In "The Crown", Queen Elizabeth II was portrayed as having some insecurity and bitterness at her parents for having been given an education far less advanced than the general population was given at the time. How accurate is this portrayal and did it affect public perception of her?

I tried looking this up myself but I don't know where to start, other than Wikipedia's half-paragraph mention of her being tutored at home by Marion Crawford.

2 Answers 2016-11-07

How do historians today get different numbers (for example, war casualties and amount of troops) than from first hand sources?

2 Answers 2016-11-07

China: why Qing dynasty sabres worn backward?

In many Qing dynasty paintings (and the rare photos), soldiers are depicted with their sabres hung from the belt, to the left side, with the grip pointing to the back. This seems like a very awkward way to wear a sword for a right-handed person.

Does anyone know why they wore their sabres this way?

See: http://theqingdynasty.com/thecontent/images/2014/02/Qing%20Dynasty%20warrior.jpg https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4d/Su_Yuanchun.jpg http://images.metmuseum.org/CRDImages/aa/original/DP277203.jpg

2 Answers 2016-11-07

Why did Texas secede from Mexico?

Growing up I had always heard stories of Mexican oppression and the need for an Anglo-white Republic that better represented the population. It's not hard for me to look back at some of the fanciful ideas that informed a mythology dominated by the events of the Alamo and leadership of Sam Houston.

I generally steer clear of the mythologies I grew up with- but I recently had someone ask my about this particular event and I realized I didn't have a good answer for them. Cursory research into trusted sources puts the emphasis for Texas secession clearly on the issue of slavery and the potential economic prosperity provided by the expansion of cotton industries and settlement/investment provided by the southern plantocracy.

But I'm curious how this actually weighs out- what historians of North America or early (is this considered early?) US history might have to say. Certainly interested in secondary source recommendations if there is anything noteworthy.

So why did Texas secede from Mexico?

1 Answers 2016-11-07

Why exactly did ancient calvary have such a advantage against retreating infantry?

It is often cited that the number of casualties in ancient battles happened once one side gained the upper hand and the other turned tail and fled. Then typically the calvary would ride in and decimate the retreating soldiers.

What I don't understand is why the calvary was able to inflict such lopsided casualties. Wouldn't an infantryman be able to severely wound the horses and slow down the calvary's advance?

2 Answers 2016-11-07

Vikings and starvation... did the same happen to other 'barbarian' cultures?

What sort of war did famine cause in settled societies?

1 Answers 2016-11-07

Were there significant amounts of refugees as a result of the American Revolutionary War, War of 1812, and Civil War?

We've see staggering amounts of refugees as a result of recent day wars and conflicts. I can't remember being taught of refugees that resulted from the wars that took place on American soil. Did those result in the migration of refugees, or did the population put up with the conflict?

2 Answers 2016-11-07

When did to go boxes become a thing?

I'm writing a low fantasy book set just before the industrial revolution. I was writing a scene and realized that paper to go boxes might not be a thing.

When did to go boxes become a thing? Did people just eat next a street vendor and give the bowl back afterwards?

1 Answers 2016-11-07

Did ancient civilizations need the same sort of moral and diplomatic justifications for war that we see in more recent years?

I'm not really sure how to properly phrase this, but as I read about ancient wars (specifically those that the Roman empire was involved in) it seems that civilizations existing at that time simply declared war on a whim, and were quite open about their territorial aspirations. Is my perspective correct, or am I misinterpreting what I've read?

1 Answers 2016-11-07

Just learned alot of people lied about their age to fight in WWII, what motivated everyone to want to fight in the war so bad?

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1 Answers 2016-11-07

When did "Goth culture" stop referring to the sacking of Rome and start referring to the Cure and Joy Division?

1 Answers 2016-11-07

Since Spain was a Catholic nation during the colonization of the Americas, did any high ranking member of the Church give an opinion on slavery in America or was there an official stance?

2 Answers 2016-11-07

How strong was the Amercian Navy in 1861?

