Is Technic civilization as complex as real life? The imagined reality of Technic civilization has to be more complex because so far real life is confined to a single planet. However, our records of events on Earth Real are far more voluminous than our records of events in Technic civilization. That civilization has its own records, like
The Sky Book of Stormgate, but most of those are out of our reach. Meanwhile, on Earth Real, newspapers are published every morning that we
can read. This morning in Britain, they all have the same headline: "The King Has Cancer." This might affect our immediate future but cannot affect Technic civilization. Dominic Flandry's friend, the Mayor Palatine of Britain, may or may not be descended from the present Royal Family but, in any case, as of now, King Charles has a grown son and a young grandson so that the succession is assured for the next two generations unless something else happens, of course.
7 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
Ha! I did wonder if that Mayor Palatine was descended from King Charles III.
I am sorry his Majesty is ill and I hope his cancer is successfully treated.
Ad astra! Sean
The much longer lifespans in the present have complicated hereditary succession, whose outlines were established when "three-score and ten" was a long life. It used to be routine for heirs to succeed to the office when quite young -- Elizabeth II did, for instance.
I do hope Charles recovers. I've always liked him, and admired his opinions on architecture -- Poundbury is what an English town -should- look like, IMHO.
Since Charles III and I are almost exactly the same age, it was always a toss up as to which of us was going to die first. Will I live into a fourth reign? The King has better medical care than me but, for the time being, it seems that he is in poorer health. But "No one knows..." etc.
Kaor, Mr. Stirling and Paul!
Mr. Stirling: I remember how you treated an alternate Charles III in your Emberverse series: the Chaos of the Change enabled him to take a more forceful and decisive role in public affairs than the current system would allow any monarch to do. And, at first, that other Charles III governed wisely and sensibly before succumbing to an insanity induced by the Change.
We have seen some recent monarchs abdicating rather than reigning till their deaths. E.g., Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, Albert II of Belgium, Juan Carlos of Spain, and Emperor Heisei of Japan. That's one way of adjusting for longer than usual lifespans.
Paul: But of course we both hope the King's illness is successfully treated. And have you ever visited Poundbury? I looked it up and it does seem very well designed.
Ad astra! Sean
Haven't.
Now that he has got to the Throne, I think he deserves to be there for a reasonable time. I was retired from work long before he started as King.
Kaor, Paul!
I agree. And, given his already fairly advanced age, a reign of ten to fifteen years would be a good span of time.
Ad astra! Sean
Victoria's age at death was 82 and that was regarded as 'long' in 1901. But her son was 60 when he came to the throne and he died 8 years later.
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