Yeah, I knew about the other 5 or so former reserve currencies, and how they’d previously held military/financial/religious all in the same country before breaking it up this time. Unlike those 5, I know some of the specifics of England’s battles with them, having seen them by chance. France’s undoubtedly involves Napoleon. Germany’s surely involves Prussia and probably Belgium. There’s a good book called “The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire” that touches on their degradation of silver specie prior to any of this over 600-1000 or so years, among other things.

Didn’t know the loans all started with the pope. Rather assumed they predated even that.

Yeah, I knew about the other 5 or so former reserve currencies, and how they’d previously held military/financial/religious all in the same country before breaking it up this time. Unlike those 5, I know some of the specifics of England’s battles with them, having seen them by chance.

Didn’t know it all started with the pope, though. Figures, with all the nearby mer-chant states. Damn maritime law.