Most large medieval cities were at one time surrounded by a defensive wall (london, Milan, Rome etc...). Is there any documented history of surging House prices as a city pushed its limits?

I'd like to educate myself more about Vikings and their relationship to Native Americans. Before buying crap, I wanted to ask to ask you, guys.

Hey Historians

I am in the middle of writing an exam in the german culture of remembrance after 1990. My subject is the German remembrance of their colonial times centered around their history with Namibia and furthermore the deal of reparations between the two countries (2021). My teacher has asked me to go in-depth with international law revolving around the deal of reparations between the two countries. My problem is; I have no clue what International law is or what it has to do with a deal/conflict between 2 independent countries.

I am also looking for first-hand sources about the deal that can tell me something about the German culture of remembrance, as I have been unsuccessful in my own search.

Anybody who has a clue? or some credible sources in German or English?

Thank you in advance

If you look at portraits of iconic generals from the 30 Years War and English Civil Wars — Gustavus Adolphus, Wallenstein, Cromwell, Turenne, Condé, etc. — they're all wearing the same black armor with gold trimmings. Is there a particular reason for this? Did they wear this armor for aesthetic purposes, or was there something practical about it? Would they actually have worn this armor on the battlefield, or was it just decorative? Also, they're always depicted as carrying a little staff. I assume the staff was a symbol of authority, kind of like the Roman fasces. When did the tradition of depicting generals with it begin?

I don't know how wrong I am, but depictions of battles around those centuries usually consist of lines of infantry shooting their muskets in volleys at each other and then charging with bayonets, all while being under heavy artillery fire. How did that work? Did you just stand there, shoot your muskeet and then prepare to take a bullet/cannonball? Or were there fortifications and trenches like in early 20th century?

Whether witches and magic actually work, or if it does work, could it be proved scientifically, is a very different topic and I'm not asking about that.
What I know is that people who claim they practice witchcraft, and claim that they can manipulate and "posess" other people do exist today. We don't take them seriously but, if we did we probably would persecute them as well. Did groups like that exist during the highpoint of witch trials (around 1580-1630)?

I'm a Black man living in Germany with my wife and children in 1939. I see the growing hostility from the Nazi party and general German population towards the Jewish community as well as other "non desirables." What is my experience like leading up to the Holocaust? Is my fate any different than others in the non desirables category during the Holocaust? How many, if any Blacks ultimately perish in concentration camps?

Obligatory long time reader, first time asker here

While watching The Witcher with my GF, she pointed out that in s02e02 >!Ciri's training in weapons starting out as a form of "bladed kata"!< was highly inaccurate as to how people learn modern sword fighting (her background is in fencing). This made me curious - how would an absolute novice be taught in the medieval ages? What would be the first things they would learn, and how would they progress? How long would it usually take to achieve "competence"?

Thanks in advance!

There was recently an update to the law to include any facility with 2000 gallons of water inside it, further increasing my confusion.

I understand that it's almost certainly a way to limit casino construction, but in 1994, surely it was recognized that they'd be able to flout it pretty easily. Is it really just so they can say "we only have genteel riverboat craps"? Is it to make sure only the organizations with enough infrastructure can build these facilities?

Is the USSR considered to have been a colonial entity by historians?

Yo, I’ve been wondering this for a longtime and finally decided to type this. When racial segregation legally ceased in 1964; what did previously segregated areas do and how did people respond?

Did shops instantly let black people in as customers? Did restaurants and cafe’s remove all their ‘whites only’ signs and reserved tables? Were all recreational areas opened up for POC?

I imagine it’s not that simple as people’s attitudes and beliefs will linger regardless of contemporary laws or government but I am curious what the first few days and weeks were like in this period.

Edited for correcting spelling/grammar errors

I know the Western powers burned Beijing's Summer Palace, but I've heard conflicting answers as to why. Some authors portray it as purely wanton destruction/looting, while others claim it was in retaliation to the Qing torturing British prisoners who were captured under a flag of truce. Is the latter accurate?

People went nuts when 1999 was going to turn into 2000. The U.S. had feared that computers were going to crash because of the output of the year change, AKA the date, as technicians did not think about the turn of the millennium and left the "19" part of the year, so the last two digits remained.

So, did people react the same way in 999? The Gregorian calendar (the calendar most of the world uses) wasn't created until the 1580s, so did they even know about the change?

I was just watching the Witcher, and they've begun defending a keep, mentioning that it's been guarding the only passage near a river for some time. This got me thinking - keeps such as that one would have been fairly important in medieval times, and building one in a poor location could lead to disaster. However, without modern technology it may have been difficult to locate the best possible position for fortifications. Were there any examples of poorly positioned keeps, and if so what were the consequences if any?