In the WW1 era when this phase was used to describe the Ottomans, were they really considered a part of Europe? Would North Africa be considered similarly? Live been trying to reconcile what, as a generic American, I see as a major change to now when Turkey ( and North Africa) seems extremely "other" from Europe.

A catholic priest told me the Bible is historical and gives evidence for the existence of Jesus when I told him there's no first hand historical evidence of the existence of Jesus, is he right or wrong and why?

Or was Algeria so autonomous that the French conquest hadn't damaged relations with Constantinople at all?

Before the Second Sino-Japanese War, Chiang Kai-Shek was able to actively and successfully pursue and annihilate CCP armies or uprisings. During the War, this all stopped for obvious reasons but after the war was over, the only land still in firm CCP control was Shaanxi (to the best of my knowledge, correct me if I'm wrong) and the communists were able to so suddenly (it seems) turn the tide and crush the Nationalists on multiple fronts. Why did the tide turn so much post-WW2 even though both sides were subjected to attack by the Japanese?

This question came to me while playing Crusader Kings II when I learned that Muslim dynasties had an open succession law where the most powerful son of the head of the dynasty becomes heir to all titles. This is ostensibly based on Ottoman succession law, but I have a heard time believing this was standard throughout the Muslim world. For one thing, the Turks were new comers to the Middle East and likely brought their own succession laws with them. It is possible Arab dynasties might have adopted this method after the Turks moved in, but the Umayyads in 876? I don't think so. So how did the various dynasties decide succession? I know there are several, but I'm more interested in the most famous ones - the Ummayads, the Abbasids, and the Fatimids.

I picked all examples from before 1996

I've recently been obsessed with Ancient Mesopotamia and the Sumerian Dynasties. After reading the list of Sumerian Kings, i see many listed as having ruled for many thousands of years. (ie. En-men-lu-ana ruled for a supposed 43,200 years!)

Obviously humans do not live that long (even if we were to accept people loved longer in antiquity). And many of the explanations seem half-assed at best. Does anyone have any "unorthodox" ideas as to these obscene spans of reign by these kings? and when i say "unorthodox," i dont mean Ancient Aliens, just something less dumb than, "they added together years to accommodate for accomplishments." Since later kings are listed as reigning for very normal time spans.

Were there any famous pirates that were outright gay or at least confirmed married via matelotage? I'm a graphic novel/comic writer and just finished my 1st graphic novel script. As i wait on the artist to finish i thought it prudent to get to work on my next project. I am planing on writing a story based on the life of a real gay pirate but i am having a lot of trouble finding any. If anyone can point out a gay pirate especially one of renown i would be grateful.

I am doing some personal study and am struggling to be able to put Napoleon on the Modern Day political spectrum. I would like to know if Fascist is the right term to describe Napoleon's political position.

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Adolf Hitler underestimated the power of the navy. To him it was the Army and Air Power. If he would have made U-boats. It would have blocked off supplies to Great Britain.

Bureaucratic administration meaning a more centralized rule where the provinces are ruled by governors or administrators as a generally non-hereditary title (like the Roman or Achaemenid empires).

Feudalism meaning decentralized rule of hereditary vassals (like most of middle-ages Europe).

I'm trying to brush up on my history and am currently reading about WWI. I'm having a hard time understanding what the Eastern and Western Fronts are. Is the Eastern Front the Allies and the Western Front the Central Powers?

I read a reference to John Adams sailing for France during the American revolution, and it made me wonder what he and other people at the time would do to avoid going stir-crazy cooped up in a tiny, overcrowded boat for weeks on end.

Chain or plate, sword, dagger, helm, horse, pike, etc?

Could your average peasant save or work enough to outfit himself thusly?

Out of this huge region, I've only been to the Baltics, but I visited several major churches in some of the capitals that had been destroyed in the war and were rebuilt under the Soviets.

Given that Stalin (and the people he put in power in eastern Europe) opposed religion, why and how were these churches rebuilt?

Resources would have been needed to rebuild the economy and housing stock, and there was no major tourist industry. While they could have been left to rot for ideological reasons, they were rebuilt anyway. Did the Soviets rebuild them to have a bit more prestige, or was this the work of local councils quietly restoring an important part of their local identities?

Game of thrones got me wondering this and I wasn't quite sure where else to go