kahn.

The crossbow was reinvented in Europe by 1300 at least.

Before that it was forgotten.

Even before that ancient greeks and romans had crossbows, altrough not wildly used.

China has always used crossbows and even had automatic ones.

[The Beast1]

Send me back in time with a print copy of wikipedia.

[WesternCancer]

With the knowledge I have now?

I'd have no choice but to be something like a healer sent from god or an inventor. I wouldn't necessarily aim to be the healer of the king, because if he gets overthrown I'm fucked. I'd try to get as much money (and dark aged ass) as possible. Have a billion kids and get as much land as I can (most likely in the new world). I'd write down everything I knew about society altering inventions and get them to go work on that shit.