Metallurgy as a noble art?

Zioneer

Banned
Is there any way that Metallurgy, specifically smithing and studying metals, could become a sport/trade of the nobility on par with falconry and hunting?

Could there be, perhaps instead of Henry (or Heinrich, or whatever) the Fowler, Henry the Smith?

How could Metallurgy become an art of the nobility, and what would be the ramifications of this?
 

Zioneer

Banned
How about some kind of extension of the guild system, and its integration into the social hierarchy?

That might work. But I was thinking having the obsession with Metallurgy earlier, to where it's as integrated in the noble mindset as hunting was.
 
Maybe if nobility were intensely interested in making their own armor, themselves? Or perhaps more widespread interest in alchemy?
 

Zioneer

Banned
Maybe if nobility were intensely interested in making their own armor, themselves? Or perhaps more widespread interest in alchemy?


Perhaps a battle in a tourney (or otherwise) goes horribly, horribly wrong, and the reason why is perceived as shoddy armor/weapons on the part of the loser?

As for the alchemy bit, that'd be easy; just have the Catholic Church cut off opposition to itself at that venture by legimitazing alchemy; have them declare it to be a "holy search for how God's great earth works" or something like that.

Any other ways it could come about?
 
Metalworking is too much like hard work for nobles to personally embrace. Hawking, hunting, fighting, feasting and fucking are all great fun which is why nobles did them with such vigour.
 
Isn't this how metallurgy was viewed traditionally in sub-Saharan Africa? I was under the impression this had a retardant effect on development.
 
I don't see it. As was pointed out, too close to actual work. However I could see it as an offshot of alchemy. More practical, trying to mate different metals, both for ractical and aesthetical purposes. Nobility favours it, but doesn't actually do it, except forsome experiments.
 
Make it go the way of architecture? nobles love architecture, they just don't actually build stuff. :)

The main problem I see with this in Europe is that the emerging nobility came argely from a background of people who were technologically behind the people they ruled. Technological understanding was strongly associated with not-noble people (though in earlier times it appears Germanic warleaders could be smiths by training and the craft was regarded highly). An aristocracy that was more grounded in a population of its own 'kind' might do this, though not likely in the sense of becoming accomplished at it. As others pointed out, it's real work, and more than that, it is a real craft, which means it takes years to learn. Ultimately, you can't be a nobleman in the European mould (years of rigorous training in horsemanship, combat, politics, etiquette, warfare, woodcraft and languages) and at the same time be a skilled metalworker (years and years of training in metallurgy and related fields - becoming a master armourer in the production centres of late medieval Europe took between ten and twenty years).
 
It's true that metallurgy would be hard work. On the other side, hunting and the like could be hard and dangerous too. I'm not that convinced that riding through dense forests and killing large animals with mere spears is always that "fun". It was necessary as training and exercice. In the same way, it could be considered necessary that nobles look after their own weaponry and armour. After all, that surely happened anyway IOTL with cleansing the weapons and doing minor repair if noone was around to do that during wartime. At home, they'd still have specialized servants which could do much of the hard work. After all, we have to consider that a true master weapon smith might well have had several apprentices and might only rarely have used a hammer himself.
 
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