I don't see what I'm doing wrong. I'm only the second king of a young Empire and I'm busy conquering Egypt. So, naturally, I wanted to take some steps to secure my kingdom before I left for a few years.

I took all the necessary steps. I married all three of my royal sisters to make sure they couldn't have any legitimate children to challenge my rule. I brought my favorite sister/wife, Roxanne, with me and now she's pregnant, so I think this proves my point.

I also had a dream about my brother becoming king. It was definitely believable, he already controlled way too much of our territory for me to feel comforable. I'm older, but I think our Dad played favorites. I took the only logical step and had my favorite adviser, Prexaspes, arrange for Bardiya (my brother) to be assassinated. Don't worry though, a couple of Magi helped us cover it up and nobody knows. I think we're all safe on that front.

The thing is, I just got back from Nubia and found the Egyptians in revolt even after I'd let their old Pharaoh live. Obviously, I kill the old Pharaoh for organizing this, but all of my generals and advisers protested my suggestion to burn down the temples in Thebes to really get our point across. Obviously, I did anyway, but now I'm worried.

The court back at Ecbatana keeps writing letters to makes sure I'm feeling ok. I think my advisers called me crazy the other day, and Prexaspes questioned the decision to kill Bardiya. He was a threat! What's so objectionable about that. Now even Roxanne is questioning my judgement. I tried to beat that out of her, but I don't think she'll let it go.

WTF! I'm the King of Kings, obviously I know what the best way to rule is

AITA?

Edit: And now my u/spearbearerdareios is giving me funny looks, but I'm sure that's just me getting paranoid.

So today I found out that my colleagues and superiors are constantly upset with me because they say they are often unable to get a hold of me during key operational periods due to the fact I am often busy up front seeing that my work is being completed to my satisfaction rather than lounging around in the rear.

Others that work with me often complain that I am micromanaging those working underneath me to the point that I am undermining our organization's success. I think my track record speaks for itself (I mean, I helped achieve in six weeks what others failed to accomplish in four years) and our boss seems to appreciate my efforts. So AITA?

Okay, so, as you all know, we've been in a worldwide economic depression since 1873. I am not the only president that needs to look after the economy of their country and make sure that we don't fall into complete ruin. We need revenue right now to get through this. As the magnamious president I am, I've been kind enough to let Chilean-owned companies export nitrate that they have extracted on our seacoast. Crazy, right? Well, actually, Bolivia settled with Chile in 1874 and we got Chile to relinquish any claims they had on our territory in exchange for us not increasing taxes on exports. Clearly this worked in our favor because that land is just filled to the brim with resources that we can exploit, but now five years later, we are in need of money.

So I did what I had to do and imposed a 10 cent export tax on the Chilean Compañia de Salitres y Ferrocarril. I didn't think they would make such a big deal out of it. I mean, it's just 10 cents, right? It's not like the Chilean government owns the company anyway. Buuut, as you have probably guessed by now, the Chilean government under President Aníbal Pinto threw a fit. I mean, sure, we talked a bit and it was fine for a couple of months but I grew sort of impatient. They had no problem settling with Argentina at the same time and they're clearly not even close to being prepared to use any force to get their will through, so I guess I became a bit bold. I demanded the company to start paying the taxes and told them that we'll confiscate their property and sell it at public auction if they didn't do it. They refused. What was I supposed to do? Go back on my threat? So recently, in January 1879, we confiscated the company property. Again, Chile got mad at us.

Am I in the wrong for looking after my people and our economy in the midst of this deep crisis? I'm hoping to get this solved before the scheduled public auction on February 14 (CHA-CHING am I right?), but you never know with these stubborn Chileans.

I raised a battalion of women to serve Mother Russia in the war, which was hoped would spur our soldiers into battle. I won my fight against committees in my battalion - I would have nothing to do with them. I argued with deserters, trying to make them see that we could not end the war until we had first made some gains. Victory is the only way to peace. They cursed and jeered at me.

