I'm an "average" English soldier in the Hundred Years War. What's my economic and social background probably like?

Levy? Mercenary? Free farmer? Poor/rich? Married/unmarried? Experienced/inexperienced in war? Was my father probably a professional soldier or not?
Etc.

2 Answers 2019-09-25

From germanic tribes to feudal lords. Why did they felt it was necessary?

Hello. I'm writing a fantasy history, in a complete fictional world. I want to establish a narrative that makes a group of humans previously organized in tribes, to change their administration and secular structure of power into a Feudal monarchy.

First I thought on some historical examples on how it came to be, and so the real life parallels I could think of were the Goths, the Lombards and the Frankish. Still, they don't really fit with what I am aiming for. I've been wandering how did more distant realms been formed as Duchies and Kingdoms, those of the Baltic States, for instance, that I imagine were less susceptible to Roman influence than the Goths or the Frankish. It seems that roman catholicism played a major part on it, but to what extent? How did those people assimilated catholicism in their culture or how did they resist? What reasons did they had to accept a King instead of a tribal leader?

1 Answers 2019-09-25

How was Francis I of France abble to be eventually elected emperor

So, Francis the first of France, had a major rivalry with Charles Vth of Austria and Spain. This rivalry notably started when Francis and Charles wanted both to be emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, but, being French and thus not at all part of the Empire, how could he be abble to run for this position? And what where the conditions to be elected Holy Roman emperor?

Sorry for the bad English, I'm not 100% confident on the translation of specific terms

1 Answers 2019-09-25

Is there any evidence of Prophet Muhammad in history?

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1 Answers 2019-09-25

How did the American sailors in 1944/45 know to call Japanese suicide attacks "Kamikaze"?

I have read letters and journals of American servicemen dated to 1945 where they were already using the word "Kamikaze". What I want to know is where the American s first heard that term and how they came to use it.

1 Answers 2019-09-25

When did Latins become Italians?

I’m not just asking about the language, but more broadly about the national identity. When did the people of the Italian peninsula stop identifying as “Latin” or “Roman” as opposed to “Italian”? Mussolini wanted to reform the Roman Empire, but when he addressed the people he called them “italiani”, when Dante spoke of the Latin language and vulgar language , not Italian, but he was aware of the different Romance languages, so when did the shift happen?

3 Answers 2019-09-25

Why did it take 460 years to develop bolt action firearms but only 73 years to develop automatic rifles?

According to this site the first known use of a firearm is 1364 (let’s not nitpick at the moment about how it was actually 1000). Why did it take so long to make what appears to me to be a not so crazy technological leap?

Note the math I used came from Wikipedia on the “first” bolt action and automatic rifle (1827 and 1900 respectively)

1 Answers 2019-09-25

I have made 2 videos about the legend of romulus and remus, including information about Rhea Silvia, King Amulius and the later king Numitor. I was wondering what your thoughts were and if I have left too much out or anything that anyone could offer would be great? :)

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1 Answers 2019-09-25

Why is this Nazi sign also in English?

About a year ago, I visited the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and saw a photograph that caught my eye. It was a photo of a Brownshirt holding a sign that was both in German and English. I've been trying to find the exact picture but I did find another picture that had the same exact sign on the window of a Jewish business. Here is the picture. I have been curious about this sign. Common sense would dictate that this was aimed at tourists visiting Germany during the time, but it refers to the reader as a German, keeping the literal translation of the German text. Who was this sign for? Also the photo was dated in 1933, was tourism to Germany popular during the early days of Nazi Germany?

1 Answers 2019-09-25

How did Spain transition from fascist dictatorship to its current democratic, constitutional monarchy? Is it true that Franco bequeathed the country to King Juan-Carlos and it was he that instituted democracy?

I have heard the above narrative from local people while traveling in Galicia, Spain. From that telling, it sounds like Juan-Carlos I defied expectations and imposed democracy from the top down. Did he really have the option to assume Franco-style dictatorial powers, or was he bending to some popular demand for change?

