# If you had to write a novel in the medieval ages, what would you write?



## History_lives (Jul 10, 2012)

I really can't think of anything.


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## Saigonnus (Jul 10, 2012)

A political satire about the relationship between the kingdoms and the catholic church... I would have Ogres be the "catholics" of the story and they always try to forcibly convert people to their belief that their cheese is the greatest of all foods. Also how the ogres blackmail the kingdoms into agreeing with them or they can't trade for cheese.


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## History_lives (Jul 10, 2012)

You sir. I love you.


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## Benjamin Clayborne (Jul 11, 2012)

If I had to write a novel in the medieval ages, I wouldn't be able to use a computer because they wouldn't have been invented yet. Writing longhand is too tiring, so I'd give up and become a sheep farmer.


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## Shanatos (Jul 11, 2012)

I would write something low-key and almost slice-of-life-ish.
Probably something about a travelling merchant, a la Spice & Wolf.


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## Ireth (Jul 11, 2012)

I'm already writing a novel set in the medieval era. XD It's got Fae, vampires and ghosts.

That said, I saw the title and immediately thought "but how would I write a novel in the medieval era if paper or parchment was so uncommon except in monasteries and stuff, and most people were illiterate anyway?" XD


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## JonSnow (Jul 11, 2012)

Saigonnus said:


> A political satire about the relationship between the kingdoms and the catholic church... I would have Ogres be the "catholics" of the story and they always try to forcibly convert people to their belief that their cheese is the greatest of all foods. Also how the ogres blackmail the kingdoms into agreeing with them or they can't trade for cheese.



You forgot about murdering all those who reject their cheese. 


Irith-

There probably wasn't much else to write about at the time... maybe brothels or gigantic feasts in the castle, as everyone outside it starved? I don't think the romantic figures- knights and princesses - overly enjoyed their own lives the way we like to think they did. Risking your life every day for some rich jerk, or being shipped to another country to marry some fat prince's cousin, don't sound like anything I would have written about if I lived back then.


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## J.P. Reedman (Jul 12, 2012)

I'm pretty knowledgable about the late 1100's, the period of Richard Lionheart and King John (and of course, traditionally, Robin Hood.) I actually did start a 'fantasy' Robin Hood novel, which I may go back to some day. Just not sure if it was TOO influenced by my favourite TV series, the 80's show ROBIN OF SHERWOOD, to be viable.
I have also thought about doing something in the early medieval period, the Dark Ages. So far, there are loads of Arthurian novels with 'celts' fighting nasty, invading Saxons. How about a novel from the Saxons' viewpoint? Not a lot of people realise they weren't just coming to 'rape and pillage' for fun, that they wanted to settle because their own countries were suffering floods and subsequent famines.


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## julidrevezzo (Oct 6, 2012)

*laughs* I love this answer, Benjamin! Seriously though.... I tend to write later--Victorian age to modern age. But if I did write a Medieval setting I'd probably write something about the skirmishes and infighting amongst Eleanor of Aquitaine's family.



Benjamin Clayborne said:


> If I had to write a novel in the medieval ages, I wouldn't be able to use a computer because they wouldn't have been invented yet. Writing longhand is too tiring, so I'd give up and become a sheep farmer.


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## ThinkerX (Oct 6, 2012)

I'd write a sort of alternate history type deal where Charlemagne's marriage to the Byzantine empress actually worked and cut about three hundred years off the dark ages.

Something along those lines is a major part of the history for the principle nation of my principle world.


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## BWFoster78 (Oct 6, 2012)

ThinkerX said:


> I'd write a sort of alternate history type deal where Charlemagne's marriage to the Byzantine empress actually worked and cut about three hundred years off the dark ages.
> 
> Something along those lines is a major part of the history for the principle nation of my principle world.



+1

I love alternative history.  I may try one of those at some point.


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## Game (Oct 6, 2012)

There are so many possible subjects. From orcs to dragons and forbidden magic, good luck


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## Weaver (Oct 7, 2012)

_If_ I was going for historical fantasy (as opposed to fantasy set in a medieval-_ish_ place), I'd probably try to write something that had to do with Owain Glyndwr... *shrug*  On the other hand, I prefer to make up my own settings, so I'm not likely to write historical fantasy - I'll just read what others write in that subgenre.


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## Devora (Oct 7, 2012)

Well, the Cheese-makers are blessed. Then would the be like the priests?


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## Kevin O. McLaughlin (Oct 7, 2012)

I actually have written an (early) medieval novel. Well, technically migration period, end of Empire setting. About 420 CE, set in Britain just after Rome severed ties. The book still needs some cleanup before I publish it, but I'm told it's a compelling story by beta readers.

I have a few other random ideas for medieval tales... A series of mysteries set during the Hundred Years War, with a lesser noble/knight acting as the detective. A time travel story where an alien race goes around stomping every species which has learned to generate a Higgs boson, because that's the key to time travel and they don't want anyone mucking with the time stream; Earth is alerted by a survivor of the last species wiped out, just in time, and manages to send a team back to 1066 (Hastings) before the aliens arrive and burn Earth's surface. Their mission: make sure that Earth is ready to face the aliens before anyone creates a Large Hadron Collider.

Probably had a few other ideas, but those are the ones which jump to my head immediately. Not really fantasy though, unless you count the time travel via Higgs Boson as fantasy (which it probably is!).


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## glutton (Mar 24, 2013)

Something about a girl disguising herself as a knight to go on the Crusades and winning great renown, possibly retaking Jerusalem for good.


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## The Dark One (Mar 25, 2013)

Am halfway through a mediaeval historical novel, with ambigous hints at a fantasy subplot, but don't want to say too much about it at this stage - except perhaps from a craft perspective. Requires a different discipline when juggling fiction with historical 'fact'.


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## Chilari (Mar 25, 2013)

If I had to write a historical fantasy set in the medieval period, I'd probably go with the Welsh Marches - the fraught border between England and Wales, littered with castles. I'd need to look more into the Welsh side of things, but I don't think a red dragon and maybe some druidic magic would go amiss.


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