At the front our corps received orders to go over the top, but when the signal came the men hesitated. Instead of obeying the traitors sat debating their orders. Debating! This is why I would have no committees.

I thought surely if these men would not watch girls struck down in No Man’s Land without following, that we need only set an example to the laggards. Joined by officers who knew their duty, we decided to advance and made great progress driving the enemy back, but the scoundrels still left us unsupported. We were forced to retreat rather than be surrounded, losing all the ground we’d gained on behalf of Mother Russia.

Since returning from the front, I have endured much abuse from those who blame us for drawing the war out. Even as I await a decision on my fate, I am endlessly tormented by the soldiers and sailors I am confined with. I have not slept in weeks, but the warder refuses to give me a private cell! Surely I’m not the asshole here.

Hello.
Yes, thank you.
My fellow Redditors…

It’s been a rough couple of decades. I mean, three assassination attempts?! Totally, totally unfair! Very, very, completely unfair, loser assassination attempts!

So anyways, I’ve been unifying my country in a tremendous fashion – just like my Dad, and his Dad, and his Dad before that… only I’m doing it WAY bigger an better than any of them. You can’t even believe just how incredibly big my unification is, folks! Believe me. See, I got this good idea that everyone should follow the same set of super-strict laws, and we’d reward the good and, well, as for the bad… kill them and everyone they’d ever known. It’s a tremendous, tremendous set of laws that I call: “Legalism.” You ever heard of that? “Legalism.” Not many people have heard of it. No one’s done it like this, people, believe me.

And it totally worked! Huge success! My state went from being broken, failed state with no ammunition, to biggest army and the most wins of all the states! It’s incredible. Who could believe it? No one! But I believed it, and here we are – huge winning! The other loser states even tried to get in together against me, but my army was so strong we beat them all at the same time – it’s historic, incredible!

Well, here I am – job done! I’m not the King anymore – now I’m the Divine Thearch! The Emperor, and will be for a long, Long time to come!

And I’m just as committed now to unifying everything about my new empire as I’ve ever been. The weights, the measures, the money, the writing, the spoken language – we’ve gotta make everyone understand each other! How else can one run a country??

And everyone should be saying “Oh, thank you, Emperor! Thank you!” But are they? No! And am I upset?? Maybe – a little. Not really… but a little. You know what I’m saying.

So, here’s my problem. There are some real HATERS and LOSERS who have just been whining this entire time about how what I’m doing is “bad” and how my punishments are “way too strong” and “don’t at all fit the scope of the crime committed.” They apparently one of the Hundred Schools of Thought of the past era, founded by some loser name “Kong.” Who’s ever heard of this guy? I’ve never heard of him? “Kong Zi?” “Confucius?” What kind of weirdo, loser name is that? Not a winner name like Qin Shi Huang, that’s for sure!

But all these Haters and Doubters, spurned on by the completely an totally Fake Historical Annals, are saying that I’m somehow - somehow - wrong for burying my enemies alive – like the Confucians, like the Yin-Yangers, like the Mohists… all those loser schools who won’t y’know, just be cool! Just get with the program! They wanna play rough? Well I’ll play rough, ya get me?

But that’s not all, folks! That’s not all! Because apparently not it’s “not PC” to destroy by fire all of the books that I don’t like! And I say: Who even needs books?! I hardly ever read books – books are for nerds! Put 'em in the fire! Except for the ones that make me look good... or the ones I can color in. Those ones are... pretty great.

Anyways, not even really sure why I posted here. I’m obviously right, and correct, and the Fake, Fake, Very Fake Biased News Annals and sore, castrated losers like Sima Qian have absolutely no idea what real journalism is. It’s all a Hit Job, folks. I absolutely am NTA. I don't take any responsibility at all.

Now, if you’ll, excuse me, my alchemists tell me my new regimen of fulminating mercury is ready to drink…

Thank you.
Heaven bless you.
and Heaven bless the Qin Empire
May I reign for 10,000 years.
Make China Great Again!
Keep Qin Great!

