It’s well known that after the disaster that was the Kulturkampf in Germany, German Catholics (not including Poles in this context) were welcomed once again by society. The dominance of the Zentrum Partei (Center Party) slowly dwindled, and the party was divided into both a Left and Right faction. Many Catholics there on were German Patriots in a Protestant majority empire, so I have this question to ask. Any good books or articles about this new Catholic Nationalism in the German Empire? Anything in English or German (preferably English) works. Thanks!

I've heard Chernow has a tendency to ignore the flaws of his subjects and his works are controversial. (I nonetheless picked up his Hamilton because it's, for better or worse, THE Hamilton biography)

I was debating purchasing his Washington novel, but I actually already own Ellis's book (and John Boles' Jefferson book, I hope that's good).

But I know Grant is a polarizing figure, either a good or bad guy depending on how much you think he was involved or turned a blind eye to corruption

IDK, either way I know the way he's portrayed in these books is startling because he's allegedly an entirely different person in both. I'm interested in what people recommend to get an accurate picture of him. I know White's book is not specifically a Grant biography, but...

Or is there a third work I should be looking at?

From what I have learned, many historians consider the birth of the nation-state to be post-feudal Europe. Yet why would ancient civilizations of Sumer (where the populace was likely more homogenous than the modern USA), Greece, Egypt, Angkor-Wat, not be considered nation-states? All of these had people sharing some sort of commonality with a state being tied to them.

I would also like to ask for any book recommendations considering this particular topic, or any relevant sources. Anthropological, historical, and geographical books with a broad scope of human history would especially be appreciated, given my lack of knowledge about the topic.

Hello I'm trying to find some references to biblical clothing, particularly around 0 CE. I managed to find resources describing what clothing looks like, but I really want to be as accurate as possible when it comes to portraying other people, times, and cultures as possible. I am an artist and am trying to depict accurate representation, this can be especially hard without images.

Does anyone have any resources or places to look that would have pictures or photos of archeology so I can visualize better what these may look like?

Japan and China attempted to restrict Christian missionaries, symbols, and books from entering their territory. Did they realize that this could be the spearhead of European aggression?

I know that there are a number of designated indigenous peoples in the Arctic, e.g. the Saami.

What I don’t really get is why some other groups aren’t considered indigenous

• Gaelic islanders/highlanders, Irish, Albanians, Basques for example. Many of these have characteristics of indigenous people, like clan-based social structures, subjected to colonialism, suppression of language etc.

Even more dominant groups like the Finns or the Greeks have long ties to their land and their own distinct languages.

Genuinely curious so would really like to stay clear of any kind of political argy-bargy and just get serious answers.

Question does anyone know why American military aircraft used to be painted yellow and silver

The common reasons I've seen for Japanese swords commonly worn and drawn edge-up (the most famous example) are:

• The edge won't dull when drawing
• You can draw faster
• You can strike the enemy in a single motion
• You can draw while kneeling

There are likely more, but I can only recall these. I'm really skeptical about the true effect of these upsides (or if they are even present or not). If the upsides are significant then no sane soldier would ignore them, yet I have never heard of this practice being popular outside Japan.

Or is wearing and drawing edge-up more common than I think?

I have seen a lot of coverage over the logistics of an earl of gentleman sleeping with a maid or getting a maid pregnant and the logistics of that, however I (frustratingly) cannot seem to find any academic articles regarding a role reversal, where the wealthy daughter of an earl were to fall for (genuine infatuation, not just sex or pregnancy) a footman or valet in the late 1800's - early 1900's.

Any information or even links to relevant academic articles would be much appreciated.

I’ve heard that, in broad strokes, things like zweihanders, claymores and nodachi were used mostly as anti-cavalry.

What I’m struggling to understand is why you’d use them over a simple spear or pike formation. It seems like spears would be easier, cheaper and more effective than those big swords.

Also, what kind of technique would the wielders of these cool, yet impractical weapons use against cavalry?

Three Tier Question – Book Recommendations Please

Hello All! I'm a graduate student in theology studying patristic theologies. However, as I look ahead to my PhD I am considering moving forward in time a little bit and studying the medieval period, particular monks, monasteries, and intellectual history in Western Europe (especially especially British Isles, Ireland, Wales, etc.).

I am here for book recommendations. I have read lots on the subject, but mostly through the lens of philosophy and theology, and either way there is lots more to read I'm sure. What I'm looking for are books that handle three main topics:

1. Broader histories and information on the medieval period, especially in Western Europe/British Isles and surrounding areas. I'd like to get more well versed in the time period in general.

2. Those dealing with intellectual history and schools of thought in medieval period

3. Books dealing with monks/monasteries during the medieval period (including books about monks/monasteries and books by monks)

If you have any recommendations that would fit in one of these categories, I would be most appreciative.

Many thanks!

As I understand it, the filmmakers co-operated with NASA - which is why the "Moonraker shuttles" look just like the real thing - and had originally planned for the film to coincide with the real launch, only for it to get delayed working out the kinks.

So, would your average British or American moviegoer in 1979 be familiar with the concept of the Space Shuttle, or was it more something you would need to be following "space news" to have heard about?

This may sound like a ridiculous question, but I was thinking about how much excess there is from a marble block compared to the statue, and I think it's an interesting jumping off point to discuss a few things.

1. Who owned the marble? Was it Michaelangelo, or one of his patrons?
2. Who owned the leftovers?
3. Was it useful for anything, could it be resold?
4. Did you just throw it away? What did throwing it away look like? Find a field at dump it? Was it really so worthless?

How were they different? What advantages did each ship have over each other?

Hello Everyone.
I'm currently writing a short horror story in which an archaeologist discovers some haunted ruins in South America. The older and more mysterious the better. I'm considering the jungles in Paraguay at the moment so I've been looking into its history. So far the earliest civilisations I've found any information on would be the Guarani tribes but what I've read wouldn't place them in the area until about the 14th - 15th century. Does anyone know of any human settlers in Paraguay before that? Thanks muchly xx

Egypt is often associated with a specific sound and style (at least in the west) and I'm wondering if this is in any way similar to Egyptian music from antiquity or if it's more closely related to middle eastern music? How much do we know about the music played during the Old Kingdom?

I've never quite understood how such a small island, with a relatively small population became such a potent military force, both in the Medieval period and then during colonisation. I don't mind how in depth anyone wants to go, since I have time today, and I'll be reading every comment. :)

I’ll try and condense this question, but I can be long winded at times so no promises. Essentially I’m looking to do an early 1400’s living history impression/character (about 1420ish) and what I’ve considered for this person/character is that they’re a bastard of a somewhat prominent German Knight, and an English Hospitaller woman that met during the Crusade of Nicopolis. My biggest question is how plausible of a situation could that be? As far as I can see it seems quite possible, but I just want to make sure I’m not missing anything that would make it inaccurate. Also what surname might a bastard of a German knight/noble be at the time? Did they have any kind of prefixes for surnames that would denote a bastard? For all context what I essentially want this person to be is an illegitimate son of a German knight, raised in England, and potentially taken in as a squire by a Hospitaller Knight. (I just thought it might be a fun/interesting idea) Thank you in advance for y’all’s help, this is a little outside of my wheelhouse as I’m more knowledgeable in martial matters than anything.

Did this have anything to do with his involvement in the Project for the New American Century think tank?