Where Would You Like To Have Lived...

[Tee Kay]

... in AD 1492.

Imagine you're the same age and in a similar socio-economic status and in a similar job as you are now. No, you're not the King of England, so no trained medicuses for you (unless you happen to be a Head of State IRL, in which case we'll have more interesting things to talk about). You're probably a lowly peasant, or at best, an artisan or a merchant. Your life expectancy, standard of living, etc will be typical of your status and region.

So, where would you be?

Poll coming.

 

[Masada]

Soooo going with coastal Southeast Asia. Varied diet; low taxes and corvee obligations; can flee from overbearing nobles; nice houses and reasonable material culture; good potential for social advancement; attractive women in loin cloths; a high degree of religious freedom; and a large degree of latitude in socio-cultural practices (accepting of homosexuality for instance). I'd also have an advantage in the linguistic stakes because written/elite Malaccan/Riau Malay is the basis for modern Indonesian. Oh, that and I pass as a lolMalay already.

 

[Disgustipated]

Normally I'd say USA #1, but since they don't exist, I'll say UK #1!! British isles it is. I simply couldn't imagine anywhere else. I give honorable mention to France.

Call me unimaginative, but I just went with where my ancestors came from. I am German, French, and English (and native american but who wants to endure the hard life in the Americas in 1492?) Holy Roman Empire is a tempting choice, but they have Italy lumped into the poll option for some reason. And my German ancestory is really right on the border of France anyways. France probably owned that area back in 1492.

 

[muhtesem insan]

The place i live now would be ideal i guess. Ottoman empire was in height of its power.

 

[Tee Kay]

Soooo going with coastal Southeast Asia. Varied diet; low taxes and corvee obligations; can flee from overbearing nobles; nice houses and reasonable material culture; good potential for social advancement; attractive women in loin cloths; a high degree of religious freedom; and a large degree of latitude in socio-cultural practices (accepting of homosexuality for instance). I'd also have an advantage in the linguistic stakes because written/elite Malaccan/Riau Malay is the basis for modern Indonesian. Oh, that and I pass as a lolMalay already.

Coastal SEA has such an interesting history. I wish I know more.

Religious/sexual freedom is interesting, since it's not something that that area/Islam is really known for.

Call me unimaginative, but I just went with where my ancestors came from. I am German, French, and English (and native american but who wants to endure the hard life in the Americas in 1492?)

Eh, Native Americans in 1492 probably were healthier, and more democratic than their European counterparts, if Mann and his sources are to be believed.

Holy Roman Empire is a tempting choice, but they have Italy lumped into the poll option for some reason.

A large part of Italy was part of the HRE then. Also, Italy then was a lot like Germany in that there were masses of small independent city-states, princedoms, etc.

 

[Masada]

And my German ancestory is really right on the border of France anyways. France probably owned that area back in 1492.

Doubtful. France didn't own any part of what constitutes modern Germany in 1492. Heck it didn't even own Elsass, Lorraine or Nice either.

Coastal SEA has such an interesting history. I wish I know more.

Read Southeast Asia in the Age of Commerce volume 1 & 2.

Religious/sexual freedom is interesting, since it's not something that that area/Islam is really known for.

Eh, homosexuality has a long history in Southeast Asia mang. There was a lot of that stuff in history of Atjeh for instance before the Dutch gave the fundies a fillip. Which makes GAMs hardon for all things Sultanate unintentionally hilarious sometimes.

 

[azzaman333]

Where's a good place for the upper-middle class? I wanna be there.

 

[shadowplay]

Ottoman empire was in height of its power.

This is along the lines of what I was thinking with my vote. In addition to that, it seems like one of the better places to make money as a merchant of some sort.

My second choice would have been an Italian state of some sort.

 

[Terxpahseyton]

I'll go with Australia and be an Aborigine! Not that I know anything substantial about them and really know how their live and culture went, but no concept of time sounds fun! + They were hunter-gatherers if I am not mistaken and as this other thread demonstrated, those guys were better off than agricultural societies.
Also I'd would be black and could invent hip hop.

 

[Masada]

Hunter-gatherers have a better sense of time and place than agriculturalists ever have. The locals across the Arafura Sea recognise 8 seasons and had a precise pattern of movement and settlement that echoed them: at its most extreme those moves might occur daily. It isn't an existence I'd much like. If I were going for maximum free time I'd be a swidden agriculturalist with a suite of crops like taro or something. No, to low, maintenance and a good return on a minimal investment of effort. Still that's the right general idea. Living in 'civilised' climes would suck.

 

[JohnRM]

Italy or France, I guess.

 

[phoenix_sprite]

I voted for Italy since I remembered it being pretty prosperous during that era but France and Scandinavia were also good options.

I seriously thought of the Aztec empire as an option, then I remembered about the Spaniards and the plagues they brought upon the natives and I was like, nope.

I know that China was relatively stable yet stagnant at that exact moment. Japan was experiencing its Warring States period and I know next to nothing about SEA during that period.

 

[Oerdin]

Since we can only pick one I'm going with the UK.

 

[Winner]

I'll stay where I am, Kingdom of Bohemia, HRE. (Too bad we've already lost the Hussite wars I would be a 'propagandist' cleric of sorts.)

 

[Ramius75]

In Ancient Thailand...

 

[Quackers]

I don't know much about the relative merits of each poll option. Anybody fill me in on that?

 

[SS-18 ICBM]

What's the best place for a natural philosopher?

 

[phoenix_sprite]

Italy! Right in the middle of its Renaissance and Leonardo da Vinci was alive in 1492! That last point was probably irrelevant but I would love to meet the guy.

 

[SS-18 ICBM]

Italy it is then. Would be nice to have a chance to work under Dr. Vesalius at the University of Padua.

 

[Traitorfish]

Where am I least likely to die of some horrible disease?