I'm specifically interested in Britain, France, and Germany from 1100-1600, but examples from elsewhere or earlier in time would be welcome.

Prostitution in medieval Europe seems quite widespread. All the English court records or Italian journals I've read have made direct reference to that industry, but throughout most of the Middle Ages I believe that the majority of people having interaction with a money economy.

Were the services of prostitutes reserved for doctors, lawyers, wealthy farmers, priests, merchants, and men-at-arms, or could poor farmers (including serfs) visit a prostitute when the desire arose?

Similarly, how widespread was the procurement of prostitutes? Italian writings from the 15th century suggests there was no stigma against men who went to prostitutes, but was this true of other societies? Would most English and French men ca. 1300 visit prostitutes? Could they afford it?

...and did the Romans ever try to "clean up" their borders (conquer the space between the two provinces) ?

You see dragons appearing in art from Latin American, East Asian, European, and African cultures, but how did they all develop this legend?

I was hungover this morning and bumming out watching Battleplan, which was focussing on pre-emptive strike actions. They used the Israeli's pre-emptive air strike action in the Six-Days War as an example. A fact that struck me as I was watching was that the Soviets informed Nasser that the Israelis were massing troops on the Syrian border, despite this not being true. At the time of filming, no-one had uncovered any reason why the Soviets would have wanted to do that. Has this situation changed? Are there now any reputable theories as to why the Soviets misdirected Nasser in this fashion?

I was also wondering if anybody can give me some sources on this topic? I need to reaserch it but I came out short on literatue.

This is something that was always curious to me. I'm not really familiar with in-depth history of Spain, but from what I know Spain was super rich and powerful during the colonial times, had one of the greatest navies and conquered half of the New World. How come Spain lost its significance and influence at some point (I presume it was after they lost their colonies), but after the collapse of the British Empire UK still remained influential and powerful.
Also, from what I recall Spain did not participate in many European wars. Where all the Spanish gold and navy disappeared and when?

Curious about the nomenclature of the empire and about the power balance between the two main constituent nationalities.

In the United Kingdom, experiences in overseas possessions (principally on the Indian subcontinent) not only inspired a wide spectrum of writings (ranging from E.M. Forster's A Passage to India to George Orwell's Burmese Days) but also created a whole Anglo-Indian subculture among the mostly middle-class civil servants and officers who entered the British military/colonial administration.

Likewise, references to Algeria are common in 19th and early 20th century French literature. In Maupassant's Bel-Ami, protagonist Georges Duroy is a retired soldier who has spent significant amount of time in North Africa and later manages to establish himself as a sort of authority on the matter, while the Algerian city of Oran is a favorite setting of Albert Camus, who himself was a French-African.

The American Military Government in the Phillipines and the subsequent Insular Government of the Philippine Islands (and Commonwealth of the Philippines) on the other hand doesn't seem to have spawned significant literature. In addition to running the Philippines, the Bureau of Insular Affairs also managed the islands of Cuba and Puerto Rico; I would think that some bureau officers must have contributed something or other to the american public consciousness, but that doesn't seem to be the case. Why didn't the American colonial community spawn a significant subculture?

I was reading the Pyohaerok, which was a Joseon official Choe Bu's account of his travels in China after he was shipwrecked. He was asked once by a Chinese official whether people in his country served tea or wine to guests, to which he replied the Koreans served wine. Why was this the case? Why didn't they use tea?

I'm bad at apostraphes.

Hi all!

I'm looking for a historian's look at the causes of the collapse of Yugoslavia and the immediate implications for the region following the break up. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

From my understanding, shell-shock was first noticed in World War 1, where it continued to be recognized to today, with understanding growing until it was scientifically recognized as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Has it been a direct result of the firepower of today, and its effects of the human mind, or have there been recordings of soldiers suffering from its symptoms earlier than WW1? How long has it occurred, and how long has it been acknowledged as a problem?

Every single square inch of dry surface land on Earth has been claimed or owned by either an individual, corporation, or government. What was the last time and place where land was unclaimed and unowned? Or does any still exist?

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How has the Kingdom endured as well as it has? Between the overwhelming influx of refugees (pre-1996 refugees, of course), the assassination of King Abdullah, lack of oil funds, etc., I was surprised to learn how relatively stable it has been. What are some of those reasons?

I want to know about Ottoman empire in detail....As much detailed as it can be...their politics, economics, military, society, traditions.. all of them.. can anyone suggest me books that will full fill my desire?

Do we have any evidence that vikings revered or worshiped Loki? I know that Christianity had some influence on the depiction of Norse gods, turning Loki into a Satan-like figure, but is this really the case? If he was worshiped how was this justified considering Loki's role in Ragnarok?

Why has the Sinai Peninsula historically been a part of Egypt?

It looks like it would naturally be a part of the land area of Israel/Palestine.