I know that after Emperor Severus Alexander was killed by his own men the Roman empire was chaotic for 50 years. Then Diocletian came and restored order but I don't really understand what happened during the crisis and how Diocletian restored order without losing it.

During the thirties and fourties, Stalin seems to have removed or killed literally every significant member of the old Bolshieviks- even his allies- except Mikhail Kalinin, who was a pre-revolution Bolshievik, the former Mayor of St Petersburg, a longstanding member of the Politburo and the Soviet head of state.

Wouldn't he have been a prime target for Stalin given his stature and position? How did he survive?

I have been researching how Roman elections during the Roman Republic worked and I came across something I do not understand.

I've read that every year 20 Quaestors (at least after the reforms of Sulla) are elected. These are elected by the Tribal Assembly which consists of 35 tribes and which, in total, can cast 35 votes. I'm guessing the 20 electable Quaestors with the top 20 votes are elected.

However would this system not lead to a lot of Quaestors with an equal amount of votes?

Example: say the first 5 electable Quaestors cover 20 tribal votes. Now there are only 15 votes left and still we need to elect 15 Quaestors. So either they all get 1 vote or there are not enough votes for all 20 electable Quaestors.

Am I misunderstanding something here? Can anyone enlighten me about this?

There are plenty on his contemporary, Marco Polo, but Ibn Battuta has far less renown. I have always had a keen interest on this topic so any help is welcomed.

I don't really know a lot about the movement or its prominent figures but I'm interested; so books for a layman specifically would be appreciated. :)

Is it a type of hat that was actually worn by some group of people? If so, why did it become associated with magic?

What is the earliest portrayal of a magical person wearing a pointed hat (ideally with stars and/or moons)?

I saw a post in /r/historyporn showing Einstein posing for a sculpture of himself. It stated that he did that while in hiding from the Nazis in 1933. I asked a question about that and was told I might get an answer here.

If Einstein was hiding from the Nazis in 1933, evidently they already knew how valuable he was to any scientific efforts or research they may have had planned. Therefore, one could assume they would also want him to stay out of the hands of their enemies or potential adversaries. Once he was out of Germany, and working and living elsewhere, there are countless photos of him enjoying life as just another celebrity or VIP in the scientific world - out in public without any visible security measures. Were there ever any attempts or plots by the Nazis to capture or kill him to keep him from aiding the Allies? Did he have a security element that watched over him?

I have fallen into the worst wiki hole of my life trying to trace the lineage of Elizabeth II to some important ruler (such as Cesar, Some Pharaoh, or Alexander the Great).

The problem is, with such a diverse line of rule, I have many options to explore.

So far, I have established a link from Elizabeth II to Clovis I, so there is a Merovingian line, but where do I go from there?

A great friend of mine suggest I try to link Elizabeth II to a Byzantium ruler, since their lineage is easier to trace back (to Roman rulers). However, If I get to Roman rulers, they all claim divine ancestry, so that is a dead end.

But if I end up at Cesar, or Alexander the Great, I'll call it a victory.

Any pointers, or help?

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Did Elizabeth Bathory really bathe in the blood of the young, or all the other terrible things she supposedly did ? I read that these may have been rumors spread by political rivals. Is there any actual records of her torturing people ?

I've noticed in reading about the Byzantines, that eunuchs are a huge part of courtly life and their presence seems to be taken absolutely as a given. I've never seen this sort thing done on such a huge scale and I have so many questions.

1. where do they keep coming from? Obviously somebody is getting the chop, but WHO? Volunteers? Captives? Why would somebody become a eunuch?
2. they seem to be given very specific roles in the court, which are rarely given to uncut men. Why is this? Why were they considered more suited for these jobs?
3. not technically a question, but if you want to share any other interesting stuff you know on the topic, feel free to throw it in there.

thanks in advance :)

What weapons and armour were common in the kingdom of England during the turn of the 15th century? Also, if anyone knows of examples of equipment used in wales during the 10th/11th centuries, that would be fantastic, as I find information on this time period and location lacking. Thanks in advance!