My husband and I have four sons, Henry, Richard, Geoffrey, and John. Our oldest, Henry, was set to inherit several large amounts of land that my husband decided to instead give to our youngest son, John. Henry is, in my view understandably, upset about this! He's gone so far as to go and stay with his in-laws for the time being, and his other two brothers have gone to join him (his In-Laws have a very large place).

Things have been, difficult for my husband for several years now since he was implicated in the murder of a dear friend of ours. I certainly have my doubts about his claims of innocence but, without proof, no one can do much.

I've been invited to come and join my sons in France (which I frankly prefer to England), and am planning to leave soon without telling my husband. AITA for wanting to support my sons?

Hello! Dear sub, I have a little question.

Me – 28F My husband – 45M His past wife – 35F

My husband and I married recently, but I’ve known him for a long time – I served in his past wives’ households, so while we weren’t close, he was somewhat aware of my existence. (Of course, I knew who he was. I mean, he’s the king.)

He started paying court to me while he was still married to his last wife. (Technically, she wasn’t even really his wife. He “married” her before he was officially split from his first wife, and his archbishop proclaimed that it was legal. Their relationship wasn’t very good in general – he said she cheated on him with a lot of people – and she wasted so much of his money on clothes, music, and parties! I’ve also been having a lot of success making friends with my stepdaughter, who hated her last stepmother for breaking up her parents’ marriage – she’s been estranged from her father and I’ve done a lot to bring them together.) I was so flattered, and I fell in love with him quickly. She sensed that he was going to try to divorce her before he had the chance to bring it up and lost her head over it, but what did she expect?

Now I’m pregnant with his son (fingers crossed!) and we’re so happy, but I can’t help but feel a little bit guilty. Nobody’s ever even hinted at the idea that I could be a homewrecker, but is it maybe sort of my fault that he got rid of his second wife? Should I have tried to get him to set the wedding date more than a couple of weeks after the … let’s call it “divorce”?

I was wondering what can a rich Roman do to get a thrill from a substance after he/she gets over wine, and at possibly if they didn't have such substance abuse, doesn't that mean that of the major addictions they really only had booze to deal with?

So I'm in a bit of a pickle. Well, not just me but the whole of Germany! See, a few years back in 1914 we got involved in this Weltkreig, or "Great War" as the English are putting it. The war started off pretty great for us, we made good progress on both the Western and Eastern fronts. Then however things started to stall. One of our responses to this slow-down in operations was to launch a campaign of unrestricted warfare in 1915.

​

Personally, I think it was a good thing. The loss of innocent life is regrettable, but this is war after all and England has a superior navy so I don't see how else we could win than by strangling her economically. This first campaign didn't go smoothly, other countries really didn't like what we were doing. By other countries, I also mean "The United States". They were really mad when the Lusitania and Arabic were sunk and when the Gulflight was damaged.

​

But, after a lot of whining and protesting by the United States, we relented and gave up the unrestricted submarine campaign.

​

Here we are however nearing the end of 1916 and things are looking really bad for us! We've taken a beating on like every front, our offensive at Verdun failed, and economically speaking we're being strangled. I've got a proposal and I really think it could win us the war: Restarting Unrestricted Submarine Warfare.

​

I have a whole 200 page report written up to give to my commanders and I know that my argument will pervasive. I may have stretched the truth in this report, but the gist of it is correct. We will defeat the UK very quickly if we reinstate Unrestricted Submarine Warfare, and while doing so will probably bring the United States into the war, I don't think they'll be that big of a deal and our submarines will be able to deal with their troop transports.

​

So, WIBTA if I submit this report to my superiors? The fate of Germany could rest in my hands!

