[Steppes] Playing games with dates

[Elaine Crittenden]

Some people have way too much time (oh, was that a joke?) on their hands at
this time of year!
(more giggles)

Lete

----------
>From: "Jay Rudin" <rudin at ev1.net>
>To: "Barony of Steppes - SCA, Inc." <steppes at ansteorra.org>
>Subject: [Steppes] Playing games with dates
>Date: Thu Dec 18,2003,10:54 AM
>
> Actually, although the complete King James Bible came out in 1611, many
> parts of it are earlier.  The Psalms, for instance, are from the Coverdale
> translation, published in 1535.
>
> Also, for the true purist, the SCA period is officially listed as
> "pre-seventeenth century".  That means it lasts through the end of 1600.
>
> But when is that?  December 31 as year-end wasn't official in England until
> the Julian Calendar was tossed in the calendar reform in 1752.  Before then,
> the end of the year was March 24.  (Why?  Because March 25 is nine months
> before December 25, so that's when a year "A.D." starts.)
>
> The dates were slightly different in Catholic countries under the Gregorian
> calendar.
>
> In any event, the date that we now call March 15, 1601, was then called
> March 24, 1600 in England, and was the final day of the sixteenth century.
> It is technically within the SCA's period.
>
>>From my point of view, the ideal cut-off date would be April 23, 1616.  On
> that date, both Shakespeare and Cervantes died, and the dream is officially
> over.
>
> Intriguingly, although it was the same date, their deaths were nine days
> apart, since Shakespeare died in Protestant England and Cervantes in
> Catholic Spain.  Now that's a creative anachronism.
>
> Robin of Gilwell / Jay Rudin
>
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