I was reading about how worried the Union was that the British and the British Navy in particular would support the South at the outbreak of the Civil War. I was wondering how much Amercian naval strength had grown since the war of 1812. Would the USN have been able to challenge the Royal Navy?

1 Answers 2016-11-07

As Hitler's strategic and tactical decisions led to failure after failure, what were hos generals thinking? 'My fuhrer can do no wrong!' or 'This army private has no idea what he's doing!'

Hitler kept meddling with strategy of the war:

switching luftwafte targets in britain away from RAF military targets to civilian carpet bombing, and the V2 rockets.

telling the panzers in army group center to halt their advance to Moscow to wait for the slow infantry

Not allowing the stalingrad army to retreat when they still could on their own.

telling army group centre's tanks to go north and south

telling the Uboats to leave the british shipping lanes to head to north africa and arctic (letting Britain's imports balloon)

Were the military commanders fanatical in their devotion to hitler despite repated meddling and bad decisions? or were many of them saying this guys clueless and we're gonna lose the war because of him (but keeping silent obviously)?

2 Answers 2016-11-07

How did Thailand manage to preserve its independence throughout the Age of Imperialism while the more powerful Burmese and Sikh empires failed to do the same?

1 Answers 2016-11-06

How was gunpowder used in China and why didn't they invent guns instead of Europeans?

1 Answers 2016-11-06

What is the recent history with the -stan nations? Besides Afghanistan and Pakistan, why do we never hear about Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Kyrgyzstan?

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1 Answers 2016-11-06

The first designated insane asylum opened in Cairo in 872. What was life like for the patients who resided there?

1 Answers 2016-11-06

Did any ancient civilisation ever actually build the kinds of complex mechanical puzzles you see in popular fiction like Indiana Jones, Tomb Raider, Uncharted, National Treasure etc?

Obviously these are works of fiction but I've always wondered to what extent the trope was inspired by real discoveries.

1 Answers 2016-11-06

How was Cuneiform Deciphered?

As is commonly known, the Rosetta stone provided the key to solving the mystery of hieroglyphics. Was there a comparable key for Cuneiform? When was it first deciphered?

1 Answers 2016-11-06

African-American Veterans

How were African-American war veterans received when they returned home during the years of segregation? Were they seen in a less favourable light than their fellow white soldiers, or were the fact they were veterans work in their favour?

1 Answers 2016-11-06

Has there ever been a war where snipers shot from hot air balloons?

1 Answers 2016-11-06

One of the arguments for gunpowder replacing the bow was that guns were cheaper

Or would eventually become cheaper, with respect to gunpowder.

But what about gun barrels? Don't they have to be drilled out to create the bore? Aren't drills expensive to make? Far as I know, the only groove cutting technology back then was by hand, using gouges or other chisels.

So how did someone like Mathias Corvinus afford an entire army of arquebusiers? And why even use them?

https://firearmshistory.blogspot.ca/2010/05/barrel-making-early-barrel-making-in_29.html

EDIT: Lol, I guess people are tired of questions about gunpowder and bows, but here's hoping I'll get a good answer or two.

1 Answers 2016-11-06

Do we have any historical evidence for casual sexual relationships being a thing in Europe in the middle ages/ renaissance period?

I ask this as someone who's writing what you might call an historical fiction. one of the scenes involve the main characters taking part in tavern banter with eachother about their sexual exploits like men are fond of doing, but as i wrote it i realized something- This is conservative, catholic medieval Europe. Would young men even have had the opportunity to "hook up" with women their age like modern men do?

Virginity before marriage was still considered a social virtue and i imagine the low status of women compared to their male counterparts would have made the unsanctioned socializing to even meet difficult. Is there any historical evidence that young people from the time period where so often secretly rustling each others jimmies that the hypothetical banter i'm writing on could have actually taken place?,or was it so taboo that only social outcasts like prostitutes could engage in it?

1 Answers 2016-11-06

Was Nationalist China ever influenced by Fascism? If so, to what extent?

1 Answers 2016-11-06

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