So, a little backᵹround. My brother (44M, let's call him "Harold", ƿhich is emphatically *not* his real name) and I (40M) haven't really had the best relations. Ƿe ƿere both born into an important family. Noƿ, I ƿas ᵹranted an earldom eleven years aᵹo, and *maybe* I didn't do the best job at it. Hoƿever, ƿhen the kinᵹdom ƿaᵹed ƿar aᵹainst the Norþƿelsh, I fouᵹht side-by-side ƿith my brother (metaphorically-speakinᵹ). So, the people of my Earldom, *clearly* not recoᵹnizinᵹ hoƿ ᵹood thinᵹs ƿere under me, occupied the city and killed everyone in my court. The kinᵹ sent a deleᵹation ƿhich ended up includinᵹ my brother, ƿho ended up *acceptinᵹ* the demands of the rebels, and *outlaƿed* me just because I refused to accept the demands! This ƿas last year.

Nine months aᵹo, my brother ƿas elected kinᵹ of the realm. I, of course, publicly declared my brother to be a rebel and a traitor upon his coronation, as is tradition. For this, he *exiled* me, his oƿn brother! I ended up in Flanders, and then ended up pillaᵹinᵹ Enᵹland, as is tradition. None of my brothers ƿould join me, thouᵹh, despite the clear riᵹhteousness of my cause. I then ƿent to Scotland, and convinced another kinᵹ (51M, let's call him "Harald", also clearly not his *real* name) to invade the kinᵹdom ƿith me.

I just finished a battle at Fulford, defeatinᵹ the jerk ƿho took my earldom, and am about to meet up ƿith "Harald". All thinᵹs considered, I have hiᵹh hopes that thinᵹs ƿill ᵹo ƿell. A little nervous, I hear that Norƿeᵹians are taller than most.

AITA here? I mean, from my perspective, "Harold" has this cominᵹ to him.

It is an outrage that that evil man, Eybeschuetz, is able to maintain his position as a leading rabbi of world Jewry while perpetuating the evil Sabbatean theology, engaging in disgusting behavior unbefitting a Jew, and using his power to convince other rabbis to join his side.

I have never liked Eybeschuetz, ever since he came here to be chief rabbi of the holy community of AH"U. My ancestors had been the chief rabbis of Altona, one of the communities of AH"U, for several generations; it's not as though I ever wanted that job, of course, but still, Eybeschuetz was not worthy. And what's worse, he is clearly a Sabbatean; my holy and esteemed father, the Chacham Tzvi, was always militantly opposed to those who supported that evildoer Sabbatai Zevi, who led so many astray with his false prophecies and his blatant breaking of the Torah's prohibitions.

When I first proclaimed in my pamphlets that Eybeschuetz had written an amulet that supported Sabbatai Zevi, it was so clear to me; anyone with a knowledge of the most basic kabbalistic codes and utterances could see that references were made not only to Zevi, but to him being the Messiah- a clear blasphemy, not merely because of Zevi's horrendous behavior, and not merely because Zevi converted to Islam (would the Jewish Messiah do such a thing?!), but because Zevi is dead, and are we Christians that we believe that our Messiah will come back from the dead? It is a terrible thing for Eybeschuetz to show sympathy for and adherence to such a person.

Since that day that I announced my battle for the sake of Heaven against Eybeschuetz and his perfidy, Eybeschuetz has managed to gather forces to battle against me. He is one of the most influential rabbis, head of the most prominent yeshiva, and contains such connections that he was even able to marshal the King of Denmark, our sovereign, onto his side. Eybeschuetz's popularity- he is so widely respected and beloved- is making even the elder statesmen of the rabbinate reluctant to openly join on our side.

