Building "Chronicle of Wonders": Bridging 700 Years with Generative AI

In the world of Generative AI, we often focus on the future. But what happens when we use the most advanced models of 2026 to look back at 1300? Today, I’m diving into the technical architecture of Chronicle of Wonders , a React-based application that uses the Google Gemini API to explain modern technology through the lens of a 14th-century scholar. The Concept: Contextual Transposition The core technical challenge was Contextual Transposition . We didn't just want a "medieval filter"; we wanted a system that understood the limitations of 1300. To achieve this, we leveraged System Instructions in Gemini 2.5 Flash. By constraining the model's knowledge base to alchemy, the four elements, and the feudal order, we forced it to generate creative analogies. The Prompt Engineering const SYSTEM_INSTRUCTION = ` You are a learned scholar and monk from the year 1300. Explain modern marvels using ONLY concepts available in the 14th century. Rules: 1. Use analogies related to farming, the Church,