The Voynich Ninja

Rulers of the Kingdom of Naples:

Ladislaus King of Naples
Joanna II Queen of Naples
René Duke of Anjou, Count of Provence  and King of Naples

I feel like Jan van Eyck features in the time period because almost every Eve thereafter seems to evoke his. The Ghent Altarpiece was begun 1420, completed 1432. From 1426 to 1429 he went on secret excursions for Philip the Duke of Burgundy, including possibly Jerusalem and definitely Lisbon re the Duke's wedding to Isabella of Portugal in 1429 on Christmas Day, van Eyck spent 9 months there.

(19-01-2021, 08:58 PM)Linda Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.I feel like Jan van Eyck features in the time period because almost every Eve thereafter seems to evoke his. 

Yeah, the influence of such works on the solidification of certain types should not be underestimated. I read that Van Eyck's version of Saint Jerome in his study had a similar influence.

Every study, analysis or test (of anything, not just the Voynich MS) should have an objective. It should have a possible outcome that would tell us something.

As an example, if one were to analyse the parchment of the MS for chlorine contents, then at the end one has a number or a set of numbers. However, these numbers would not actually say anything about the possible provenance or history of the MS. This would therefore be a superfluous test (at least until someone figures out what the numbers would actually tell us).

So what is the objective of this thread? There should be some hint how the historical background of the years 1405-1438 could connect with the Voynich MS.
Most of the listed events are political, and it remains unclear how political events would connect to a work of natural philosophy.

There are some events related to renaissance art, but we already have the statement of an authority (Panofsky) that the Voynich MS completely escapes the influences of the renaissance.

(20-01-2021, 06:31 AM)ReneZ Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.it remains unclear how political events would connect to a work of natural philosophy.

Precisely, it remains unclear and there is a lot about the Voynich that is unclear, so there may well be close connections. It is far more likely that there are close connections to this period than to the period 854 AD to 888 AD.

In the case of the chlorine contents, from what you say, it does not remain clear, but rather it is clear that there is no connection.

It seems to me that the events of the time during which the Voynich manuscript was written could well be very relevant to an understanding of the manuscript. This is not certain, but many things are uncertain when it comes to the manuscript. Cleary if the author was not a hermit living on a small isolated island then I think events in the world around him/her will have had some impact on his/her life.

Please do suggest non-political and non-art/architectural events. A broad sense of the time period I think is useful and this doesn't just mean politics though politics is part of it.

The objective I see is a greater general understanding of the time in which the manuscript was written without the bias of specific Voynich theories. I wish, personally, that I had a greater sense of the history from 1404 and 1438 as I think that relevant. Hopefully for myself and others this thread will move in the direction of that greater sense of the history.

Without planning it, my own separate research has pushed up in some different ways on various historical events such as the Council of Basel in my Rosettes analysis and quite separately the impact of political events of the period on the development of diplomatic ciphers. As my theory did not start from an expectation of a connection to historical events then I imagine other theories could well find themselves linked to historical events.

Also if someone sees no value in this thread there is no expectation that they engage with it as there are plenty of other threads to comment on.

It is said that the Italian Renaissance began in 1401 with a competition for the commission to sculpt bronze doors for the baptistery of Florence. Obviously putting a precise date on the start of the renaissance is fraught with difficulty. However unless one was in Florence it is debatable whether one can say that the period 1404 to 1438 was during the events of the renaissance.

Another source lists:

1408
English Bible
John Wyclif's English Bible is published.

1415
Battle of Agincourt
An English victory against the French. King Henry becomes Regent of France and in marrying the the French King's daughter heir to the throne of France.

1417
Vatican City
After the Popes return from Avignon after the 39 yr Great Schism they take up residence in the Vatican City.

1420
Glazed glass
Glazed glass begins to be seen in the houses of the rich in Europe.

1429
Joan of Arc
Joan of Arc defeats the English at Orleans.

1434
Medici Family
In the Tuscan city of Florence a banking family, the Medici, begins to dominate the city politically

An alternative history:

1406  The geography of Ptolemy, an ancient Greek, is introduced in Europe. This holds that the earth is the center of the universe and that all heavenly bodies revolve around it in perfect circles.
1407  London has a new institution – a place for the insane called Bethlehem hospital.
1408  In Britain, John Wyclif's England language bible has been published.
1409  Prelates meet at Pisa to name a pope to replace the two claiming to be pope. The two existing popes refuse to step aside.
1410  A Germanic force, the Teutonic Knights, are trying to gain control of Poland. The knights are allied with the kings of Bohemia and Hungary. Their army has volunteer "crusaders" and numbers around 27,000.  An army of 39,000 fighting for the Polish king, Wladyslaw Jagiello, includes Lithuanians, Ruthenians and Tatars in addition to Poles, and they defeat the Germans. The Teutonic Knights decline in power and Eastern Europe does not become a German colony.
1413  In England, followers of John Wyclif, dead since 1384, hold that the Bible is the only rule of faith. They appeal to the Catholic clergy to return to the simple life of the early Church. They oppose war, the doctrine of transubstantiation, confession, and images in worship. They march on London, and Henry V, fearing social disorder, suppresses the movement.
1415  John Hus, a Czech and former dean of philosophy at the University of Prague, travels to the Council of Constance to propose his reforms for the Church. Upon his arrival he is tried for heresy and burned at the stake.
1415  Prince Henry of Portugal, with a fleet of 200 ships and 20,000 men, captures the port of Ceuta from the Moors.
1416  Dutch fishermen are using drift nets.
1419  Lately the Portuguese have been building latine-rigged ships, which can tack into the wind. They are are exploring waters off the coast of northern Africa, and they lay claim to the island of Madiera. 
1420  The Portuguese are fighting inhabitants of the Canary Islands, south of Madiera.
1421  In Austria, Jews are imprisoned and expelled. 
1421  In Florence, the first patent is granted – for a barge with hoists, used for hauling marble. 
1428  Pope Martin V orders John Wyclif's bones exhumed and burned.
1428  King Alfonso V, king of Naples and Sicily, orders Jews in Sicily to convert to Catholicism.
1429  The Hundred Years' War is still on, and, in May, Joan of Arc defeats the English at Orleans. In August she enters Paris in triumph.
1431  Some Englishmen see Joan of Arc as truly a witch and as an agent of the devil – a common response to adversity in this age. Joan is captured. The English turn her over to ecclesiastic authorities – the Inquisition – and at the French town of Rouen, then under English rule, Joan is burned at the stake.
1434  In this pre-industrial age the biggest business is banking, and in the Tuscan city of Florence a banking family, the Medici, begins to dominate the city politically.
1434  Portuguese start sailing past Cape Bojador, beyond which had been considered a "Sea of Darkness" from which no European had returned.
1435  Amid rebellion and turmoil, Sweden's parliament meets for the first time, to be dominated by noble families and the body that maintains Swedish national identity.

It seems that what are normally viewed as the most important events of the 15th century tend to occur after 1438. So it feels like we are in a late medieval/very early renaissance period.

There's no real reason why you shouldn't include events that occurred at the end of the 14th century, which may well have been formative in the upbringing and formative student days of the scribes.