Therefore, even when Eybeschuetz seems to indicate that he is willing to drop the battle and bargain a truce, I refuse to ceasefire. I have a printing press from which I feel compelled to publish all of Eybeschuetz's infamy. So certainly, I have used some foul, violent and bitter language; but I am a bitter man, I've lost two wives and sixteen children in my life, and I am not inclined to temper myself in my battle against Eybeschuetz's villainy. And certainly, I have perhaps bent the truth and exaggerated about certain things, like Eybeschuetz's wife's gravestone, or Eybeschuetz supporting the Frankists; but sometimes it is necessary. And perhaps it wasn't necessary to claim that the sexual immorality of Eybeschuetz's wife is the reason why she had breast cancer and had to have her breasts amputated. But much of what I do hear- and what I do hear is so often scandalous and immoral- comes from sources that I do believe are telling me the truth, and so of course I must print it; how can I not? So sometimes my anger and venom have been misplaced and I have targeted those who did not necessarily deserve it, but here I feel convinced.

The case with the amulets is in the secular courts now, and we shall see how it is resolved, but I don't think that even Eybeschuetz dying would stop me from exposing him for the evildoer that he is. AITA for being unrelenting in my quest to expose him?

The Elamite World seems pretty exhaustive, I suppose, but even trying to skim that book for qualitative information that teaches me (a layman) more about Elam makes my head explode.

I realize that there are linguistic and evidence-based barriers to getting a good picture of Elamite life. Despite this, the few things we've found (e.g., the significance of the names of their gods, their population and settlement pattern over time, their clear differences when compared to Mesopotamia, their possible similarity to other cultures who lived in similar conditions) should give us some kind of a broad-spectrum view of what the Elamite experience may have been like, right? Is there any work out there that tries to tackle the Elamites from a broad, layman-friendly perspective?

Recently my old boss passed away and I have taken over. Our old boss was very paranoid and would get rid of people at the drop of the hat saying they were enemies and whatnot. He would keep a list on his desk and would just sign his name and off they went!

After taking over I have toned down the mass firings and moved to be far more civil. Trying to get us back to the way we were supposed to be by our Founder. At an all hands meetings I called out our old boss for being less than ideal, and denounced his cult of personality that drove people to excesses for our old boss. I said that our Founder did not even want our old boss running the company and tried to get him fired before he died. Yes, our old boss did lead us through some really dark times, but he should have never treated our friends and colleagues the way he did! Yet there is some in upper management now mad at me for denouncing him so publicly.

Now this bloke, Leonid, keeps looking at me funny now. AITA?

My (35F) husband (45M) and I have had a pretty difficult road to happiness. He started pursuing me while he was still married, but he was really serious about our relationship – it took seven years for their divorce to go through, but it definitely wasn’t for lack of trying on his part! Not only did he have to break things off with his first wife, he went through some major shifts in his way of living and was forced to choose between making a new, happy life with me and keeping ties to the Pope, Catholic countries/people, and his ex-wife’s powerful family. His life is definitely better now, though, and I think a lot of those people weren’t good for him anyway. We share so many interests and a lot of passion!

But things have been kind of rocky. I’ve never been able to get on with his daughter from his first marriage, for one thing. Probably not too hard to guess why. A lot of people who don’t even know us are badmouthing me all the time, and blaming me for everything unfortunate that happens in the kingdom. I’ve had several miscarriages, which really troubles my husband as he’s always wanted a son. (Don’t get me wrong, he loves our daughter, who is just like a little version of him.) And lately I’ve noticed him looking at and flirting with my ladies in waiting – one in particular – which has led me to lose my temper and instigate some knock-down drag-out fights.

It’s just all so stressful. But my husband is really ticked off with me, and there’s definitely something going on with some of his councillors – I’ll come up to them talking quietly and then they all shut up when I get close. AITA? Am I being too hard on him?

Please understand, this situation was none of my making. I took the hand I was dealt and made the most of it.

I was born a gentleman of my clan, a certain class, as you understand. In the '45, we stood with the Prince and fought for the Stuart cause, and for our rights as Catholics. My ceann-cinnidh, the chief of my people, was a captain and held in great esteem. In his later years, it is true he got himself into some questionable business, but by then it really was enough. My cousin Scotus and I burned his papers, and enough may be said of that.

