Best Medieval Timelines?

What are everyone's favorite medieval timelines on this site? Mine is the now defunct "Raptor of Spain." I also really like "Eagles and Hawks," "Isaac's Empire," and "The Song of Roland." Also, what qualities make a medieval timeline good in everyone's opinion.
Scipio
 
Thanks for the quotation, but "Raptor of Spain" is defunct? Are you sure of that?

Return to the topic, my favorites are "Isaac's Empire", "Raptor of Spain", "The Song of Roland", "Tuscan Sons", "The Prince of Peace".

What's make a good medieval timeline?

1) Knowing the facts and avoiding false easy PoDs. Such things as a Muslim Europe after a frankish defeat at Poitiers are too easy and relying only on a "assumed knowledge".
A TL writer must interest himself to the actual facts and not standing on the surface (dates, maps, etc).

2) Understanding the mental structures.
Granted, the medieval men and women had the same needs, the same organism than us. But Middle-Age was so different regarding institutions (political or cultural), juridic separations of social classes, that is a need to at least be aware of that.

Critically regarding religion and intolerence.

3) Knowing his geography and adapting it.

In MA, geographical features were more important than today. Forest, marshs, basin are each one a potential border.
In the same time, remembering that these borders weren't clear most of time, and more based on grey zones that limes.

4) A medieval TL isn't a Crusader Kings game.

A good writer must be interested on other things than nobles, warfare, politics and economics. How changes (critically in a period like MA where radical changes can happen quickly) are modifiying the lifes' conditions of the masses : urbanism, tools, favourite colors (don't laugh, the choice of Blue as the favorite color of the western world instead of Red is very interesting)...
 
Well, I will never give up the "The Raptor of Spain," but the last update was in mid-August and I am now decorating for Christmas, so that cannot be a good sign.
Anyway, yes, I agree, those are all important factors in writing a medieval timeline. I am now doing a lot of research and planning for my next timeline, and I shall not accept another piece I am not happy with, so that is a factor in why I started this thread. I like the middle ages because there is so much room for building a radically different world, much more so that the majority of timelines on this board that have POD's in the 20th century.
All the timelines you mentioned are very good.
Scipio
 

scholar

Banned
Its wrong of me, but my favorite Medieval Timeline is the one I've been writing... It is borderline ASB in the beginning because I was ignorant in the way of the butterfly, but as time went on I poured hours upon hours into research and know that I will continue to do so in the future. Its kind of like the Chrysler Building built on a sand dune, for you to get the basic idea. In the future I will fix that, but for now...

Then, in second place, is Raptor of Spain.
 
Another thing i forget, i should be damned for : epic.

Middle-Ages have a huge potential for grandiose battles, romanesque characters, that would be a loss to not use it.

Personally, i usually listen some Poledouris or other movies soundtrack-composer while i'm writing the important battles.
 
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