2 Answers 2019-09-25

Is asymmetric warfare a relatively recent phenomenon, having emerged only after industrialization and the technological divergence of different societies? Or can the concept be applied to pre-industrial wars too?

1 Answers 2019-09-25

Proportionately, the number Baltic guerilla fighters after WWII was similar to that of the Viet Cong in S Vietnam. This effort by the Forest Brothers involved tens of thousands in a military struggle with the Soviets that lasted over a decade w/ high casualties. Why did it last so long and fail?

There doesn't seem to be much information (the Wiki article is one short paragraph and the source of the proportion statement for what it's worth...). There seems to be only one recent book on Soviet counterinsurgency from the Baltics to the Ukraine, and on Amazon the top review is a one star claiming the author was not careful in their research. Any reading recommendations is welcome!

1 Answers 2019-09-25

Did Soviet troops fight in the Vietnam War?

So I know that the Soviet Union armed north Vietnam and supported them. But did they send any troops to Vietnam? If so, were they like spies, and what were their missions? When during the war did these secret soldiers operate, like what years?

1 Answers 2019-09-25

How were revolutionary war units arranged?

So nowadays the smallest form of a unit is a squadron of im correct. But how were the units organized and arranged in the revolutionary war? So what made up what, were their platoons, squadrons etc, what was the smallest form of units?

1 Answers 2019-09-25

Is it true that Assyrians believed their world would end if they stopped conquering?

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1 Answers 2019-09-25

To any pre revolutionary France expert:

What was the price of eggs in the lead up to the French Revolution?

1 Answers 2019-09-24

Need help: what are some good sources for a research paper about the Winchester repeating arms company?

Need to do a research paper on a corporation that exists today and any externalities that it has. If anybody could direct me to some sources that possibly talk about all the bad stuff this company has done to people, that would be appreciated.

1 Answers 2019-09-24

The term "Guerilla warfare" gained popularity in light of its use during the Peninsular War in Iberia. What about this conflict was so revolutionary that it led to the propagation of a new term to describe it? Was this style of warfare really so unprecedented?

1 Answers 2019-09-24

Just who was Ambassador Henry Lane Wilson, and why was he so eager to overthrow Madero's government in the Mexican Revolution without orders? Was he just an utter prick?

I'm doing some reading on the Mexican Revolution, since I didn't learn much about it in school. One character that's sticking out in my mind, more than anyone, is US Ambassador Henry Lane Wilson. As far as I understand it, Wilson acted against direct orders from the President in order to collaborate with a to-be military dictator to overthrow and murder a democratically elected President, feeding lies to Taft in the White House the whole time. Which, on paper, is totally despicable but, in practice, is totally despicable. The book I'm reading is more pop-history than academic-history (I think it describes Wilson as "deranged" at one point, which is hardly unbiased), so I'm coming here to see if I've been given the correct picture.

  • How did a guy like Henry Lane Wilson ascend to an office as important as ambassador to Mexico?

  • What did Wilson have against Madero and his government in the first place? Madero mostly kept the same Porforista cronies around and didn't pursue any radical domestic reforms or foreign policy agendas, so why was Wilson so against him? Did Madero spit in his coffee?

  • If Wilson's actions were in pursuit of American business interests, were there any specific businesses or individuals that he had in mind? Was this a tit-for-tat deal, or just some generalized capitalist zeal?

  • What sort of relationship did he have with General Huerta? The book I'm reading describes them as "drinking buddies", but again I'm not sure how true-to-life the book I'm reading may be. Was he similarly friendly with other actors in the coup d'etat?

  • How instrumental was Wilson in the coup's success? Had he remained neutral as ordered, would it have been a success?

  • How were Wilson's actions received by the American and Mexican press, respectively? Was he lionized, demonized, ignored?

  • How did Wilson manage to get off the hook? Aside from Woodrow Wilson dismissing him from his ambassadorship, he seems to have bounced back fine instead of being, y'know, tried for insubordination and treason.

