Centralized kingdoms, big cities, money, middle class and professional armies

>Centralized kingdoms, big cities, money, middle class and professional armies

If I like this and add it to my setting, my world is not medieval anymore, right?

It's still feudal, OP. The dark ages featured all of the elements you just mentioned. That armor is 14th century-esque, but fuck it, it's your setting.

>If I like this and add it to my setting, my world is not medieval anymore, right?
Yes and no, considering where the Renaissance starts is incredibly iffy (some start it as early as the 1200s, others as late as 1492 because Columbus discovering the Americas is a convenient cut-off point).

The first guys who did that those things were the French during/after the Hundred Years War, so that's as late as it can get which is debatably very medieval.

Maybe.

But does it truly matter if your setting fits this somewhat arbitrary pigeon hole?

When people think of Medieval Europe the first thing that comes to mind are the shitty little impoverished fiefs run by some noble's third cousin.

They had pretty much everything you mentioned but keep in mind it's not going to be the "comfy" type of big city like the ones you expect to see in a Disney movie.

This is an artistic reconstruction of 8th century London.

>The dark ages featured all of the elements you just mentioned.

t. history retard

Well you could almost apply all those to the Byzantines while things are still Medieval so maybe if only one kingdom has their shit shit together like that then maybe your not done yet but even then you might just be more Renaissance.

Still Medieval fantasy's very common, I wouldn't be attached to the title.

adding plate armor to your game makes it not medieval, full plate was not available until the 1400s, nearly into the renaissance age.

>Still Medieval fantasy's very common, I wouldn't be attached to the title.
Neither are the people who write medieval fantasy. Think about the tropes most common in medieval fantasy: the king is the indisputed authority in the kingdom, the nobles mostly function as some sort of delegated authority and may or may not be represented in a Council of Nobles, there are professional standing armies with direct loyalty to the king and internal strife is uncommon outside of struggles for the crown. And let's not forget the existence of full plate.

Medieval Fantasy heavily borrows from the Renaissance (but again, the dividing line between the two is vague and the former didn't arbitrarily transform into the latter in a certain year or with a certain event. Even if we define the Renaissance as the rebirth of interest in Roman stuff [the most literal interpretation of the term], then we can say that it was started by Cola di Rienzo, who lived a whoopin' century prior to when most historians 'officially' start the Renaissance. And I wouldn't be surprised if there was a guy before Rienzo who started it all and I just don't know about).

Tell your mother it was a night I'll never forget. By the by, what's her name again?

typical brainlet response

Common medieval fantasy is entirely anachronistic anyway.

You know, I've never understand why people don't get hyped as fuck over creating a setting that takes place in the 16th century.

It's got everything you'd want out of a fantasy setting. Centralized governments, massive armies, religious turmoil, grand discoveries of the New World, the Knight's sun is still resplendent, but waning before the gun, etc.

If you want to stay true to the "Medieval" setting, just remember that it was still very pagan culturally even though they were slowly being "Romanized" through Catholicism

It is going to be pretty decentralized. Illiteracy was very high so centralization would be difficult unless it was for the purpose of collecting taxes and other such matters of the kingdom, even then the records would be kept using Latin and roman numerals.

Since poverty was still pretty rampant, most people were focused on their trade moreso than state affairs. Politics didn't concern them unless it gave them a reason to such as invasive taxes or dickwad generals trying to recruit all their sons who were supposed to be helping on the farm.

Trade was very regional so there weren't many exotic goods driving the economy. Language barriers were still a huge problem. Tribal conflicts were still very real even within unified kingdoms.

This sounds more like something you would see in the early modern period.

Oh cool londinium

You know how I knew you were tough, son? Your mother and I weren't having regular sex when you were conceived.

You migrated from the asshole, boy. You migrated from the asshole.

Sounds like a city-state deal similar to how the rich Italian cities ran themselves

I would love more 16th century settings. Give me religious wars!

why even try brainlet?

Just find a nice hotel and fuck already

Don't call them the "middle class". Have a term like fyrdman, yeoman, and the like to describe them. They hold land or a small business that is their own rather than leased to them like the lower peasantry. Or put your own spin on it. It's fantasy so do whatever the hell makes you happy

I do. That weird mix of everything and no one yet figured out the perfected designs of guns, ships etc.

I love me some caravels, dhows, galeasses and carracks.

>Think about the tropes most common in medieval fantasy: the king is the indisputed authority in the kingdom, the nobles mostly function as some sort of delegated authority and may or may not be represented in a Council of Nobles, there are professional standing armies with direct loyalty to the king and internal strife is uncommon outside of struggles for the crown. And let's not forget the existence of full plate.

Yeah I had that thought after I wrote, are there any notable works that actually produce something like 'true medieval' fantasy?

ASoIaF?

Anglo-Saxon society was pretty advanced in terms of city planning.

Each quadrant would serve different functions and each of the four roads faced in the cardinal directions.

I read about these cities and they were also built by some Scandinavians tribes.

...

Oh wow youre a special kind of stupid

You're more or less describing the late medieval period where they started transitioning out of feudalism. They still had knights in armor similar to your pic around this time. It has a precedent in historical accuracy, but the great thing about worldbuilding is that doesn't matter. You could have your setting's state run like the soviet union for all anyone cares and still keep in swords-and-armor.

>Families that have stood for thousands of years
>A land greater than the American continent under feudal rule

I mean yeah almost but the scale is fucked.