Italy

From: Gian Gero <giangero_at_hotmail.com>
Date: Tue, 11 Jan 2000 11:35:47 GMT


>From: "Nick Brooke" <Nick_Brooke_at_btinternet.com>
>Subject: Nolos, Pasos & Venice
>Peter writes:
>>Nolos and Pasos are really Venice under another name.
>I thought Nolos was Provence to Seshneg's kingdom of the Franks (the
>sophisticated independent southern bit in touch with the rest of the >world
>by sea, and about to be hammered by self-righteous >Northerners). Not sure
>what Pasos is ("Fantasy Island Kingdom" most >likely).
I'm sorry, but I can't bear this nonsense: Nolos could be Marseille, instead of Venice, but in that case Pasos "is" Amsterdam or Venice. Why inventing a fantasy island kingdom?

>Handra ("Italian Renaissance" Safelstran trading emporium sited in >the
>middle of a swamp) has many of the *physical* characteristics of >Venice,
I think more probable Pisa or Florence (the former was economically stronger, the latter was culturally richer); swamps were everywhere, almost, in Italy until Mussolini time.

>IMO, though I know Peter was referring to a far broader swathe of
>characteristics than that. Maybe Pasos is Genoa and Nolos is >Venice? :-)
Genoa is no ISLAND, but Venice is.

>>Ralios would best be a mixture of Italy (feuding citystates) and
>>Germany (feuding religious disputes).
>Mix in feuding Ancient city-states (after all, the great Renaissance
>thinkers thought they were living in a "re-birth" of the Ancient >world,
>Greek and Roman) for more fun. The King of Seshnela is then >the "Great
>King" on the edge of our lands, snaffling up some >previously independent
>states
>from time to time in his campaigns of conquest.
Not that simple: Renaissance was different, subsequential but different, from the golden age of italian mariner republics (Pisa, Venice, Amalfi and Genoa): it took place two centuries after their ventures and much more in Rome, Florence and Milan than in seaports. Also I think that, historically referring to the RW, given this be a correct exercise for Glorantha-scholars, we should not forget the cultural, political, economical and religious role of the Lowlands in Europe late middle ages or of the Helvetic Confederation: see Charles the Bold, Duchy of Burgundy and his battles against Swiss elite Pikemen. Ciao
Gian



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