But this is where things got bad. His son, his successor, had high tastes and wanted to live like they do in London or on the continent. He mortgaged his holdings to the hilt to compete with these southern grandees. Then he makes that MY problem--my problem and that of the other clan gentlemen. He raised our cash rents so high--all while refusing in-kind--that there is no other choice but to sell our cattle.

Or so he thought. My brothers, John of Leek and Allen of Collachie and I, got together with our cousin John Scotus and several other gentlement and found another way. We sold up. Our cattle, our other livestock, and our land, even though there was more than a century left on the tack! It was time to escape the harsh yoke of our chief and start fresh in the new world. We were gentlemen and veteran soldiers all, with money to our names. We convinced many of our tenants and subtenants to follow us as well, and booked passage to New York.

We were happy there for a time, but the people of New York are ungrateful and rebellious and they turned against British rule. We had no choice but to take arms against them and defend our new land. I served in Johnson's Regiment, and proud to say I served as prisoner to the so-called General Schuyler, along with my brothers. After our release, we had the idea to go North, where we were promised new land in a peaceful corner of Upper Canada that is as yet unsettled. Land to clear, a township to found, or perhaps several.

Surely, after all I've been through--after all WE'VE been through, we are entitled to this land. Perhaps we recreate the Highland structures we left behind, but it's not like how it was in the old country. I've seen my nephews rise to high position here, and have taken back my proper place among the elite. We're not exactly a Family Compact, but we know all the right people. We look after our own--even helping other families from Glengarry to settle here. We look after our own, as it should be. We settlers could never be the assholes.

I (45M) am a Royal Navy Admiral. The recent battle with the German High Seas Fleet off Jutland ended in something of a disaster. There's some suggestion that my actions might have caused this, but if I accept this, it would seriously damage my career. Here's a brief run-down of the problems:

• Before the battle, I gave instructions to increase the rate of fire in the fleet; some of my subordinates may have interpreted these as me telling them to take fewer precautions in explosive storage. During the battle, three of our ships exploded, while my own was only saved due to quick thinking and brave action. The reduced precautions certainly contributed to the explosion. However, surely our ships were too lightly armoured? They only took a few hits before exploding, which shouldn't be possible if the ships were properly designed. It wouldn't be hard for me to push the blame onto the designers of the ships, so should I?

• During the battle, there were frequent breakdowns in communication within my part of the fleet. The member of my staff responsible for these communications made a lot of mistakes, and is clearly to blame for these. However, I did pick him for his political connections rather than his skills. The fact that I wasn't giving him the clearest orders probably didn't help either. We were also operating with a unit seconded from the main fleet. I didn't meet the commander of this unit to explain the differences in procedure and communications between the main fleet and my part of it. Even so, all he had to do was follow my instructions, and use his own initiative at times. Really not hard.

• I've gained a reputation as a hard-charging, active commander, always in the thick of the action. However, during the battle, I was forced to withdraw a bit from the action, due to all the ships that blew up. This wasn't my fault, it was the right choice in the situation. Letting this get out, though, would ruin my reputation, and might well force my resignation.

I know my senior officer will back me up on the first of these, while my wife and friends will support me in the other two. As Britain's best naval commander, I should clearly not besmirch my reputation - my country needs me, after all! But would I be too much of an asshole for doing this?

For decades I have tried to help... shall we say, ahem, women from tragic backgrounds make a better life for themselves. I go on walks with them, sometimes paying them for their time, and occasionally I even invite them into my home, or I visit them in their home. I have been doing this since 1840. I started when I was separated from my wife, and, like a good Victorian, I do not let her opinion influence me in the slightest. I am a God-fearing man and very much want these, ahem, fallen women to stop living lives that exposes them to violence, disease, and the moral corruption of themselves, their families, and the countless men who pay for their services--but not me! I never paid for that, and I will not be corrupted. I only pay them to go for walks with me to hear me preach to them about living a better life. Or to come home with me. Or I go home with them. To preach to them! Why are you looking at me like that? Don't tell me you believe all those rumors said about me by the opposition party, those knaves the Conservatives... or... by my own party... just because I'm Prime Minister! And because I burned some letters in 1887 which "might in parts have suggested doubt and uneasiness" (my words). Letters written to the, ahem, courtesan Mrs. Dale. Whom I had a portrait commissioned of. And because I go home after my meetings with them and whip myself. But why do people make me out to be an... well, the term begins with an A? I just do not understand it.

