It seems there are a large number of castles along the Rhine river in Germany. In some cases there are multiple castles in a 5-10 kilometer span. Why so many? How did all these people afford them? Where they built with forced labor/slavery? Was the chance of attack from barbarian hordes that high so that everyone that had enough money felt they needed a castle?

Zhang Liang started his rebellion to Qin because he wanted to restore the Han kingdom. Chen Ping was known to rate Liu Bang as a rude leader but generous in spoils so other generals follow him. When Li Yiji advised Liu Bang to use the model of Zhou, both Zhang Liang and Chen Ping objected the advice. At the end of Chu Han contention Han empire chose to model herself more from Qin than Zhou. What were their motives and what they will gain if the Liu Bang's Han was Qin-like rather than Zhou-like?

I always wondered why the Romans reverted to Lorica Hamata from the Segmentata, and why they didn't ever use a full plate armor

It happened in 535-536, sounds like it would have had a major effect on everyone on Earth.

I don't know much about Italy, but why did the country with the heart of the Roman Empire and the birthplace of the renaissance never managed to leverage those things to become a major power like France or Germany or even Spain in the 15th century?

I would assume they would be pretty rich, they had a central position in the Mediterranean that seems conducive to trade and maybe colonization(?) and they seem to be pretty secure from invasions with the alps on the north side and sea from pretty much everywhere else.

So why did they never become a major power? or if they were a major power, why didn't they manage to leverage it to modern times?

It is generally understood that due to conditions in the environment, one must stray away from the african coast if one wants to reach the Cape of Good Hope. which was a longterm objective of the Portuguese Crown. But the discovery of the islands (or rather "Rediscovery", as they had been known previously), happened in the 1420's (technically Madeira was discovered in 1419, but it comes close enough to count).

If you look at a map or globe, the islands are nowhere south enough to be found by straying from the african coast, and, in fact, the straying from coast didn't start until a couple decades later (this was how Brazil was discovered, I'm told)

So what pushed the Portuguese to head West, when they were already starting to push towards Africa? Was it an attempt to find the islands? Were they going for any other place they hoped would be there?

It seems to me that the WW2 British air industry relied on the Merlin engine to an astonishing degree. Why is this?

...Or its equivalent. I can imagine in some cultures you would have felt a lot of pressure to say something pro-soldier upon meeting one. Do we know of any such phrase? (ancient Rome seems like an obvious one to have such a thing)

In 1848, revolution spread across the European continent. While initially having great success, the revolution had died within a year or so.

The 1848 revolution seems unique in that the veterans of the losing side seemed to have mostly escaped death and imprisonment. Many would eventually emigrate to the US. What happened that made this possible?

My interest in this comes from family ancestry research. My great-great-great grandfather supposedly fought in both the 1848 revolution and the American Civil War. I had been suspicious of this claim but recently found a number of historical figures who had similar stories like Franz Sigel and Carl Schurz.

Another question more towards the Civil War angle, were native Americans concerned at all that these German immigrants would try to bring their revolutionary ideas to the US? Did they face extra scrutiny in the immigration process?

Just watched "Ever After" which is a medieval version of Cinderella and was wondering if these balls actually happened and whether Cinderella was pulled from an actual story about a prince marrying a commoner?

As far as I know, the concept is that they would put heavy emphasis on certain parts of the ships that are vital to a ships function or would be very dangerous if it was damaged (such as ammunition storage). I know it sounds like a stupid trick question, but I'm a bit confused on the reason they called it that way.

As Athena is the deity I find most interesting in the Greek Pantheon, I've tried my best to find as much information about the 'Panathenaia' festival as I can, but there seems to be so few sources on it. If anybody could provide some credible sources for me, I'd greatly appreciate it.

My questions on the festival are:

-Apparently the festival was in dedication to Athena, and coincided with her supposed birthday. Is this true, and if so, is Athena's exact date of birth known? Thus far, all I know is that it takes place in either June or July.

-At what point in history was this festival founded, and when did it end?

-Did people from foreign nations travel to Athens to attend?

-Did everybody in Athens take interest in the festival?

-How would the typical day of the average Athenian differ, if at all, during the festival? Would it be any different to an ordinary day?

Sorry to have asked so many questions at once, but this seems to be a really obscure subject in Athenian history. Hell, I couldn't find a single mentioning of it on this subreddit. If anybody is able to answer any of these questions, I'd really appreciate it. Thanks c:

Let's say for instance, somebody did not believe in the Greek Pantheon at all. Would they have been subjected to ridicule or punishment? Perhaps they just disputed one particular myth or detail surrounding a God, would they also be subjected to some form of consequence?

Title pretty much says it all. Everything I read about WWI armies makes enlistment sound like a one way trip. It seems as though you had to fight until the war was over or you were physically incapable of fighting anymore (as opposed to modern armies, where you fight for a period of time and then go home). Is this accurate? Would someone fighting in the Battle of the Frontiers still have been fighting by the Somme, if they were still alive? If so, how many of those first soldiers made it to the end?

How does the operation of the country run? Does everyone still go to work every day, pay taxes etc. What happens to the government?

Specifically the medieval era, the unified Japan era and even before all that? I have been interested in the wars that led to the Tokugawa shogunate. But more so, I'd love to learn more about everything in Japanese history that parallels the timelines of what we know about "English" history from King Alfred on... I have been watching a ton of period Japanese films - Jidaigeki, from the likes of Akira Kurosawa. I know that dramatic film based on history is a starting point, but I am finding it fascinating. Thanks.

Some historians believe the plague existed in parts of Europe continuously from 1346 to 1671. How did it ever end without modern medicine?

A lot of movies, books, and games have led me, and probably others, to believe that much of the American West was tiny settlements in the desert. Why is this the stereotypical image of Western expansion?

As a side question, how did these settlements and settlers find water and survive the journey out west? A lot of the area in Nevada and California is pretty arid.

I've always been fascinated with the form and function of castles, the city that grew/supported them, and more recently the economics of that medieval city.

What books would be a good resource for how cities and castles developed throughout the middle ages, and their relationship with each other?

I'm sure it's a fairly broad question, as different cities in different countries with different religions colour the development of cities differently- not to mention the fact that things in late antiquity would be different from the lead up to the Renaissance.

I guess I'm interested in general trends and forces that developed, and also how the development of wealth and skilled professionals evolved and stressed the social dynamics of the time.

What would be some good books to start me on this historical journey?