[mangamuscle]

Originally Posted by kuromitsu

And about the surplus population going off and dying in battles, can the population procreate fast enough to supply the needed amount of soldiers and workers, let alone create a surplus?

Remember that back then families had plenty of kids on the average (without taking into account the ones that died at birth or before attaining adulthood) because every father wanted more workers for the farm. So even with wars there was plenty of human surplus. Birth Control? Heresy, Heresy! *runs around in circles flapping arms*

And no, by the time society has developed to the level it is on in this show, literacy was more widespread - merchants, bankers, craftsmen, etc. had to know how to read. Also they were very much affected by things like war.

Those were the upper echelons of society. But nevertheless I beg to differ, to make business you need mostly to know how to add and subtract, maybe write the name of your wares out of memory, but reading was not really necessary to be successful.

That's... pretty much incorrect. ._.) Also the Middle Ages was pretty long and it's not like it was the same everywhere, all the time.

Yeah, but by then it was called The Renaissance :-p

Those church efforts were organized...

But you will agree that it was the church (by its own volition or by law of the land) that provided most of the help to the poor.