Sorry if my question sounds too vague, but I was wondering how soldiers and people in general - especially those on horse - carried around polearms such as halberds, spears, lances etc etc. I assume swords were carried around in scabbards and bows or crossbows at the back (?) of people, but a polearm would be too heavy and it would be too tiring to hold it all the time, especially on horseback.

I've been looking for books to read over the upcoming year, and the AskHistorians booklist has been a great reference for me. However, the booklist lacks a general Military History section, so I'm looking for any suggestions from the community!

I'm not looking for anything too specific, but I'd be interested to read about how strategy/tactics/logistics have changed over time, how warfare has related to society as a whole, etc. I don't have a strong background in military history, so any general texts that cover those topics (I'm not as interested in any specific time periods at the moment).

Commodus especially seems like the kind of guy who would be great for historical annecdotes. But besides being the bad guy in Gladiator, he is not nearly as well known as Nero or Calligula. Caracalla is basically unknown to most non history buffs, even though he was allegedly cruel as hell. What is it about Nero and Caligula that made them so much more known than others?

I hope this is the right place to ask this question. How were wooden ships heated without burning the entire ship down? Or were they heated at all? And would the fuel (wood or peat) take up too much valuable space/weight and therefore be a bad idea in general? I do realize that cooking was done on wooden ships but that's a much smaller, more contained fire, I think?

Did the Vikings learn English, and could they communicate with the kings and people they raided, for example Lindisfarne?

"Around 13 million Germans served in the Army during World War II. It is estimated that 3.5 million were killed."

1. Is this correct?
2. Is there a good source for WW2 Army casualties of different countries

Writing a fantasy story and I'm basing a warrior faction on (you guessed it)samurai.

Operation Paper Clip comes to mind as one of the more well known attempts by a nation to recruit German scientists due to their advanced knowledge of rocketry. It is widely recognized that many German officers were highly skilled or at least proficient in leading their men and it would strike me that they would have made valuable assets for many nations looking to improve their militaries. Was there ever an "Operation Paper Clip" for former German officers? Thank you for any responses!

This also seems to apply to Asian dynasties (Ming, Tang). And some exceptions: Habsburg Empire, Mughals, Delhi Sultanate, Mamluk Sultanate

So, long story short... I'm going through a break up of epic proportions. And from experience, one of the ways I'm able to cope with shit in my life is by comparing my meager, pathetic, insular life, with great people of history. Which puts my problems into perspective in the grand tapestry of life.

Anyone from Napoleon to Lincoln, to Caesar or Alexander the Great? Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

(Strange question I know!)

I am interested in the modern history of Bavaria, but I can't really find any information on the Bavaria party outside the wiki. I would like to know who the chairman was in 1961, please and thank you.

Hello,

My father was left a set of plans to build a dinghy (a small boat), drawn on what looks like drafting film and done in pencil from what I can tell. They are probably around 50-60 years old now, and have been kept in a dry and clean environment (in a plastic bag) for many years. At some point they were rolled up and it looks like they might have been taped to keep them from unrolling.

I'd like to unroll the drawing(s), copy them and maybe have the boat actually made from the plans. However, the roll has suffered a small amount of damage and it looks a bit brittle. I'm concerned that any ham-fisted attempts by me to unroll it will just destroy it.

If anyone could please offer me suggestions on organizations, companies or others who could recover this document without destroying it I'd love to hear from you! I'd really like to bring this piece of my family's history to life again.

Thank you!

PS I can post some images of the rolled-up drawings if it would help. Also, if this is the wrong sub for this question, please let me know...

I'm thinking of the military restrictions placed on the German military, for example the limitation to 100,000 men, restrictions on equipment such as submarines and airplanes and the de-militarization of the Rhineland.

1. How long were these restrictions intended to last? Was there a year when these restrictions would be lifted, or was it meant to be "forever"?

2. What reactions were there in Europe and the US when Germany violated the treaty and began rebuilding its military and re-militarizing the Rhineland?

Thanks!

Title says it all.

I have been reading the Alexander Hamilton biography and am almost finished. I would like to know if there are any good pirate biographies?

I've been wanting to read an historical fiction novel about a Victorian maid and her affair with the master of the house but can't find anything.

I imagine this happened quite often.

I'm also interested in any non fiction about Victorian maids that isn't too dry.

If you can answer any of the above questions I would be very appreciative. Many thanks!

I was reading a NYTimes article today which included the quotation "President Trump has moved to alienate Mexicans (by declaring they would pay for a border wall), Jews (by disregarding their unique experience of the Holocaust)..."

I remember vaguely from my US History classes in high school that other groups of people faced persecution and death at the hands of Nazi Germany during World War II, including the disabled and the Romani. It seems to me that the Romani Genocide was an equally horrendous extermination of a group of people that directly mirrors the Jewish Holocaust.

Is this is a valid line of thinking and is it incorrect of the NYTimes author to think that the experience of the Holocaust is unique to Jews? Or were the circumstances faced by the Jews worse for any historical reason? As a follow-up to this (possibly related to an answer to the question above), why is the Porajmos so underplayed in much of the visual and written works I would typically be exposed to about Nazi ethnic cleansing?