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I just finished Twenty Days of Turin and looking into it discovered it’s based on this time period, I’m curious if there’s any good English sources for me to read up on, preferably something easily accessible.

I'm sure it gets murky the closer we get to Peter, but I've always wondered if the claims of apostolic succession held water under the scrutiny of historical methodology.

Wondering if anyone has recommendations for books about Vikings. The 1 book listed in the reading list is $50

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Suppose someone from the high point of the Han Dynasty was magically transported to Qing Dynasty China under the Kangxi emperor? I am asking because I often read about China having the longest continuous civilization and a lot of narratives that emphasize continuity rather than change in Chinese history. At the same time, it seems inconceivable to me that there wouldn't be massive change over a period of thousands of years, and I was wondering how to better think about this.

If the land I was farming was annexed to a new lord, how would I know who to pay? What if I refused? How do I even know my lord has been replaced? Would I even care?

If Dunkirk (beach) had been overcome, would an invasion of Britain been more feasible than right before the Battle of Britain, as it happened?

Does Salem just have a keener appetite for tourism? No criticism — they are both lovely towns and well worth visiting.

I've noticed how noble houses often don't represent the surname of the noble family. In the House of Bourbon in France, for example, when King Louis XVI was imprisoned and on trial, he was referred to as Louis Capet rather than Louis Bourbon. However, a few years later, when the French Empire was established, the House of Bonaparte was created by Napoleon Bonaparte.

How exactly were noble houses named if they didn't reflect the surname of the family?

When the Khmer Rouge led by Pol Pot took over in 1975, the new regime "cleansed" the cities and killed everyone who were considered intellectuals or possessed skills, such las lawyers, doctors, teachers, scientists, public servants, etc. Even speaking a foreign language or wearing glasses got you killed.

Most embassies in Phnom Penh were shut down and the country remained largely isolated, but it still maintained diplomatic relations with a handful of countries such as China (its main backer), North Korea, Cuba or Egypt, among others, and was a member of the UN and the Non-Aligned Movement. The country also took part in international summits and hosted foreign delegations, whose visits were often reciprocated.

Designing and executing the foreign policy of a country requires a very particular set of skills, especially when it comes to language, international law and protocol, as well as years-long experience.

So, in the light of the foregoing, my question is: how did Democratic Kampuchea conduct its foreign policy in the absence of skilled people who could conduct it?

Thank you very much.

You’d think that it’s a two way street. We gave them disease by accident they gave us some. But I can’t really find any native disease that killed off Europeans like smallpox killed natives

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IIRC there's not much basis for our usual vision of fire and brimstone image of hell in either the New or Old Testaments, the Greek Hades had torture and general unpleasantness, but not many other similarities, and I can't think of much else in European or Mideastern mythology.

My guess would be the Talmud, since it was written between the New Testament and the Quran (which features many references to what sounds like the Medieval Christian "inferno").

Just wondering what the history is with last names? How did they come to be?