I have even written a statement that, for reasons I cannot get into now, I have decided will only be opened upon my death. This statement reads, "With reference to rumours which I believe were one time afloat [see that? I pretend I've only maybe heard them once or twice], thought I know not with what degree of currency [see? downplaying it, like a boss!]: and also with reference to the times when I shall not be here to answer for myself; I desire to record my solemn declaration and assurance [both declaration and assurance, because I'm nothing if not thorough], as in the sight of God and before His judgement seat, that at no point of my life have I been guilty of the act which is known as that of infidelity to the marriage bed [I would make a joke about how loyal I am to furniture, but I am famously humourless]." Of course, what exactly I mean by infidelity to the marriage bed, and whether there were any other acts that do not strictly fall under that---stop that! Stop giggling!

And if I do it also to test myself to remain chaste like the good Christian man I am, and if I get, erm, aroused by it, and if I write in my diary about the scents of the women I visit and then whip myself, and if I knew of only one woman out of 90 that had actually changed her life by 1854, that doesn't make me the asshole... does it?

My daughter (26) is smart. Like, whip smart. I started writing about the relationship between schools and democracy when she was young, inspired in part by her experiences. As a teenager, she read my manuscripts, offered candid feedback and I gotta say, made my books better. While in college, she worked as my assistant. She interviewed subjects, organized my papers, and even wrote passages in several of my books. The books, though, remained mine. I did most of the thinking and more of the writing than she did.

A few months ago, she down and designed an entire research project involving talking to dozens of teachers, schoolmen, and students. She visited dozens of schools in the Chicago area, took copious notes, and wrote entire chapters. I read what she wrote and it's good. I think it's going to change how people think about education.

I just finished reading the final manuscript. I would be lying if I said you couldn't tell which chapters she wrote and which ones I wrote. Mine are smarter. Hers are more accessible. My publisher is waiting. WIBTA if I left her name off? My name on the spine sells books. We included her name once before and that book didn't sell as well as the others. And the few times she's tried to publish books under her own name, she wasn't very successful. We use the money from publications to fund research at our school and I am all for women having the right to vote and own property but... it's my book.

I'll preface this by saying that in all I've ever done, I've done in service to Italy and to the pursuit of her rightful victory in the Great War! I've been associated with the Regio Esercito ever since I was 15 years old as a Cadet at the Turin Military Academy. I lived and breathed the military life and worked my way up the ranks throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and eventually obtaining the position as Chief of Staff of the Royal Army in July of 1914.

When my country boldly entered the Great War against the Central Powers in 1915, my orders were clear, break through the mighty Alps Mountains and take the Austrian fortress at Gorizia on the banks of the Isonzo River. From there, I was to turn south and capture Trieste and move towards of Ljubljana Gap, where it would be a smooth march straight to Vienna.

What no one made me aware of was just how meek and cowardly the soldiers and officers under my command were! Time and again, I give them simple orders. Take Gorizia. Each time however, my men fail to show the courage and morale befitting of Italians and fail repeatedly. I needed to make examples of these spineless excuses for soldiers and to put the fighting spirit back in them so I dismissed my Officers, and charged others with desertion and had them executed. My Entente peers commented on my methods saying they were "Barbaric" and that the charges I brought against these cowards was "Judicial Savagery" but it was only around 750 Officers. A small price to pay on the path to victory.

