I was thinking about France, China, Japan and Russia after all of their monarchies fell we continue to think of the new government as the new government of an old country while we make a separation between the Byzantine empire and Rome. Why is this?

Did the Roman military come up with their version of the shield wall/phalanx, or did it copy and modify an effective technique that Greece had used? And after Rome left Britain and Germany and other such areas, did their former battle technique get copied and passed down to result in the shield wall used by the "barbarians" after Rome left those lands?

If they were copied and adapted, did it happen by learning from enemies, absorbing the old culture then keeping it when the old culture left, or some other reason?

Like it says on the tin. I understand that bread wasn't exactly "invented" but rather it was developed over time. Can someone who's a bit more versed in culinary history discuss how bread was developed and how modern sandwich bread came about?

I apologize if this is an overly broad question. As far as I know, and I may be wrong, the middle ages, and subsequent eras, especially during the industrial revolution could be described as having population shifts, people leaving their small towns to go to cities. My question is about the populations of these small rural towns.

Is there a typical small farm town in Europe, over the course of 500 years or so would its population remain relatively stable? If so how did this happen? Did the replacement rate roughly match the death rate or were people leaving the towns. Or were these small towns just growing, by and large? If there was a time when the population suddenly started increasing was this do to changes in technology, or a decision to start making larger families for economic reasons?

I've heard that Osama was trained and funded by the CIA during the Soviet-Iraqi conflict. Is there any proof? This question doesn't just pertain to Osama, but any terrorist.

Include anything you can think of, from gardens to cathedrals or castles to landscaping.

Also, what are some good sources for researching something in the scope?

Please redirect me if I'm asking a question that doesn't fit this subreddit.

Can someone give me a comprehensive answer of what the Act of Settlement 1701 (UK) is all about and what it meant to the structure of the monarchy? Really baffled by legislation and explaining texts alike. Can anyone recommend some good text also to do with the English Legal System?

I'm not under the assumption that the entire class was wiped out obviously, but that it was severely diminished by the Republic, and subsequent revolutions as well. To this day, there are still people in France who hold noble titles, but what is the significance of this and is it in any way relevant in terms of public office or status?

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I was wondering if Britain actually was forced into the war, or if the treaty was of no significance and used to justify them going to war.

I always wondered how accurate muskets (and later on rifles) were and if those line infantery regiments as seen in "Total War" or some Movies really existed and how many men were in one. Also, did they just stood face to face and shot themselfs in volleys until one line broke? Sorry if that are too many questions at once.

I went down the wikipedia rabbit hole and widows-as-tavern-owners was a fact that kept popping up. I found that curious. I know the legal status of married women was largely "absorbed" by their husbands, but unmarried women had some limited, practical rights such as the ability to sign contracts in their own name.

Taverns were becoming an increasingly democratic forum, with broadsides read, mail delivered, political issues (and dissent) discussed, and even some court sessions held. Similarly, I know some colonies were preoccupied with the moral hazard of taverns, to say nothing of the practical hazard of general rowdiness associated with the venue. Tavern ownership, as I understand it, was consequently viewed as a public responsibility and the owner requiring a large amount of public trust.

These two paragraphs contrast quite a bit. How were women practically allowed to fulfill this role given their social and legal limitations? How much "slack" were they cut in order to meaningfully manage a tavern? I'm familiar with social mores bending here and there out of necessity, but this is something more than a woman assuming responsibility for the family farm. I'm curious to hear more about the expectations and boundaries set for these women (e.g., what was their reputation?), any influence they might have held within their respective taverns, notable figures (if any), and really any miscellaneous commentary that could elucidate this practice.

EDIT: For more specificity: English colonies in America circa 18th century, mostly leading up (but not exclusive) to the American Revolution. I don't have a specific colony in mind though I had been reading about Boston's Green Dragon Tavern and the Mass. General Court. Since posting this I've been reading up a little more on New Hampshire's approach.

I found a diary entry of a little girl's recount of getting hit by Indians on a wagon train. It was pretty brutal.

Does the Queen of England actually own the land of England and more globally, does she possess the lands of the Commonwealth of Nations (Canada, Australia) ?

thank you

Today’s trivia comes to us from /u/sunagainstgold! Who, being a fun-loving soul, has naturally requested we all think about death.

So please share any information you’d like about attitudes, practices, or philosophy about death. Any place, any time, anything you want, you know the drill.

Next week on Tuesday Trivia: In honor of a hallowed American traditional holiday, Black Friday (or Schwarzfreitag, in the original German), we’ll be talking about awesome deals and negotiations in history.

To clarify, my question is, how well would the typical peasant in medieval France (or any other medieval European, Christian nation) know their own religion? Seeing as the majority of people were illiterate and services were held in Latin, how knowledgeable would a typical peasant be of the gospels, the Trinity and even the Old Testament?

Additionally, how well were these things taught to peasants? Did the Church make a strong effort to have the peasants understand their faith?

I've been reading a lot lately about the preeminence of the Islamic world and the Far East prior to European civilizations rising to a position of dominance.

It made me wonder if one or both of those attacks hadn't occurred, would the world be vastly different due to the early domination of Islam, or would their enforcement of religious laws make conflict and divisiveness unavoidable with non-islamic regions?

I know that the Soviets maintained a Black Sea Fleet, but I imagine that, being neutral, Turkey was not going to allow the Soviet Navy to exit, or the Kriegsmarine or Regia Marina to enter. Romania and Bulgaria I would assume maintained some sort of navy presence, but was it enough to challenge the Soviets? And did Germany attempt to built any sort of naval force to launch from its eastern allies? If so, what were they up to?