I seriously hate this guy (I particularly hate him saying that Madero's assassination was somehow the fault of Madero's wife, smug bastard), to the degree that I'm not sure if I'm being led astray by biased source material. Thanks in advance for any answers!

1 Answers 2019-09-24

In 19th century Yunnan there was a Muslim led revolt called the Panthay Rebellion. Why did this rebellion happen and why was there a Muslim population in Yunnan in the first place?

According to Wikipedia, the rebels even established their own state. What was that state like?

1 Answers 2019-09-24

Was the battle of tours an insignificant battle?

I keep hearing that the moors were not really planning to invade France, and it was just a raiding party, how much truth is there to this?

2 Answers 2019-09-24

How come following the fall of rome England became Germanicised but France didn't?

1 Answers 2019-09-24

How did the relative cost of a medieval knight compare to the cost of a modern battle tank?

I have been wondering how expensive medieval knights were & wondered if a modern battle tank was a fair comparison for cost.

A modern battle tank is around USD$6-9 million to buy. I have no idea on how much it costs to maintain/ fuel/ arm/ man a tank per year, but I assume it's significant. Maybe 10% of the ticket price?

All in all a battle tank represents a substantial investment, with many countries not fielding battle tanks at all.

Do we have an idea of how much a medieval knight cost? A knight would have required armour, weapons, horses, staff & presumably suitable property/ housing.

Is it possible to compare:

  • cost of modern battle tank vs cost of modern infantry
  • vs
  • cost of medieval knight vs cost of medieval foot soldier?

I've been wondering about this idea but when I attempted to Google it I just got lots of MMORPG/ RPG results.

Any thoughts are appreciated.

2 Answers 2019-09-24

Roman presence in Britain between Julius Caesar's invasions and Claudius's conquest?

The late Republic and early Empire maintained contact with Britain, propping up a system of client states. But did the Romans themselves ever set foot in Britain between Caesar and Claudius, or did they rely on middlemen (like Britons who visited the Republic/Empire, and/or Gauls who visited Britain)? All I know is that some of Tiberius's navy accidentally landed in Britain and came back with fabulous stories of monsters.

EDIT: Clarity

1 Answers 2019-09-24

Why weren't night charges/advances used in the American Civil War?

As I mentioned in another question post, I'm greatly enjoying my non-historian jaunt through Shelby Foote.

Reading about the Seven Days Battles, we understand that the engineer McClellan sometimes took fantastic positions atop highly defensible hills, and he was able to repulse Confederate attacks, giving tremendous casualties while taking very few. Neglecting the fact that McClellan would sometimes give these positions up for ill-advised reasons, the rebels would sometimes make repeated disastrous attacks against them before they fell. My question is, if daylight attacks through the open field were near suicidal, why didn't the Confederates cross the open fields in front of the hill at night and wait in position for an early morning attack at point blank range?

My understanding is that the ubiquity of rifles, a result of the Minie Ball rendering muskets obsolete, made massed formation attacks very deadly compared to battles just a few years or decades earlier. Whereas in the age of musketry, a mass formation would sustain only one or two volleys on its way toward its objective, in the age of rifles several volleys could be put on target in the same amount of time, making exactly these types of open field advances much more deadly. So then, even when not advancing on a hill, but anytime you expect to advance to a prepared position, it seems obvious to me that you should attempt to do so under cover of night and be right up in front of your target before sunrise.

I understand that you run into the danger of veering off and missing your target, of mixing regiments up in the night, and of running into enemy pickets (or even going too far and running into your target before sunrise), but these seem like small prices to pay, especially if attacks had been repulsed repeatedly throughout the day.

I understand that commanders would often march their men towards their targets during the night to achieve surprise, but never the point of contact. This makes sense to me, as when entering a new AO commanders would want to get a view of the field before committing their troops, but in the case of a field that they've been fighting on all day, it seems like an obvious solution to cross open terrain at night. What am I missing here?

1 Answers 2019-09-24

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