I keep ordering my men to attack, attack, and attack again. Finally, on the 6th offensive into the Isonzo River I take the first great prize, the cursed Austrian Fortress of Gorizia. From there, it's only a matter of moving to Trieste and onto Vienna to earn my place among the great military leaders such as Scipio and Caesar himself!

After 5 more offensives to break the Austrian line, disaster! My men! they just break and flee like cowards upon facing a single Austrian offensive! All my work erased! My Entente colleagues blame me for this failure of the highest degree. They demand that I be dismissed and replaced. Lies I tell you! The people-pleasing Prime Minister Vittorio Orlando has me removed from my post and my good name tarnished!

Now today, I have to constantly be the subject of ridicule to amateur history buffs who know nothing of leading an army. Incompetent they call me! Incompetent, a decorated Marshal of Italy who heeded the call when Italy was destined for war. Italy needed victory, and everything I did, I did to give Italy that victory in the Great War!

So, AITA for serving my country to victory? After all, 11th time's the charm, right?

So here's the thing. I'm the realest Realist Realpolitik has had in centuries, and the most accomplished diplomat since Machiavelli. However, my PR people seem to think that the title I had in mind for my next book, Operation Condor was a great idea amongst other successes, may be a bit controversial in the Latin American, middle Eastern, far Eastern, East European and African markets.

They suggested that I asked some so-called experts, so here I am. Listen. The free world^TM was at war with communism. When you're the righteous one in the fight, you can't let an insignificant thing like a people's right of self-determination get in the way of crushing the enemy. So what if a few, maybe forty dictators, spies and enhanced interrogators were inserted in Latin America alone via the School of the Americas? The Communists meddled in other countries too! Isn't that the argument everyone uses to defend the US' defense policies? Since the other ones did bad things as well, our atrocities don't count.

But hey, I'm not getting any younger and I want to sell more books, so I'll try to keep an open mind. What do you historians think? Am I the asshole for not acknowledging my role in the orchestration of destabilization in every single continent during my tenure as Secretary of State?

My husband (34M) and I (40F) have had a long and happy marriage. I’ve always been supportive of him and his work (and to be honest, there have been times when I’ve had to do parts of his job for him because he was too busy), and I always envisioned myself continuing to help him until I retired, so to speak. We haven’t had the best luck having kids, but we do have one daughter, who we both adore and who my husband is planning to succeed him in the family business. I gave him permission a while back to open our marriage because I knew it would be a brief affair and he’d come back to me, but other than that he’s always been faithful.

Lately, however, we’ve been drifting apart. At first I caught him looking at another woman we both know – and I was upset, but I decided that I could give him another hall pass and it would be fine in the long run. Then he started saying that we weren’t really married because of some technicality, and he wanted a divorce so he could start a “real family”! This technicality came up at the time, but our priest said that everything was all right and that there was nothing in the way of our marriage. We’ve always been a very religious family, going to Mass regularly and observing all the holidays, but he’s started attending this new hippy-dippy church on the outside of town with the other woman. The people there have told him he’s absolutely right about the technicality and that he doesn’t even need a divorce because we were never legally married. He’s giving up our whole community and our beliefs, not to mention me and our daughter, for this new woman and new life philosophy!

When I tell him how upset I am that he’s making all of these changes and accusations (this technicality is complicated, but it involves my sexual past, which he keeps discussing with other people and making me defend), he says that he’s genuinely sorry, but that he just sees our marriage as something that was morally wrong for him to go through with and that he’d be a bad person to continue. He says he’d be perfectly happy to have an amicable divorce and take care of me if I’ll just sign the papers, but I need to respect his beliefs and he can’t understand why I’m reacting like this. AITA?

I mean sure, we lost ~800 men in Typhoon Cobra, but I really don't trust these weather weenies. Eggheads, you know. Touch of lavender. The last time, they gave me wrong information which is why we hit the center of the storm, so it wasn't my fault anyhow.